SAN FRANCISCO – Fresh off its first Western Collegiate Lacrosse League (WCLL) title in 18 years, Cal-Berkeley is the overwhelming favorite to repeat according to the preseason coaches poll released on Friday.

The Golden Bears (12-6), which advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2018 MCLA National Championships powered by Under Armour, grabbed nine of the 10 first place votes and were 12 points clear of second place Cal Poly (8-9).

UC Santa Barbara (7-8) returns to the WCLL after 10 years playing in the Southwestern Lacrosse Conference and checks in at No. 3 in the poll. Sonoma State (7-9) rounds out the top four.

In addition to UC Santa Barbara, Sierra Nevada (9-5 D-II) is new to WCLL-I this spring. The Eagles were the four-time defending champions in WCLL-II before making the leap this season.

With the two added teams, the WCLL will expand its playoffs from four team to six in 2019 with the top two teams earning byes into the semifinals.

2019 WCLL Division I Preseason Coaches Poll