PITTSBURGH – Michigan State captured its first-ever MCLA National Championships powered by Under Armour last spring and, not surprisingly, the Spartans are the favorites in the newly formed Continental Lacrosse Conference (CLC) according to the preseason coaches poll released Tuesday.

Michigan State (18-1), which closed out the Central Collegiate Lacrosse Association (CCLA) with seven consecutive championships before the CCLA was combined with the Pioneer Collegiate Lacrosse League (PCLL) to form the CLC, were the unanimous choice. The Spartans grabbed all 10 first-place votes.

Following the Spartans and rounding out the top four are three former PCLL outfits. Boston College (10-5) was in the second spot with 36 points followed by Northeastern (7-5) with 44 and New Hampshire (7-4) with 46.

The CLC-I will consist of five-team East and West divisions, with the winners of each divisional playoff meeting to determine the winner of the automatic qualifier to the 2019 MCLA National Championships powered by Under Armour, which will be held in Salt Lake City from May 6-11.

2019 Continental Lacrosse Conference Division I Preseason Coaches Poll