MINNEAPOLIS – After making its first appearance at the MCLA National Championships sponsored by New Balance in 14 years, Minnesota is the pick in the Upper Midwest Lacrosse Conference Division I preseason coaches poll.

The Golden Gophers (14-7) gobbled up nine of the 10 first-place votes to give them an 11-point buffer between second-ranked Indiana (9-5). Minnesota is the defending UMLC tournament champion.

Missouri (7-5) sits in third place, 17 points behind Indiana. The Tigers do boast the remaining first-place vote.

Purdue (6-7), which lost in the UMLC title game to Minnesota last spring, rounds out the top four, edging out Kansas (7-3) by a point.

“The race to qualify for the UMLC tournament will be as exciting as any other conference in the country,” said UMLC director Derek Daehn. “We’ve got 10 solid teams looking for a ticket to nationals.”

The 2020 UMLC tournament will be held again at the Crown Point (Ind.) Sportsplex, on the weekend of April 24-26.

2020 UMLC Division I Preseason Coaches Poll