SAN DIEGO – After winning its second-straight conference championships and advancing to the national semifinals for the first time, Cal State San Marcos has been named the favorite in Division II of the Southwestern Lacrosse Conference (SLC), according to the preseason coaches poll.

The Cougars (16-2), which only had one loss to a D-II squad all season, gobbled up eight of the 10 first-place votes to fly 11 points clear of the field. San Marcos finished third in the final 2023 New Balance Division II Coaches Poll.

Checking in at No. 2 is UC San Diego (12-4). The Tritons fell to San Marcos in the SLC finals, but qualified for the 2023 MCLA National Championships presented by New Balance. UCSD was awarded one first-place vote.

Northern Arizona (9-4) is slotted third, just six points behind the Tritons. The Lumberjacks grabbed the final first-place vote.

Loyola Marymount (4-7) rounded out the top four, but the Lions were just a single point ahead of fifth-ranked San Diego (6-4).

"The SLC Division II is 11 teams strong, with two more in the entry process, so competition has definitely picked up," said SLC director Matt Holman. "It's going to be a dog fight as they work their way through conference play. With our conference tourney only taking the top four teams this year -- a new wrinkle -- every game has weight."

2024 SLC Division II Preseason Coaches Poll