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Maryland Opens 2026 as No. 1 Ranked Men's Lacrosse Team

USA Lacrosse has the reigning National Runner Up at the top of their Preseason Rankings
Michael Ostrowski|
May 24, 2025; Foxborough, MA, USA; Maryland goalie Brian Ruppel (19) celebrates with midfielder Trace Davidson (31) and defender Peter Laake (39) after defeating Syracuse in the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship Semifinal at Gillette Stadium.
May 24, 2025; Foxborough, MA, USA; Maryland goalie Brian Ruppel (19) celebrates with midfielder Trace Davidson (31) and defender Peter Laake (39) after defeating Syracuse in the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship Semifinal at Gillette Stadium. | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Will the third time be the charm for Maryland men's lacrosse?

That's the ultimate question for the Terrapins entering 2026. Twice in a row, they have gone all the way to the NCAA Championship game. Twice in a row, they came up short in the end.

Despite some serious roster turnover, the general consensus is that the Terps will get another crack at playing Memorial Day weekend. That's evidenced by the USA Lacrosse Magazine Preseason Top 20, which has John Tillman's squad entering the new season ranked No. 1 in the nation.

Cornell - the defending National Champs - opens up at No. 6, while Big Ten foes Penn State (9), Ohio State (11), Rutgers (15), Johns Hopkins (17), and Michigan (20) all crack the initial list as well.

Here are the full Preseason Rankings:

1. Maryland

2. Syracuse

3. Princeton

4. Georgetown

5. North Carolina

6. Cornell

7. Notre Dame

8. Duke

9. Penn State

10. Richmond

11. Ohio State

12. Harvard

13. Virginia

14. Army

15. Rutgers

16. Boston University

17. Johns Hopkins

18. Towson

19. UAlbany

20. Michigan

It'd be a bigger surprise to not see a Tillman-led team in the Final Four - the Terps have made it that far 11 times in his 14 seasons leading the way - but the early national recognition shows just how confident most USA Lacrosse writers and opposing coaches are in his latest roster.

Tillman had his work cut out for him in the offseason following a flux of departures that included:

  • Program wins (62) and saves (789) leader Logan McNaney
  • Second-leading scorer Daniel Kelly (35 goals, 10 assists)
  • Long-stick midfielder Jack McDonald (50 ground balls, 15 caused turnovers)

To replace their production, Tillman is relying on a blend of returning talent, five-star freshman attack Freshman Higgins, and Inside Lacrosse's top-rated transfer class of the year.

Coming into the mix are a trio of Yale exports - attackers Leo Johnson and Chris Lyons (combined 56 G and 31 A last year) and defenseman Michael Alexander - plus short-stick midfielder Trey Fleece (42 GB, 10 CTO) from UMBC and specialist Henry Dodge (.713 faceoff percentage) from Vermont.

Johnson and Lyons were a formidable duo in the always-fierce Ivy League, with 229 G and 106 A overall in their college careers, and Dodge should help shore up Maryland's pedestrian .512 faceoff percentage.

Meanwhile, the big contributors from last year's squad that stuck around are:

  • Leading scorer Eric Spanos (36 G, 19 A),
  • Third-leading scorer Braden Erksa (33 G, 15 A)
  • Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Will Schaller (31 GB, 23 CTO)

The one position that features some uncertainty is goaltender. Brian Ruppel started 13 games while McNaney was injured in 2013, but he only posted a .484 save percentage while doing so. The Terp' also added Inside Lacrosse's top goalie prospect of the Class of 2025: five-star Aidan Seibel.

Former four-star recruit Tyler Coryea, who did not appear in any games last season, is the Terps' other option.

As is usually the case, Maryland will face a loaded slate of opponents throughout the campaign. They'll face a total of 10 teams from the preseason poll, with road games at Richmond, Syracuse, Penn State, Michigan, and Johns Hopkins, plus home contests against Princeton, Notre Dame, Virginia, Ohio State, and Rutgers.

The early trip up to 'Cuse will be a good indicator of this team's potential. Last year snapped a decade-long Final Four drought for the Orange, who enter another playoff push under Hall of Famer (and former Maryland Women's Lacrosse assistant coach) Gary Gait.

Though SU fell to the Terps last time - and lost a fair bit of their own core afterwards - they retain Tewaaraton Trophy Nominee Joey Spallina, ACC Goalie of the Year Jimmy McCool, and other key members of that postseason run.

Check in throughout the coming months for updates on the Terps' quest for a fifth National Championship.

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Michael Ostrowski
MICHAEL OSTROWSKI

Mike joined Sports Illustrated with over four years of sportswriting experience. He started off his career in Syracuse on the Orange football beat, where he was featured on CBS Sports' Cover 3 Podcast and local ESPN sports talk radio. After a brief stint reporting on Major League Baseball, he returned to the college landscape with Maryland On SI.

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