The SUNY Cortland women's lacrosse team is ranked third nationally in Division III and the Red Dragon men's lacrosse team is ranked sixth nationally in preseason polls conducted by Lacrosse Magazine.

The Cortland women finished 21-2 last season and advanced to the NCAA Division III “final four” before losing 13-11 to eventual national champion Gettysburg (Pa.). The Red Dragons have won State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) title and have played in the NCAA tournament each of the last 13 years.

Fourth-year head coach Kathy Taylor's squad will open the season at Union College on March 1, followed by matchups with ranked teams in four of the next five games. The Red Dragons travel to sixth-ranked Salisbury (Md.) on March 7 and fifth-ranked Franklin & Marshall (Pa.) on March 10. Cortland will host second-ranked The College of New Jersey March 17 and 20th-ranked Ithaca March 24.

The Cortland men, led by sixth-year head coach Steve Beville, will open the season at Widener University (Pa.) on Feb. 25. The Red Dragons' next four games will be against ranked teams – home versus 13th-ranked Union on March 3, against 12th-ranked Gettysburg (Pa.) March 10 in Massapequa on Long Island, home versus seventh-ranked Stevenson (Md.) March 17 and against 10th-ranked Middlebury (Vt.) in Albany March 20. Cortland will also face fifth-ranked RIT and 17th-ranked Nazareth as part of its non-league schedule.

Cortland finished 16-3 last spring and advanced to the NCAA Div. III quarterfinals before losing 10-9 at eventual national runner-up Tufts. The Red Dragons won national titles in 2006 and 2009, finished second in 2007 and 2008, and lost in the national semifinals in 2010. Cortland also won the SUNYAC crown last season for the fourth straight year.


2012 Lacrosse Magazine
Women's Div. III Preseason Poll

1) Gettysburg (PA)
2) The College of New Jersey
3) CORTLAND
4) Hamilton
5) Franklin & Marshall (PA)

6) Salisbury (MD)
7) Trinity (CT)
8) Middlebury (VT)
9) Bowdoin (ME)
10) Tufts (MA)

11) Colby (ME)
12) Messiah (PA)
13) Amherst (MA)
14) Washington & Lee (VA)
15) Stevens Inst. (NJ)

16) Catholic (DC)
17) Bates (ME)
18) Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CA)
19) Adrian (MI)
20) Ithaca

2012 Lacrosse Magazine
Men's Div. III Preseason Poll

1) Salisbury (MD)
2) Tufts (MA)
3) Roanoke (VA)
4) Dickinson (PA)
5) RIT

6) CORTLAND
7) Stevenson (MD)
8) Amherst (MA)
9) Stevens Inst. (NJ)
10) Middlebury (VT)

11) Denison (OH)
12) Gettysburg (PA)
13) Union
14) Endicott (MA)
15) Lynchburg (VA)

16) Cabrini (PA)
17) Nazareth
18) Haverford (PA)
19) RPI
20) Trinity (CT)