Penn men's lacrosse celebrates against Dartmouth on April 22, 2023.
With the start of the spring season looming near, Penn men’s lacrosse will be entering the season as one of the stronger teams in the nation.
Despite finishing with just a 7-6 record in 2023, the Red and Blue performed well in the Ivy League, going 4-2 while also picking up wins against four ranked opponents throughout the course of the season. At one point, the Quakers were ranked as high as No. 7 and will once again be gracing the rankings as the USA Lacrosse Division I Men’s Preseason Top 20 poll lists Penn as the 17th best team in the nation ahead of the 2024 season.
Joining the Quakers on this list are its Ancient Eight foes consisting of No. 7 Cornell, No. 10 Yale, and No. 14 Princeton. Last year, Penn was able to beat both Yale and Princeton in regular season play with one of its two losses coming against the Big Red. The team’s season came to a close in the Ivy League tournament through a 8-9 loss to Princeton. Once again, the team’s path to glory will have to go through a stacked list of conference opponents.
Following a season that saw him grow into his role as the backbone of the defense while earning recognition as an unanimous first team All-Ivy selection and USA Lacrosse Magazine All-American honorable mention, senior defender Brendan Lavelle was named a USA Lacrosse Magazine third team Preseason All-American. Lavelle, who had a team high eight caused turnovers last year, will be looking to build on his success come February after starting all 13 games from the previous season.
Joining the team for their first seasons representing the Red and Blue will be a potential-laden class of freshmen who will be more than eager to announce their presence. Seven first-years found themselves on the Inside Lacrosse’s power 100 freshman rankings, tying Princeton for the most freshmen on the list in the Ivy League. Leading the pack is Leo Hoffman who was ranked fifth. Ben Beacham (No. 33), Grayson McClements (No. 41), Pasha Hakimi (No. 60), Davis Provost (No. 64), Matthew Till (No. 69), and Jacob Pacheco (No. 97) were also recognized.
Penn will be opening up its season at home on Feb. 17 at 12 pm against No. 12 Georgetown.
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