Syracuse lacrosse: Orange unanimous Top 5 in 2025 Way-Ahead Rankings

Both the SU men and women received a lot of love from the two major lacrosse publications in their way-ahead rankings recently.

With the new school year in full swing and lacrosse teams across the country returning to fall practice, it’s a good time to look ahead to what might be in store for our Syracuse Orange once 2025 rolls around.

While everything is still in front of us and so much has yet to be determined, the early opinions are quite favorable for both the ‘Cuse men and women according to Inside Lacrosse and USA Lacrosse Magazine.

The Orange men were selected No. 2 by both USA Lacrosse and Inside Lacrosse, while the women were placed No. 3 by USA and No. 5 by IL.

Here’s a quick look at the Top 5 for each ranking:

• USA Men: No. 1 Notre Dame, No. 2 Syracuse, No. 3 Cornell, No. 4 Princeton, No. 5 Virginia
• IL Men: No. 1 Notre Dame, No. 2 Syracuse, No. 3 Princeton, No. 4 Maryland, No. 5 Cornell
• USA Women: No. 1 BC, No. 2 Northwestern, No. 3 Syracuse, No. 4 UNC, No. 5 Michigan
• IL Women: No. 1 BC, No. 2 Northwestern, No. 3 UNC, No. 4 Michigan, No. 5 Syracuse

It’s certainly very exciting to see ‘Cuse repped in every single Top 5, despite the time of year.

It’s not in any way a surprise to see the men slotted right behind the two-time defending champs at the No. 2 spot given just how much talent and depth return with another year of experience under their belts.

On the other hand, it was surprising to see the women placed so highly (especially at No. 3 by USA Lacrosse Magazine) in their rankings. There’s so much to replace in the form of a starting goalie, starting draw taker, three starting defenders and four significant contributors on offense, most of whom were All-American caliber players.

There’s plenty of young talent ready to step up and make a name for themselves, but right now there are far more questions than answers about who will be producing for the SU women in 2025. But it’s nice to see they’re still up near the top of the country despite those questions.

Additionally, Inside Lacrosse did a way-ahead rankings for the Tewaaraton, and the Orange were represented on both lists there, as well. Olivia Adamson came in at No. 8 on the women’s list, while Joey Spallina was listed No. 3 on the men’s list.

We’ve got a long way to go and tons of questions to be answered, but with the fall underway we’re off and running on a new and exciting year for Syracuse lacrosse.