Hempstead, NY - The Hofstra Men's Lacrosse team is in the also receiving votes category in the 2016 United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association/Nike Division I Men's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches Poll, the USILA announced Monday.

The Pride, who begin their season on February 20 at sixth-ranked North Carolina, are in a group of 14 programs who are just off the top 20 in the USILA Preseason Coaches Poll. Hofstra will be facing five teams who are in the USILA Preseason Top 20 and three more who are in the also receiving votes category,

The Pioneers of Denver, the defending national champions, head the preseason poll with 431 points and 14 first place votes. Notre Dame is second with 416 points and six first-place votes. Duke is third with 393 points and one first place votes and Maryland, which captured the last first-place vote, is fourth with 365 points. Johns Hopkins, with 340 points, rounds out the top five.

The Tar Heels of North Carolina, the Pride's season-opening opponent, com in sixth with 317 points with Syracuse (311), Virginia (302), Yale (271) and Brown (202) rounding out the top 10.

Hofstra has four opponents in the second 10 headed by 11th-ranked Ohio State (174). The Buckeyes come to Hempstead on March 12 for a noon contest. Albany comes in at number 12 in the poll while Georgetown, which comes to Hofstra on March 5, is ranked 13th. Loyola and Harvard are 14th and 15th, respectively in the poll.

Longtime conference-foe Towson is ranked 16th in the preseason poll, according to the coaches. Hofstra and Towson will close out the Colonial Athletic Association regular season on Saturday afternoon, April 30 at James M. Shuart Stadium. Cornell, Navy and Villanova hold down the 17th, 18th and 19th places, respectively. Stony Brook wraps up the top 20. The Seawolves will host Hofstra on Tuesday night, March 15.

The three opposing teams in the also receiving votes category who will be facing the Pride this season include Princeton, on February 27 at Shuart Stadium, Fairfield, on April 2 at Shuart, and Massachusetts, on April 23 in Amherst, MA.  Other teams in this category include Marquette, Colgate, Penn State, Army, Penn, High Point, Bucknell, Boston U., Richmond and Marist.