The Aurora University Spartan men's lacrosse team, the two-time defending champion of the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference has been selected as the unanimous favorite to capture the 2024 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) men's lacrosse title according to the annual preseason poll released today.

AU secured 162 points and all 16 first-place votes in the poll, which consists of votes from the league's head men's lacrosse coaches and athletics communications professionals. The Spartans finished 15-5 overall and 8-0 in league play for the second consecutive year before outscoring Benedictine University and Illinois Institute of Technology by a combined score of 42-8 to win the program's first NACC Tournament title. AU fell to Illinois Wesleyan, 19-10, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Concordia University Wisconsin (135 points) took second place in the poll ahead of Illinois Tech (122), Benedictine (108), and Milwaukee School of Engineering (98). CUW and IIT tied for second place in the league a year ago with matching 6-2 marks, while Benedictine and MSOE tied for fourth at 5-3.

Edgewood College (75) is sixth, followed by Marian University (55), Beloit College (35), and Concordia University Chicago (20).

NACC Tournament: The top four teams in the final standings qualify for the 2024 NACC Men's Lacrosse Tournament. Semifinals are slated for Wednesday, May 1 with the final to follow on Saturday, May 4. All tournament games will be held on campus sites. The tournament champion receives the NACC's automatic berth in the 2024 NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse Championship.

Next 2024 contest for AU: The Spartans play again on Saturday, February 24 when they host the University of Dubuque. Game time is slated to start at 1:00 p.m. at Spartan Athletic Park in Montgomery, Illinois.

2024 NACC Men's Lacrosse Preseason Poll

Institution	Points
Aurora University (18)	162
Concordia Wisconsin	135
Illinois Tech	122
Benedictine	108
MSOE	98
Edgewood	75
Marian	55
Beloit	35
Concordia Chicago	20