PHILADELPHIA – The final team in the Ivy League Tournament field in 2022, the University of Pennsylvania men's lacrosse team was selected by the media to return defend its Ivy Tournament crown in 2023, picked fourth and announced on Tuesday afternoon.
 
The Quakers, ranked ninth by USA Lacrosse Magazine and 10th by Inside Lacrosse, enter the season looking to repeat as tournament champions and improve upon their NCAA Quarterfinal round appearance last year.
 
Several members of Penn's roster earned Preseason All-America nods, headlined by senior Sam Handley's Preseason Player and Midfielder of the Year honor by USA Lacrosse Magazine and joined by Piper Bond, Dylan Gergar, BJ Farrare and Brendan Lavelle.
 
Handley tallied 36 goals and 37 assists with 73 points in 2022, earning himself Ivy Player of the Year laurels, the Donald J. MacLaughlin Jr. Award (USILA Midfielder of the Year) and he was one of five finalists for the prestigious Tewaaraton Award.
 
Five Ivy League teams qualified for the NCAA Tournament last season with the potential for at least that many or more to appear in 2023. The Ivy League had six teams ranked in the Inside Lacrosse Preseason Media Poll, the most in the nation.
 
Cornell was picked first in the poll with 94 points and 11 first-place votes. The Big Red were runner-ups for the National Championship in 2022. Princeton was picked second at 78 points with two first-place votes, Yale was third, Penn fourth, Harvard fifth with one first-place vote, defending Ivy League Regular Season champ Brown was picked sixth with Dartmouth rounding out the field in seventh.
 
The Quakers open the season on the road at #3/3 Georgetown on Feb. 18 at noon.

IVY LEAGUE MEN'S LACROSSE PRESEASON POLL
Predicted Order of Finish (First Place Votes)

1.	Cornell	94 (11)
2.	Princeton	78 (2)
3.	Yale	65
4.	Penn	64
5.	Harvard	43 (1)
6.	Brown	30
7.	Dartmouth	15