BALTIMORE -- The University of Delaware men’s lacrosse team, coming off the best season in school history in 2007 when the Blue Hens advanced to the NCAA semifinals, has earned several pre-season team and individual honors by Inside Lacrosse.com and Face-Off Yearbook.

The Blue Hens, who return five starters and 27 letterwinners from last year’s team, were picked No. 2 in the pre-season Colonial Athletic Association rankings and No. 13 in the pre-season national Top 25 poll. Delaware won the CAA title a year ago and was ranked No. 5 in the final Inside Lacrosse poll and No. 15 in the final United State Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association regular season poll.

In addition, senior attackman Cam Howard (at right) and senior defender Evan Crowther-Washburn were selected to the pre-season honorable mention All-American team, senior Brett Manney was ranked as the nation’s No. 5 defensive midfielder, and Tom Scherr was ranked as the No. 6 goalkeeper in the nation.

Inside Lacrosse and Face-Off Yearbook will announce its top-ranked attackmen as well as its rankings for the nation’s top offensive, midfield, defensive, man-up offense, man-up defense, clearing, and faceoff units in the next two weeks.

In the CAA pre-season poll, Towson was picked No. 1 followed by Delaware, Drexel, Hofstra, Villanova, Sacred Heart, and Robert Morris. Nationally, defending national champion Johns Hopkins was picked No. 1 followed by Duke, Virginia, Georgetown, North Carolina, Maryland, Cornell, Princeton, Navy, Notre Dame, Syracuse, Albany, Towson, Delaware, UMBC, Loyola, Bucknell, Drexel, Hofstra, Massachusetts, Colgate, Ohio State, Army, Dartmouth, and Ohio State.

Howard, a 5-11, 185 lb. senior attackman from Wilmington, DE (Tatnall School), looks to return at full strength this spring after missing all but two games a year ago due to a knee injury. A three-time All-CAA selection and a 2007 pre-season All-American, Howard ranks among the nation’s top active scorers with 140 points on 62 goals and 78 assists. He ranks No. 13 on Delaware’s all-time points list.

Crowther-Washburn, a 6-2, 185 lb. senior defender from Annapolis, MD (Severn School), returns as one of the squad’s top defensive players. He started all 19 games in 2007 and had two assists, 30 groundballs, and 21 caused turnovers. A two-year letterwinner and a journalism major at Delaware, he has played in 31 career games and recorded 33 career groundballs.

Scherr, a 5-6, 165 lb. senior goalkeeper from Owings Mills, MD (Mt. St. Joseph’s High School), will serve in the role as co-captain for the second straight season in 2007. A two-year letterwinner, he ranked No. 11 in the nation in goals allowed average (7.81) and No. 14 in save percentage (.538) a year ago and returns this spring as one of the nation’s top netminders with 25 victories and 371 saves in his career. An honor student as a chemical engineering major, he is a two-time Colonial Athletic Association All-Tournament selection, a two-time team Sportsmanship Award winner, and a two-time CAA Academic Honor Roll recipient. He is also an Academic All-American candidate this season.

Of Scherr, Inside Lacrosse noted, “his play in leading Delaware to the final four was too impressive to ignore. He’ll have to be a rock in net with Alex Smith gone as the Blue Hens will likely play more defense this season.” Princeton’s Alex Hewitt was rated as the nation’s top netminder.

Of Manney, Inside Lacrosse noted, “in lobbying for Manney, one expert told me to ‘pop in a tape of last year’s Virginia-Delaware game’. I did. He’s right. Manney belongs on the list.” Inside Lacrosse picked Virginia’s Will Barrow as the nation’s top defensive midfielder.

Manney, a 6-3, 215 lb. senior defensive midfielder from Newtown, PA (Holy Ghost Prep), returns as one of the nation’s top defensive midfielders. He appeared in 17 games with two starts a year ago when he had one goal, four assists, 37 groundballs, and 15 caused turnovers. An English major who also serves as a sports broadcaster for the University radio station WVUD FM, he is a two-year letterwinner who has played in 36 career games and recorded three goals, four assists, 56 groundballs, and 17 caused turnovers.

Delaware will open its season Feb. 9 at Saint Joseph’s in the nation’s first NCAA Division I college game.