Coming off a 4-0 week that included wins over three ranked opponents, Michigan Club solidified its hold on the No. 1 spot in the WCLA (Women’s Collegiate Lacrosse Associates) Division I coaches poll, released today, while Boston College Club used a 4-0 week to catapult into the Top 10. Denver Club remained No. 1 in the Division II poll.

The Wolverines beat No. 6 Colorado Club, No. 15 Colorado State, Texas, and No. 2 Georgia to sweep the weekend at the Mile High Invitational Tournament in Boulder. The nine-team event featured seven ranked squads, with Michigan capping its weekend with a 7-6 overtime win over No. 2 Georgia.

“That game could have gone either way,” said UM coach David McKinnon. “We love playing Georgia because it’s always going to be a tight, fun game. It’s good to see smiles at the end of a long weekend.”

McKinnon noted that having a large roster has made a positive difference for the Wolverines, who now stand at 10-0 overall.

“Our depth is amazing and really helped us in the high altitude,” McKinnon said. “We have 30 girls this year, which is the largest roster we’ve had since I’ve been coaching here, and we played all 30 girls in two of the four games.”

McKinnon also likes the energy and chemistry on this year’s team.

“We have 10 seniors, and they have really embraced the freshmen and helped them along,” he said. “All I tell our team is ‘try your best to have more fun than the other team.’”

The other squad that made a splash in Boulder last week was Boston College Club, which also finished 4-0, including wins over No. 4 BYU and Colorado State. Powered by that showing, the Eagles jumped eight spots to No. 7 in this week’s ranking.

“The competition was fantastic, and all of us enjoyed playing such talented teams,” said BC senior captain Cassie Clavin. “We were challenged from the get-go with the game against BYU. Winning that game (11-10) gave us the confidence to know we can beat nationally ranked teams, which catalyzed our success for the rest of the tournament.”

Denver was the only Division II team to travel to Boulder, and finished with losses to BYU and BC. Head coach Mindy Stone was impressed by the Eagles, who beat her defending Division II champions, 15-6.

“We have played four Division I teams this year and they were the best,” Stone said. “We were happy with keeping it to a nine-goal game.”

The WCLA features 82 Division I teams and 149 Division II teams that compete under the US Lacrosse umbrella. The 2018 season will conclude with the US Lacrosse WCLA D-I and D-II national championships in Round Rock, Texas, May 9-12.

WCLA Division 1 National Top 20

WCLA Division 2 National Top 20