Top 8 Hold Steady in Nike/USA Lacrosse Division II Women's Top 20
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© 2024 USA Lacrosse. All Rights Reserved.
© 2024 USA Lacrosse. All Rights Reserved.
Championship season has arrived. Several leagues crowned their champions last weekend, while others will do so this week as we build toward Sunday’s announcement of the 16-team NCAA tournament field. Despite all the activity, there are no major moves in this week’s Nike/USA Lacrosse Division II Women’s Top 20, with the top eight teams from last week all holding steady.
Among the teams that claimed titles last week, No. 4 Tampa won its second Sunshine State Conference championship, and first since 2019, with a thrilling overtime victory over No. 6 Florida Southern. Flagler captured its first Gulf South Conference championship to celebrate its record-breaking breakthrough season, and UIndy won the battle of the titans against Maryville in the Great Lakes Valley tournament.
There’s plenty of marquee games ahead this week, as championship tournaments in the PSAC, NE-10, and RMAC, among others, get underway. No. 1 West Chester is the top seed in the PSAC, No. 2 Pace is the favorite in the NE-10 and No. 5 Regis is the headliner in the RMAC.
The NCAA releases its third and final regional ranking of the season Wednesday and then announces the selections for the NCAA tournament on Sunday evening.
May 1 |
W/L |
Prev |
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
West Chester |
17-0 |
1 |
|
2 |
Pace |
15-1 |
2 |
|
3 |
UIndy |
17-2 |
3 |
|
4 |
Tampa |
17-2 |
4 |
|
5 |
Regis |
15-1 |
5 |
|
6 |
Florida Southern |
16-3 |
6 |
|
7 |
Maryville |
17-2 |
7 |
|
8 |
Le Moyne |
15-2 |
8 |
|
9 |
Flagler |
17-1 |
10 |
|
10 |
Wingate |
16-2 |
12 |
|
11 |
Rollins |
15-3 |
11 |
|
12 |
Seton Hill |
14-3 |
15 |
|
13 |
Grand Valley State |
14-4 |
13 |
|
14 |
East Stroudsburg |
13-4 |
9 |
|
15 |
Adelphi |
11-5 |
16 |
|
16 |
Kutztown |
12-4 |
19 |
|
17 |
Embry-Riddle |
13-5 |
18 |
|
18 |
St. Anselm |
12-4 |
14 |
|
19 |
Bentley |
10-6 |
20 |
|
20 |
IUP |
11-4 |
NR |
Also considered (alphabetical order): Colorado Mesa, Lynn, Mercy, Molloy, Walsh
Seton Hill (+3)
The Griffins clinched their third straight PSAC West Division title with a 14-6 win Saturday over No. 20 IUP, extending their winning streak to 12 games as they head into this week’s PSAC tournament. The division title earns SHU a bye into Friday’s semifinal round, where it will play the winner of Tuesday’s quarterfinal game between East Stroudsburg and Kutztown.
Flagler (+1)
The Saints have been one of the feel-good stories of the season, smashing records in a break-through campaign that now includes their first Gulf Coast Conference championship. Flagler rebounded from an early 2-0 deficit against Lander in the title game by scoring seven straight goals to take control on the way to a 16-12 victory. The good vibes are likely to continue this week as the Saints are now positioned to almost assuredly receive one of the four NCAA tournament berths in the South Region.
Tampa (no change)
The Spartans captured their first SSC tournament championship since 2019 and their second overall with a dramatic come-from-behind win against arch-rival Florida Southern in the title game. Trailing 10-2 late in the second quarter, Tampa rallied for its biggest comeback in program history to claim a 17-16 overtime win. The Spartans outscored FSC 10-3 in the third quarter to get back into the game, but still needed Lizzie Pierpont’s overtime winner to secure the title. With an 11-game winning streak that included an undefeated run through the SSC regular season, Tampa will likely receive the South Region’s number one seed in the NCAA tournament.
East Stroudsburg (-5)
The Warriors seemed to the closing the regular season strong, having won eight of nine heading into Saturday’s finale at Kutztown, but fell victim to KU’s second half rally in a 16-14 setback. The loss drops ESU to the number three seed in the PSAC’s East division, forcing a rematch at Kutztown in Tuesday’s PSAC quarterfinal.
IUP (No. 20)
After starting the season 1-3, the Crimson Hawks won 11 of 13 games the rest of the way and secured the number two seed in the PSAC’s West Division, with their only two losses during the last seven weeks coming against No. 12 Seton Hill. IUP hosts Mercyhurst in Tuesday’s PSAC quarterfinal, hoping to beat the Lakers for the third time this year in order to earn a semifinal berth against No. 1 West Chester.
Limestone (was No. 17)
The Saints had a narrow 8-7 lead against Lincoln Memorial in last week’s SAC tournament quarterfinal, but couldn’t build on that in the second half as they lost 18-15. A five-goal run by LMU in the third period proved to be the difference.
Paul Ohanian has worked at USA Lacrosse since 2006 and is currently the senior manager of program content. Prior to joining USA Lacrosse, he served as SID at a Division III school with a strong lacrosse tradition and learned to appreciate the commitment and passion that athletes at all levels bring to the game.
