WCLA Notebook: Utah Benefitting from Growth Mindset

From 2011-17, Utah made seven straight appearances in the WCLA Division II National Tournament and finished as the championship runner-up three times. The program’s 11 tournament wins ranks as the third-most in WCLA Division II history.

Coming off that success, Utah made the transition to Division I status in 2018, and following the COVID disruption, earned its first WCLA D-I tournament appearance in 2022. Utah earned a second straight bid last spring.

Evidently, the momentum is building again. The early returns in 2024 are clearly pointing to another national tournament showing this spring for the Utes, ranked No. 17 in the WCLA preseason coaches’ poll.

Utah finished as the only unbeaten team at last week’s loaded Golden State Invitational in Los Angeles, posting a 3-0 record that included victories over No. 3 Michigan Club, No. 8 UCLA and No. 15 Northeastern.

“We’re so excited from the weekend and looking forward to keeping it going,” club president and junior attacker McKenna Minnoch said. “We really enjoy playing against high-level competition.”

With a 4-0 record, Utah has a strong chance to settle in the top five when the WCLA releases its first official Top 20 national ranking at the end of this month. The Utes are also building a strong resume for a return to the national tournament in May.

“We play in a very strong region with some super competitive teams, like Colorado and BYU,” Minnoch said. “We still have those teams coming up on our schedule, so hopefully, that helps us to be more competitive for the national tournament. We want to keep emphasizing a growth mindset.”

FAB FIVE

With official WCLA rankings still over a week away, we’d like to offer our own top five, based solely on games played to date. Teams that have not seen game action yet, such as preseason No. 1 Boston College Club and No. 4 Pitt Club, are not included. Here’s our Fab Five, based on team resumes.

1. Utah (4-0) — key wins over Michigan, UCLA and Northeastern
2. Florida Club (6-0) — wins over Virginia Tech, Notre Dame and Virginia
3. Georgia (5-0) — wins over Virginia and Virginia Tech
4. UCLA (4-1) — wins over Michigan and Arizona State
5. Florida State (4-0) — wins over Virginia Tech and Central Florida

There will be lots of jockeying for ranking positions again this weekend as nine teams, including seven preseason Top 20 squads, convene in Tempe, Ariz., for the Cactus Classic. The field includes two-time defending champion BC Club, playing its first games of the year, and two-time national runner-up Georgia.

DIVISION II SPOTLIGHT

There’s been a much lighter schedule in Division II thus far, but we’re keeping an eye on a big showdown in the Western Women’s Lacrosse League this Saturday as CSU San Marcos (4-0) visits Concordia (5-0). San Marcos is working toward its third straight national tournament appearance, while a victory will strengthen Concordia’s bid for its first national tournament berth since 2017.

Meanwhile, defending national champion New Hampshire Club plays its first games of the 2024 season Sunday with matchups against Rhode Island and UMass-Amherst.