Week one of college lacrosse had its surprises.
While the top of the pack didn't change, three Top 20 upsets, plus several challenges from on-the-border contenders, made this week's Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Women's Top 20 look quite a bit different than preseason rankings.
Colorado, Denver and Elon make their debut in the Top 20, while Virginia, Louisville and UMass drop out to make room for the newcomers.
The previously unranked Buffaloes made the most noise, knocking off previously No. 9-ranked Northwestern 11-10 in overtime to vault to No. 11. Colorado, now in its fourth season, is nationally ranked for the first time.
Staying in the suddenly stacked MPSF, Denver is 3-0 for the first time in its history after knocking off Stanford 10-7 on Sunday.
Four teams in the Preseason Top 20 have yet to play this season, but when teams prove their talent on the field, the rankings are bound to shift.
Virginia suffered the most precipitous fall, going from No. 12 to unranked following Elon's 11-10 upset win over the Cavaliers.
Feb 13, 2017 |
W-L |
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| 1 | North Carolina | 2-0 | 1 | 2/17 vs. High Point |
| 2 | Maryland | 1-0 | 2 | 2/18 at Georgetown |
| 3 | USC | 1-0 | 3 | 2/18 vs. No. 12 Northwestern |
| 4 | Stony Brook | 1-0 | 4 | 2/18 vs. Bryant |
| 5 | Florida | 0-1 | 5 | 2/24 vs. No. 3 USC |
| 6 | Syracuse | 1-0 | 6 | 2/18 vs. Canisius |
| 7 | Penn State | 2-0 | 7 | 2/18 vs. Lehigh |
| 8 | Duke | 3-0 | 10 | 2/18 vs. No. 18 Stanford |
| 9 | Penn | 0-0 | 13 | 2/18 at Delaware |
| 10 | Princeton | 0-0 | 14 | 2/18 vs. Temple |
| 11 | Colorado | 1-0 | NR | 2/17 vs. UMass |
| 12 | Northwestern | 2-1 | 9 | 2/18 at No. 3 USC |
| 13 | Johns Hopkins | 0-0 | 15 | 2/15 at American |
| 14 | Notre Dame | 2-1 | 8 | 2/14 vs. Marquette |
| 15 | Towson | 0-2 | 17 | 2/15 at UMBC |
| 16 | Denver | 3-0 | NR | 2/18 vs. Louisville |
| 17 | Cornell | 0-0 | 16 | 2/18 at Villanova |
| 18 | Stanford | 1-1 | 11 | 2/18 vs. No. 8 Duke |
| 19 | Elon | 2-0 | NR | 2/15 vs. Winthrop |
| 20 | Boston College | 2-1 | 18 | 2/15 vs. Boston University |
Also considered (alphabetical): Louisville, Marquette, UMass, Virginia
NIKE/US LACROSSE RANKINGS
DIVISION I MEN | DIVISION I WOMEN
DIVISION II MEN | DIVISION II WOMEN
DIVISION III MEN | DIVISION III WOMEN
Hot
Towson (+2)
The one team to jump in the rankings without netting a win was Towson. Going toe-to-toe with two Top 10 teams, falling by just one to No. 4 Stony Brook and by two to No. 7 Penn State, the Tigers have made the lacrosse world aware that they are going to play every game with a fight.
Not
Virginia (-8)/Stanford (-7)/Northwestern (-3)
Falling to unranked teams early in the season never bodes well.
Notre Dame (-6)
The Irish lost a tough battle to Northwestern, but the Wildcats' subsequent loss to Colorado drops the significance of Northwestern's win over Notre Dame.
New
Colorado
Colorado has been on the brink of breaking the Top 20 in recent seasons, and is starting to get the respect of other well-known Top 20 programs. While the Buffs missed the cut in the preseason poll, they were receiving a few votes to finally break in. They did just that in week one.
Denver
Are the Pioneers back? After an average 2016, Denver may be on the rise after defeating former MPSF rival Stanford.
Elon
The Phoenix have cracked the Top 20 before, beating Duke last year. But can they stay in the Top 20 this year? A win over Virginia is a good start.
Out
Louisville/UMass/Virginia
Three teams proved their worth with big upsets early in the season, causing the bottom three teams from the Preseason Top 20 to drop out. Louisville nearly lost to unranked Marquette, while UMass and Virginia also dropped out with losses.