Episcopal Among Risers in USA Lacrosse High School Girls' Regional Top 10 Ranks

Every Tuesday during the high school lacrosse season, USA Lacrosse updates Regional Top 10 and National Top 25 rankings to reflect the results of the previous week. Below are the USA Lacrosse High School Girls’ Regional Top 10 updates through games played May 26.

The South Region is not included after the region completed play before last week.

The Northeast Region saw a few moves, and Ward Melville (N.Y.) jumped into the ranking at No. 10 with a title win over Northport (N.Y.). At the top of the ranking, St. Anthony’s (N.Y.) secured a crown and unbeaten year in which they were strong start to finish. Darien (Conn.) moved up with a win over Wilton (Conn.) to avenge a regular-season loss, but it was New Canaan (Conn.) that won their finals meeting to remain at No. 2. Sayville (N.Y.) matched St. Anthony’s with a perfect year that culminated with a win over powerhouse Bayport-Blue Point (N.Y.).

With the conclusion of Maryland’s and Virginia’s seasons, only Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey remain active in the Mid-Atlantic Region. The third meeting of the year between Episcopal (Pa.) and Agnes Irwin (Pa.) went to the Churchwomen, who add that win to an impressive resume that allows them to move up. The only other active Top 10 team last week was Severna Park (Md.), which snapped a tie for the state record by winning their 16th state crown.

The Midwest Region has the meat of the playoffs left for many of the ranked teams. Loyola Academy (Ill.) retained its top ranking after an epic four-overtime win. Unbeaten New Albany (Ohio) leads a trio of Ohio squads on the path to state championship games. Catholic Central (Mich.), Lakeville South (Minn.) and Carmel (Ind.) bring the back end of the ranking with all looking to put together big runs.

The West Region saw its season close with a key showdown in Oregon going to Jesuit Portland. New at No. 10, the Crusaders always believed they would get it done this year and won their fourth straight state crown after replacing 13 graduated seniors. Jesuit proved it on the biggest stage by avenging one of their regular-season losses to win another championship. They were the only ranked team in action from the region’s top 10.

NORTHEAST

1. St. Anthony’s (N.Y.), 19-0

Tess Calabria had four goals and three assists, Jena Binkis scored five goals and won 18 of 23 draws and Meg Kenny had one goal and one assist as St. Anthony’s (N.Y.) capped an undefeated season by beating Sacred Heart (N.Y.), 13-6, to capture a 24th NSCHSAA title. Previous: 1

2. New Canaan (Conn.), 17-1-1

Devon Russell had two goals and seven draw controls to earn MVP honors, Maddie Tully had two goals and two assists and Emma Row scored twice as New Canaan (Conn.) scored five straight goals to start the second half en route to a 7-2 win over Darien (Conn.) in the FCIAC final. It was the Rams’ fourth FCIAC title in program history. Previous: 2

3. Garden City (N.Y.), 17-1

The Trojans rolled through the semifinals, defeating Calhoun (N.Y.), 20-9, to advance to the Nassau Class B final where they’ll face second-seeded Long Beach (N.Y.). Garden City (N.Y.), in search of a 23rd county title, is also looking to avenge a loss to Long Beach in last year’s championship game. Previous: 3

4. Darien (Conn.), 14-4-1

After beating Wilton (Conn.), 12-6, in the FCIAC semifinals, the Blue Wave failed in their quest for a 20th championship, losing to rival New Canaan (Conn.) in the title game. Kelly Holmes scored both goals, Hope Schoudel made four saves, but Darien (Conn.) won just one of 15 draws, which proved to be the difference. Previous: 5

5. Noble & Greenough (Mass.), 18-1

Noble & Greenough (Mass.) defeated Governor’s Academy (Mass.), 13-2, to win the Independent School League title for the third consecutive year and fifth time in seven years. Emerson Midura struck for four goals to lead the way, one of eight different scorers. Previous: 6

6. Wilton (Conn.), 14-3

Wilton (Conn.) opened eyes with a 9-8 victory over Darien (Conn.) back on May 2. But the Warriors followed that with an eight-goal loss to New Canaan and then the Blue Wave earned a measure of revenge with a 12-6 victory in the FCIAC semifinals. Previous: 4

7. Sayville (N.Y.), 18-0

Dylan McNamara had two goals and one assist, Olivia Desimone had two goals and Sophia Buffardi had a goal and two assists as Sayville (N.Y.) defeated Bayport-Blue Point (N.Y.), 7-6, to capture the Suffolk Class C title for the first time since 2014. Previous: 7

8. Sacred Heart Greenwich (Conn.), 15-3

The Tigers ended the regular season with a roar, defeating Hotchkiss School (Conn.), 12-5, during the week before knocking off Holderness (N.H), Andover (Mass.) and Exeter (N.H.) to win the Prep Cup. Previous: 9

9. Hotchkiss School (Conn.), 14-1

Hotchkiss (Conn.) defeated Taft (Conn.), 10-3, to capture the Founders League tournament championship on May 22. Previous: 10

10. Ward Melville (N.Y.), 16-3

Grace Mulham had two goals and one assist, Aliya Leonard scored twice, Kate Spinks had one goal and one assist and Ava Carrillo made six saves as Ward Melville (N.Y.) defeated Northport (N.Y.) 8-4 to win the Suffolk Class A title for the first time since 2007. Previous: NR

— Dylan Butler

MID-ATLANTIC

1. Good Counsel (Md.), 21-0

The Falcons completed first unbeaten season in school history with their third straight Washington Catholic Athletic Conference. Good Counsel outscored opponents, 388-116, this season. The Falcons rewrote their record books along the way. Northwestern-bound Hannah Rudolph snapped former Penn State All-American Kelly Lechner’s scoring record and finished with more than 400 points in her career. Stony Brook commit Hailey Huebner far exceeded former Virginia/Team USA’s Morgan Stephens’ record of 62 caused turnovers in a year. And junior Dani Serrano (Marquette commit) finished the year with 107 assists to snap former Duke player Brigid Smith’s school record. Previous: 1

2. St. Paul's (Md.), 16-5

The Gators finished their season with their third IAAM championship in four years thanks to steady improvements through the year. Seeded third for the playoffs, they avenged two regular-season losses in the final two games of the season, culminating with a 7-6 win over McDonogh (Md.), in which Susan Radebaugh made 10 saves. Their defense allowed just 5.25 goals per game this season, the lowest of an IAAM team in the last 15 years. Previous: 2

3. McDonogh (Md.), 17-2

The Eagles put together a strong year under new head coach Megan Nicotra. McDonogh was unbeaten in the IAAM regular season to earn the top seed for the playoffs. The defending champions reached the championship game before falling to St. Paul’s. Their only other loss was a one-goal defeat by Episcopal (Pa.). Previous: 3

4. St. Anne’s-Belfield (Va.), 22-1

The Saints captured their second Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division I state championship in three years. They took the title with another strong defensive showing against St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes (Va.). The Saints had their best wins over Stone Ridge (Md.), St. John’s College (D.C.), Archbishop Spalding (Md.), Bishop Ireton (Va.) and Georgetown Visitation (D.C.). Their lone loss came at the hands of Good Counsel. Previous: 4

5. Episcopal (Pa.), 21-2

The Churchwomen finally solved Agnes Irwin (Pa.) to capture the Independent Schools state championship tournament with a 9-6 win on May 23. Boston College commit Quinn Whitaker led the offense with six goals as Episcopal won its first PAISAA championship since 2016. The Churchwomen never trailed in this one. Kate Dente (Princeton) had two goals and an assist while Grace Holland (Boston College) stopped three shots. Episcopal will graduate Grace McHugh, Paige McMeekin, Lainey McGonagle, Jenna Morley and Sydney Richter. Previous: 7

6. Stone Ridge (Md.), 16-4

The Gators capped their season with a second straight Independent School League AA tournament championship. Sophia Stoltz led the offense with four goals, including the game-winner. The Gators’ win avenged one of their regular-season losses. Good Counsel, St. Anne’s-Belfield and Sacred Heart Greenwich (Conn.) were the only other teams to top them. The Gators defeated St. Paul’s, Georgetown Visitation (D.C.), St. Ignatius Prep (Calif.) and SSSA to highlight their year. Previous: 5

7. Maryvale (Md.), 16-3

Another team that improved through the season, the Lions grew stronger every week after having to replace 15 seniors from a year ago. They had a six-game winning streak that helped them garner the No. 2 seed for the IAAM semifinals. A 13-4 semifinal loss ended the season for Maryvale. Their only losses were to Archbishop Spalding (Md.) early in the year, to top-seeded McDonogh in the regular season and eventual IAAM champion St. Paul’s. Previous: 8

8. Agnes Irwin (Pa.), 15-5

The Owls defeated Penn Charter (Pa.) 12-9 to reach the finals of the Independent Schools state championship tournament. Elle Brady and Blair Fox each had hat tricks, Molly Chorin scored a pair of goals and supplied five assists and Maggie Mullen made 15 saves. Ella Springer also had a pair of goals. Fox won seven draw controls. Agnes Irwin came up short of sweeping Episcopal in the title game. After winning their two meetings in the regular season, the Owls lost, 9-6, to conclude their season. No player had more than one goal in the game and Mullen finished with six saves. Previous: 6

9. Archbishop Spalding (Md.), 12-5

The Cavaliers’ season ended in the IAAM semifinals with a 10-7 loss to top-seeded McDonogh. Spalding had won five of their last six games before falling to McDonogh for the second time this season, albeit by a closer score in the rematch. Spalding’s top win this year was over Maryvale. Leading scorer Gabby Greene (Florida) headlines the seniors graduating, but Notre-Dame commit Maeve Cavanaugh leads the returning group. Previous: 9

10. Severna Park (Md.), 18-1

The Falcons captured a state public school record 16th state title. Severna Park defeated Dulaney (Md.) 12-6 for the Class 3A state championship. Maria Bragg scored four times and Bella Van Gieson and Erin Hussey each scored two goals apiece. Severna Park built a 7-4 lead by halftime and blanked Dulaney for the final quarter and half of the third quarter. They also won the Anne Arundel County girls tournament for the third straight year despite losing top player Alyssa Gore-Chung early in the season. Previous: 10

— Justin Feil

MIDWEST

1. Loyola Academy (Ill.), 19-3

Sectional titles don’t come easy in Chicagoland, particularly when the Ramblers and Trevians are involved. Loyola edged New Trier in four overtimes in the latest edition of their classic rivalry. With the Ramblers down two with 2:41 remaining, Emily Couri scored twice in 17 seconds to tie the game and Keira Cushing provided the winner in the fourth overtime period, also marking a hat trick for Cushing. Sofia Marino had 10 saves and Chloe Mangel added 10 draw controls in the victory. Previous: 1

2. New Albany (Ohio), 20-0

Following an undefeated regular season, the top-seeded Eagles started Region 1 play by holding No. 16 seed Newark and No. 10 Wadsworth to just one goal combined. As good as the defense was, Ellie McClelland was equally remarkable with nine goals, 10 draw controls, seven ground balls and three caused turnovers in the Eagles’ 19-1 win over the Grizzlies. Previous: 2

3. Upper Arlington (Ohio), 18-2

The Golden Bears have been pretty stingy since winning a pair of 12-10 games in early May, yielding just 18 goals over their last four. The top seed in Region 3, Upper Arlington faces a Dublin Coffman (Ohio) team it beat by four in early April in the semifinals. Should the Golden Bears advance, their Region 3 title game would be equally intriguing as they beat one of their two potential foes by two (No. 2 Worthington Kilbourne) and lost to the other by one (No. 3 Thomas Worthington) in the regular season. Previous: 3

4. Olentangy Liberty (Ohio), 16-4

A Patriots-Eagles regional final could easily be one of the games of the year in the Midwest after New Albany edged Liberty by a goal in their first matchup. But first comes the Region 1 semifinals, with the Patriots set to take on always tough Medina (Ohio), which Liberty beat 15-8 in early April. Senior Isabelle Pohmer has been on one heck of a final run thus far with 11 goals and four assists in the Patriots’ first two postseason games. Previous: 4

5. Kentucky Country Day (Ky.), 25-2

The Bearcats dominated their state title game with Eastern (Ky.), behind five goals and three assists from sophomore Ellie Beam, thus capturing their third state championship in the last four years. It was a dominant year, period, as KCD senior Dylan Yonover (52 goals, 68 assists), junior Leighton Spears (68 goals, 44 assists) and sophomores Ceci Flowers (65 goals, 35 assists) and Beam (82 goals, 56 assists) all finished with 100-plus points. Previous: 5

6. New Trier (Ill.), 17-6

The Trevians gave the top team in the Midwest, Loyola Academy, an unbelievable battle, only falling in the fourth overtime period in their sectional title game. Senior Hana Asghari was a big part of that epic clash, scoring six goals in her final high school game, while sophomore keeper Meg Gallagher was remarkable yet again with 18 saves. Previous: 6

7. Benet Academy (Ill.), 20-2

The Redwings rolled to a sectional title, topping St. Francis (Ill.) and Metea Valley (Ill.) by a combined margin of 37-5. Shannon Earley and Gigi Kurelko, both over 100 points on the season now, were named first team all-state alongside teammates Madeline Jensen and Dagny Tombaugh. Sophomore Madison Timmons is also emerging as a player to watch, with eight ground balls and three caused turnovers in the sectional title game. Previous: 7

8. Grand Rapids Catholic Central (Mich.), 19-0

The Cougars kicked off regional play with a 22-11 victory over East Grand Rapids (Mich.). That marked the second straight game in which GRCC reached the 20-goal mark against EGR (they also played each other to end the regular season). The Cougars have now scored 18-plus in six straight and at least 14 in every game this season. Previous: 8

9. Lakeville South (Minn.), 13-0

The Cougars wrapped up an undefeated regular season in dominant fashion, winning each of their last 10 games by double digits. Fourteen players had at least a point in South’s regular-season finale, an 18-0 win over Northfield (Minn.), while Charlotte Fannin (three goals, four assists), Tori Tschida (five goals, one assist) and Ella Mills (four goals, one assist) all starred in the Cougars’ prior game, an 18-3 win over Apple Valley (Minn.). Previous: 9

10. Carmel (Ind.), 17-3

Could we be in for a third straight state championship game between the Greyhounds and Guerin Catholic (Ind.), with Carmel hoping to avenge losses in 2022 and 2023? Well, first the Greyhounds have to deal with a Zionsville (Ind.) team they beat by just three goals in late April while the Golden Eagles have their own state semifinal battle against two-loss Noblesville (Ind.). Previous: 10

— Jonah Rosenblum

WEST

1. Colorado Academy (Colo.), 19-0

Colorado Academy comes out on top as the 5A CHSAA state champions for the ninth-straight year after a dominant 15-3 victory over Fairview (Colo.). Previous: 1

2. Oak Ridge (Calif.), 20-2

Oak Ridge claimed the first-ever CIF Sac-Joaquin state championship crown in an 8-6 victory over St. Francis (Calif.). It’s the Trojans’ second consecutive season finishing with at least 20 wins and their third straight season with only two losses. Previous: 2

3. St. Ignatius Prep (Calif.), 17-5

The Wildcats are once again the CCS Division 1 champions after defeating No. 5 Sacred Heart Prep (Calif.) in the final round for the third straight season. Previous: 3

4. San Ramon Valley (Calif.), 20-1

For the first time since 2018, the Wolves are crowned the Division 1 CIF North Coast Section champions after dominating Redwood (Calif.), 14-8. Previous: 4

5. Sacred Heart Prep (Calif.), 18-3

The Gators fell to back-to-back CCS Division 1 victors St. Ignatius (Calif.) in the championship game. It was the Gators fourth straight appearance in the title match. Previous: 5

6. Fairview (Colo.), 14-4

The Knights made their first ever appearance in the 5A CHSAA state championship match after upsetting ThunderRidge (Colo.) in the semis before falling to No. 1 and nine-time champion Colorado Academy (Colo.). Previous: 6

7. ThunderRidge (Colo.), 16-2

In its first 5A CHSAA state championship semifinals appearance since 2021, ThunderRidge was just two goals shy of the title game, falling to No. 6 Fairview (Colo.). Previous: 7

8. Valor Christian (Colo.), 12-6

The Eagles fell in a narrow 9-8 victory to No. 1 Colorado Academy (Colo.) in the 5A CHSAA state championship semifinals. Previous: 8

9. Marlborough (Calif.), 18-1

Marlborough clinched the Division 1 CIF Southern Section championship with an impressive victory over Foothill-Santa Ana (Calif.). The Mustangs sought and found revenge after losing the title to the Knights last season. Previous: 9

10. Jesuit Portland (Ore.), 17-2

For the fourth consecutive year, the Crusaders are the OGLA state champions with a 12-9 win over No. 1-seeded Lake Oswego in the title match after previously falling to the Lakers in the regular season. Jesuit continued to develop a year after graduating 13 seniors. Previous: NR

— Theresa Palmquist