Maryland, Adelphi and William Smith are the top-ranked teams in the Nike/US Lacrosse Division I, II and III Top 20, respectively, as the NCAA tournaments begin. These are the final rankings updates until after the conclusion of the NCAA tournaments.
Nike/US Lacrosse Rankings
Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women
Bracket Breakdowns
Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women
Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Women's Top 20
Selection Sunday has come and gone, and the 26-team NCAA tournament field is now set.
Undefeated Maryland was the undisputed No. 1 after claiming the Big Ten championship and stays at the top of the Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Women’s Top 20.
Four other Top 20 teams were crowned champions this past weekend, joining No. 2 North Carolina (ACC) and No. 6 USC (MPSF) who locked up their automatic qualifying bids last week – No. 4 Stony Brook (America East), No. 3 Florida (Big East), No. 17 James Madison (CAA) and No. 5 Princeton (Ivy League).
The Dukes, Wildcats and Tigers each bumped up two spots with impressive conference wins, while Elon will enter the NCAA tournament as a ranked team after upsetting Towson in the CAA semifinals.
May 9, 2017 |
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| 1 | Maryland | 19-0 | 1 | NCAA second round |
| 2 | North Carolina | 16-2 | 2 | NCAA second round |
| 3 | Florida | 17-2 | 3 | NCAA second round |
| 4 | Stony Brook | 18-1 | 4 | 5/12 vs. Bryant |
| 5 | Princeton | 14-3 | 7 | NCAA second round |
| 6 | USC | 16-3 | 8 | 5/12 vs. Jacksonville |
| 7 | Penn State | 15-3 | 5 | NCAA second round |
| 8 | Penn | 13-3 | 6 | 5/12 vs. Navy |
| 9 | Colorado | 16-3 | 9 | 5/12 vs. UMass |
| 10 | Syracuse | 15-6 | 10 | NCAA second round |
| 11 | Cornell | 12-5 | 11 | 5/12 vs. No. 15 Notre Dame |
| 12 | Northwestern | 10-9 | 14 | 5/12 vs. No. 18 Albany |
| 13 | Virginia | 11-8 | 12 | 5/12 vs. No. 20 Elon |
| 14 | Boston College | 13-6 | 13 | 5/12 vs. Canisius |
| 15 | Notre Dame | 11-7 | 15 | 5/12 vs. No. 11 Cornell |
| 16 | Louisville | 11-7 | 16 | 5/12 vs. No. 17 James Madison |
| 17 | James Madison | 13-6 | 19 | 5/12 vs. No. 16 Louisville |
| 18 | Albany | 12-5 | 17 | 5/12 vs. No. 12 Northwestern |
| 19 | Towson | 12-6 | 18 | 5/12 vs. High Point |
| 20 | Elon | 13-6 | NR | 5/12 vs. No. 13 Virginia |
Also considered: Denver, Johns Hopkins, UMass, Stanford, Virginia Tech
HOT
James Madison (+2)
Top-seeded James Madison held strong to claim the CAA title and move up two spots in the Top 20, overtaking then-No. 18 and second-seeded Towson, which was upset in the conference semifinals. It took overtime to defeat Delaware, but the Dukes cruised past Elon 15-7 in the championship thanks to an early 6-0 lead. The win marked James Madison’s 10th CAA tournament crown and the scoring margin was its second biggest in the title game since it defeated Loyola 17-6 in the 1999 conference final.
Northwestern (+2)
The Wildcats are hot when they need to be. Despite a 14-6 loss to undefeated, No. 1 Maryland in the Big Ten championship, they upset second-seeded Penn State 12-11 in the conference semifinals with the game-winning tally coming from freshman Megan Kinna with just 59 seconds left on the clock. The win, which avenged a one-goal regular season loss, was Northwestern’s second straight against the Nittany Lions in the Big Ten semifinals.
Princeton (+2)
With a convincing 17-8 upset over Ivy rival Penn and then a strong 12-9 win over Cornell for the conference title, Princeton cracked the top five. The 17 goals against the Quakers was an Ivy League Tournament record for goals in a game, as well as the most goals the Quakers have allowed in a game since 2006. Senior Olivia Hompe, who leads Division I with 4.12 goals per game, set a tournament record with nine points in the game, and had another nine points against Cornell to become Princeton’s all-time leading scorer. Against the Big Red, senior Ellie DeGarmo was named the MVP after setting a single-game tournament record with 15 saves.
NOT
Penn (-2)
Despite taking a tournament record 34 shots, No. 2 seed Penn fell to No. 3 seed and eventual Ivy League champion Princeton by nine goals. The Tigers quickly went up by two less than 10 minutes into the game, led 6-4 at the break, and dominated 11-4 in the second half thanks to a seven-goal run, which was too much for the Quakers to recover from.
Penn State (-2)
Defeating the same team more than once in a season can be hard, and it was proven when No. 2 seed Penn State fell to No. 3 seed Northwestern in the Big Ten tournament. Despite an even second half, the Nittany Lions couldn’t overcome the Wildcats’ one-goal lead at halftime. Northwestern outhustled Penn State in ground balls 17-12, and more significantly on the draw, 18-7.
NEW
Elon
Thanks to Stephanie Asher’s game-winning goal in overtime, the Phoenix earned their way back into the Top 20 with an upset of Towson in the CAA tournament on the Tigers’ home turf, thus shifting the bottom of the pack. Towson dropped one spot, while Elon edged out Denver for the final No. 20 ranking.
OUT
Denver
Denver was debated to remain at No. 20, but its last significant win was back in February. Elon is on the rise at the right time, thus the Pioneers’ revenge on Georgetown in the Big East tournament followed by a six-goal loss to Florida wasn’t enough to keep them in the Top 20. Denver was also left out of the NCAA tournament.
— Megan Schneider
Nike/US Lacrosse Division II Women's Top 20
The dust has settled from all of the conference tournaments and there’s a new/old No. 1 team in the Nike/US Lacrosse Division II Women's Top 20. Adelphi has climbed back to the top after claiming its fourth straight Northeast-10 championship and avenging its only loss of the season by defeating Le Moyne, 7-5 in the title game. The Panthers had maintained a stranglehold on No. 1 for most of the season before dipping following their earlier loss at Le Moyne on April 18.
Lindenwood’s first loss of the year, a 13-11 setback last Sunday against Regis in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference’s championship game, opened the door for Adelphi to move back into the top spot. The Lions were the nation’s last undefeated squad and had filled the No. 1 position in the poll for the last two weeks. A third meeting against Regis looms just ahead in the NCAA tournament if the RMAC champ gets past Queens (N.C.) in the first round.
It’s been a historic season for No. 6 East Stroudsburg, which won the PSAC’s regular season for the first time, won the PSAC tournament title for the first time and earned its first bid to the NCAA tournament. The Warriors are one of five teams making their first appearance in the NCAA tournament this season, and begin play in the first round against No. 11 Florida Tech on Friday.
May 9, 2017 |
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| 1 | Adelphi | 18-1 | 3 | 5/13 vs. No. 12 Mercy/No. 13 New Haven |
| 2 | Lindenwood | 20-1 | 1 | 5/13 vs. No. 7 Regis/No. 8 Queens (N.C.) |
| 3 | Le Moyne | 18-1 | 2 | 5/13 vs. No. 5 LIU Post/No. 10 NYIT |
| 4 | Florida Southern | 19-2 | 4 | 5/13 vs. No. 6 East Stroudsburg/No. 11 Florida Tech |
| 5 | LIU Post | 15-2 | 6 | 5/12 vs. No. 10 NYIT |
| 6 | East Stroudsburg | 17-2 | 10 | 5/12 vs. No. 11 Florida Tech |
| 7 | Regis | 17-2 | 8 | 5/12 vs. No. 8 Queen’s |
| 8 | Queen's | 16-3 | 7 | 5/12 vs. No. 7 Regis |
| 9 | Limestone | 17-3 | 9 | Season complete |
| 10 | NYIT | 15-3 | 5 | 5/12 vs. No. 5 LIU Post |
| 11 | Florida Tech | 13-3 | 11 | 5/12 vs. No. 6 East Stroudsburg |
| 12 | Mercy | 16-3 | 12 | 5/12 vs. No. 13 New Haven |
| 13 | New Haven | 14-4 | 13 | 5/12 vs. No. 12 Mercy |
| 14 | Rollins | 12-5 | 14 | Season complete |
| 15 | Colorado Mesa | 13-4 | 16 | Season complete |
| 16 | Indiana (Pa.) | 11-7 | 18 | Season complete |
| 17 | Molloy | 10-5 | 17 | Season complete |
| 18 | Mercyhurst | 13-5 | 20 | Season complete |
| 19 | West Chester | 12-4 | 15 | Season complete |
| 20 | Stonehill | 12-7 | NR | Season complete |
Also considered: McKendree, Pace, Slippery Rock
HOT
East Stroudsburg (+4)
The Warriors extended their school-record winning streak to 12 games by defeating Mercyhurst 10-9 in the PSAC tournament final. ESU scored the game-winner with 24 seconds remaining after Mercyhurst had scored four straight to knot the score at 9-9.
Regis (+1)
The Rangers registered one of the big upsets of the year by bringing down previously undefeated and No. 1-ranked Lindenwood, 13-11 in the RMAC championship game. Regis outscored the Lions 7-2 in the second half to rally from a three-goal halftime deficit. Wendy Donier was named tournament MVP after scoring four goals and adding one assist in the final game.
NOT
NYIT (-4)
It’s been quite a first season for the Bears, who earned a spot in the NCAA tournament despite losing to Mercy in the ECC tournament’s semifinal round. NYIT continues its inaugural campaign with a rematch against ECC champion LIU Post on Friday. The Bears lost 12-11 in overtime to the Pioneers when the teams met April 29.
NEW
Stonehill
The Skyhawks move into the top 20 after winning seven of eight to close the regular season and then advancing to the Northeast-10’s semifinal round. Stonehill defeated Pace 16-9 in the NE-10 playoffs before losing 11-4 at Le Moyne in the semifinal.
OUT
Pace
Pace dropped four of its last five down the stretch, including back-to-back losses to Stonehill in the regular season finale and the first round of the NE-10 tournament. One contributing factor: The Setters' best player, Courtney Pabst, suffered a season-ending knee injury in the loss to New Haven on April 18 that started the slide.
— Paul Ohanian
Nike/US Lacrosse Division III Women's Top 20
William Smith, Washington & Lee and TCNJ won their league championships to remain 1-2-3, respectively, in the final in-season Nike/US Lacrosse Division III Women's Top 20. Colby continued its improbable run through the NESCAC, winning at tournament host Middlebury in the semifinals and defeating Trinity in the final.
Messiah, Cortland, St. John Fisher and Franklin and Marshall each captured their conference titles to force some shakeups in the Top 10. The focus now turns to the NCAA tournament, in which No. 1 William Smith, No. 3 TCNJ, No. 10 Trinity and No. 11 Gettysburg were deemed hosts of round-of-16 and quarterfinal weekend doubleheaders May 20-21, if they reach that far. Based on the final NCAA regional rankings, the Lions represent the tournament's unofficial No. 1 overall seed.
May 9, 2017 |
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| 1 | William Smith | 18-1 | 1 | 5/14 vs. Castletown/Westfield State |
| 2 | Washington and Lee | 16-1 | 2 | 5/14 vs. Mary Washington/Meredith |
| 3 | TCNJ | 15-1 | 3 | 5/14 vs. Endicott/Farmingdale Stae |
| 4 | Colby | 15-3 | 6 | 5/14 vs. Middleburg/Plymouth State |
| 5 | Messiah | 13-2 | 12 | 5/14 vs. No. 6 Cortland |
| 6 | Cortland | 14-4 | 13 | 5/14 at No. 5 Messiah |
| 7 | St. John Fisher | 14-4 | 14 | 5/13 vs. Morrisville State |
| 8 | Franklin & Marshall | 16-4 | 15 | 5/14 vs. Cabrini |
| 9 | Brockport | 15-2 | 4 | 5/14 at No. 20 Denison |
| 10 | Trinity | 14-4 | 10 | 5/14 vs. Babson/Johnson & Wales |
| 11 | Gettysburg | 16-3 | 5 | 5/14 vs. FDU-Florham/Hamline |
| 12 | Middlebury | 13-4 | 7 | 5/13 vs. Plymouth State |
| 13 | York | 14-3 | 11 | 5/14 vs. Morrisville/No. 7 St. John Fisher |
| 14 | Hamilton | 12-5 | 8 | 5/14 vs. No. 13 Salisbury/Regis |
| 15 | Salisbury | 13-5 | 16 | 5/13 vs. Regis |
| 16 | Ithaca | 13-4 | 9 | 5/14 at No. 19 Wesleyan |
| 17 | Catholic | 13-4 | 17 | 5/14 vs. Washington & Jefferson |
| 18 | Claremont-Mudd-Scripps | 16-1 | 17 | 5/14 vs. Colorado College |
| 19 | Wesleyan | 11-5 | 18 | 5/14 vs. No. 16 Ithaca |
| 20 | Denison | 15-3 | NR | 5/14 vs. No. 9 Brockport |
Also Considered: Cabrini, Colorado College, Farmingdale State, Mary Washington, Meredith, Oberlin, Rhodes
HOT
Messiah (+7)
The Falcons have won 13 straight games and cruised to the MAC Commonwealth championship. They've allowed an opponent to score 10 goals just twice during the run, and they ascend thanks in part to having defeated eventual Centennial Conference champion Frankin and Marshall. Messiah opened the season with a 7-6 overtime loss at Centennial runner-up Gettysburg and later challenged Capital Athletic Conference runner-up York in a 9-5 defeat. All three of those teams earned first-round byes and second-round home games in the NCAA tournament.
NOT
Ithaca (-7)
The Bombers had an opportunity to end five years of Empire 8 tournament frustration against then-No. 14 St. John Fisher, but allowed the Cardinals to go on a 7-0 run in the second half of their league semifinal, resulting in a 17-10 defeat at home. The loss extended to six a conference tournament losing streak to St. John Fisher, made more frustrating by having defeated the Cardinals in their last two regular-season meetings.
NEW
Denison
The Big Red beat Oberlin for a second time this season to win the North Coast Athletic Conference championship. Denison also gets a boost into the Top 20 by having played Cortland (SUNYAC champion), Brockport (SUNYAC runner-up), and Mount Union (Ohio Athletic Conference champion).
OUT
Muhlenberg
The Mules got doubled-up by eventual Centennial Conference champion Franklin and Marshall in the league semis, 15-7, to conclude a 13-4 season.
— Paul Krome