This year’s NCAA Division II women’s lacrosse tournament certainly has a different look.
Before the season started, the NCAA announced that the field size for the 2021 championship would be reduced from 16 to 12 teams due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. That placed a premium on every game, allowing teams very little margin for error.
Sunday evening, the selections for the 12-team bracket were announced and were notable as much for the teams not included as the ones that were chosen.
Indianapolis begins the tournament as the No. 1 team in the Nike / US Lacrosse Division II Women’s Top 20 and received one of the four first-round byes as the top seed in the Midwest region. The other teams earning first-round byes are No. 3 West Chester (Atlantic region), No. 4 Queens (South region) and No. 10 Roberts Wesleyan (East region).
With no automatic qualifiers for the tournament, all selections are made at-large, with three teams selected from each of the four regions.
The 2021 bracket includes three NCAA first-timers — Roberts Wesleyan and No. 12 Bentley in the East region, and No. 15 Mount Olive in the South region. It’s also missing some familiar names, like Adelphi, Le Moyne and no qualifiers from the Sunshine State Conference.
No. 6 Le Moyne was probably the most surprising omission from the NCAA field. The Dolphins posted a 13-1 record, were ranked in the top three of the polls throughout the season and lost their only game last week against arch-rival Adelphi in the semifinal round of the NE10 conference tournament.
Despite being the most recent national champion, having won its ninth NCAA Division II title in 2019, Adelphi became a long-shot to make the field this spring after starting the year with back-to-back losses against Le Moyne and New Haven. The Panthers eventually advanced to the NE10 championship game before losing to Bentley.
In the South, the SSC’s decision to play a limited schedule with league games only and no championship tournament may have handicapped its members. Florida Southern was probably the SSC’s strongest postseason candidate, posting a 9-1 record, but the three other selectees from the South region all had 11 wins or more.
First- and second-round games in the NCAA tournament will be played this Friday, May 14, and Sunday, May 16. The winners of the four second-round games will advance to the national semifinals and finals, which will be conducted Friday, May 21, and Sunday, May 23 in Salem, Virginia.
Nike / US Lacrosse
Division II Women’s Top 20
May 10, 2021 |
W/L |
Prev |
Next |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indianapolis | 14-1 | 1 | 5/16 in NCAA Tournament vs. TBD |
| 2 | Lindenwood | 13-1 | 3 | 5/14 in NCAA Tournament vs. No. 5 Regis |
| 3 | West Chester | 13-0 | 4 | 5/16 in NCAA Tournament vs. TBD |
| 4 | Queens | 12-1 | 5 | 5/16 in NCAA Tournament vs. TBD |
| 5 | Regis | 14-1 | 8 | 5/14 in NCAA Tournament vs. No. 2 Lindenwood |
| 6 | Le Moyne | 13-1 | 2 | Season complete |
| 7 | Limestone | 11-2 | 6 | 5/14 in NCAA Tournament vs. No. 15 Mt. Olive |
| 8 | East Stroudsburg | 10-3 | 7 | 5/14 in NCAA Tournament vs. No. 11 Seton Hill |
| 9 | Florida Southern | 9-1 | 11 | Season complete |
| 10 | Roberts Wesleyan | 13-1 | 16 | 5/16 in NCAA Tournament vs. TBD |
| 11 | Seton Hill | 13-2 | 10 | 5/14 in NCAA Tournament vs. No. 8 East Stroudsburg |
| 12 | Bentley | 12-2 | 18 | 5/14 in NCAA Tournament vs. No. 16 Mercy |
| 13 | Grand Valley State | 12-2 | 14 | Season complete |
| 14 | Adelphi | 9-4 | 13 | Season complete |
| 15 | Mt. Olive | 13-1 | 17 | 5/14 in NCAA Tournament vs. No. 7 Limestone |
| 16 | Mercy | 12-2 | 15 | 5/14 in NCAA Tournament vs. No. 12 Bentley |
| 17 | Rollins | 6-1 | 9 | Season complete |
| 18 | Tampa | 7-3 | 12 | Season complete |
| 19 | Pace | 8-4 | 19 | Season complete |
| 20 | St. Anselm | 8-3 | 20 | Season complete |
Also considered: Assumption (8-4), Belmont Abbey (11-4), Bloomsburg (8-6), Davenport (11-3), McKendree (10-4), Mercyhurst (10-4)
Nike/US Lacrosse Rankings
Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women
HOT
Roberts Wesleyan (+6)
How did the Redhawks respond to their first loss of the year on May 1? Quite well.
RWC avenged the loss by returning to the scene of the crime and taking down top-seeded Mercy 10-9 in the championship game of the ECC tournament on Saturday. In addition to claiming their first conference title, the Redhawks also earned their first NCAA tournament bid and received a first-round bye. Roberts Wesleyan will serve as the host site for the East regional and face the winner of the opening round game between Mercy and NE10 champion Bentley.
Bentley (+6)
It’s been quite a ride for the Falcons this season, with three games postponed/rescheduled and one canceled due to COVID-19. But Bentley’s perseverance paid off as it earned its first-ever NCAA tournament berth after winning its first NE10 championship, defeating Adelphi 9-8 in Sunday’s final. Senior Julia Glavin paced the offense in the NE10 final with two goals and four assists, and senior goalie Eliza Bresler stopped Adelphi’s potential game-tying attempt with 14 seconds left to seal the win. Bentley carries a seven-game winning streak into Friday’s NCAA opener.
Regis (+3)
The Rangers won their second straight RMAC championship, defeating Colorado Mesa 15-6 in Sunday’s league final. With the win, Regis extended its winning streak to 14 games and has a chance to avenge its only loss of the year when it faces No. 2 Lindenwood in the first round of the NCAA tournament’s Midwest regional on Friday. The Rangers are making their third straight NCAA appearance and have a strong postseason track record in recent years as the only team that made back-to-back final four berths in 2018 and 2019.
NOT
Tampa (-6)
The Spartans had a disappointing end to their season, losing consecutive games against No. 17 Rollins and No. 9 Florida Southern. Last Friday’s loss at FSC was especially difficult as Tampa fell behind 13-2 in the first half and never challenged in a lopsided 19-4 setback.