Colorado cracks the top five, plus Boston College and Virginia are back in the mix in this week’s Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Women’s Top 20.
The Buffs continue rolling against their opponents and remain one of three unbeatens in the division. The No. 1 Terps and No. 5 Tigers also have unblemished seasons thus far.
The biggest jump went to Towson, which upset Notre Dame. The Irish, who won eight straight at one point this season, are on a three-game losing streak to drop them five spots in the rankings and into the middle of the pack in the ACC, a conference led by budding Virginia Tech, which is the first Top 20 team to reach 10 wins on the season.
March 20, 2017 |
W/L |
Prev |
Next |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maryland | 7-0 | 1 | 3/22 vs. No. 11 Penn |
| 2 | North Carolina | 8-1 | 2 | 3/25 vs. No. 18 Boston College |
| 3 | Florida | 7-1 | 3 | 3/25 vs. No. 17 Denver |
| 4 | Colorado | 9-0 | 6 | 3/25 vs. Fresno State |
| 5 | Princeton | 5-0 | 5 | 3/21 vs. No. 6 Penn State |
| 6 | Penn State | 8-1 | 8 | 3/21 at No. 5 Princeton |
| 7 | Syracuse | 8-2 | 4 | 3/26 vs. No. 16 Notre Dame |
| 8 | Cornell | 5-1 | 10 | 3/25 at Yale |
| 9 | Stony Brook | 6-1 | 7 | 3/24 vs. No. 10 USC |
| 10 | USC | 6-2 | 9 | 3/24 at No. 9 Stony Brook |
| 11 | Penn | 6-1 | 12 | 3/22 at No. 1 Maryland |
| 12 | Towson | 6-3 | 18 | 3/25 vs. Oregon |
| 13 | Elon | 6-2 | 14 | 3/24 vs. Coastal Carolina |
| 14 | Northwestern | 3-5 | 13 | 3/23 at Michigan |
| 15 | Virginia Tech | 10-2 | 15 | 3/24 at Campbell |
| 16 | Notre Dame | 8-4 | 11 | 3/26 at No. 7 Syracuse |
| 17 | Denver | 7-1 | 19 | 3/25 at No. 3 Florida |
| 18 | Boston College | 8-3 | NR | 3/25 at No. 2 North Carolina |
| 19 | James Madison | 6-3 | 16 | 3/22 vs. No. 20 Virginia |
| 20 | Virginia | 4-4 | NR | 3/22 at No. 19 James Madison |
Also considered: Duke, Johns Hopkins, Louisville, Stanford
Nike/US Lacrosse Rankings
Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women
HOT
Towson (+6)
Since back-to-back losses to open the season, the Tigers have gone 6-1, highlighted by an upset victory over then-No. 11 Notre Dame.
Cornell (+2)
Upsetting USC with the game-winning goal coming with less than two minutes left in the game handed Cornell its second win over a Top 10 team this season.
NOT
Notre Dame (-5)
The Irish are on a three-game losing streak, falling to Princeton, Towson and most recently unranked Virginia. Their schedule doesn’t get easier with Syracuse and North Carolina next in line.
Syracuse (-3)
The Orange couldn’t handle Florida and barely escaped unranked Harvard, where former Syracuse star Kayla Treanor now coaches. They will need to pick it up against Notre Dame on March 26.
NEW
Boston College
The Eagles have crept their way back onto the map with a win over ACC rival Louisville. However, a tough conference challenge lies ahead against No. 2 North Carolina.
Virginia
The Cavaliers have an average record, but are on the upswing after netting decisive wins over Loyola and then-No. 11 Notre Dame in a key ACC match.
OUT
Johns Hopkins
A blowout loss to Maryland in its Big Ten opener does not bode well for the Blue Jays. Despite a 7-2 record, Johns Hopkins lacks Top 20 quality wins.
Louisville
The Cardinals cracked the Top 20 last week with a win over Duke, but dropped its game against unranked Boston College to lose its ranking.