Early NCAA Rankings
BC Holding The Line.
How are the NCAA Division 1 preseason rankings panning out 3 weeks into the 2024 season? Let’s nerd out for a few minutes shall we?
Where we started (Inside Lacrosse/IWLCA Ranking):
#1 Northwestern
#2 Boston College
#3 North Carolina
#4 Denver
#5 Syracuse
#6 JMU
#7 Notre Dame
#8 Loyola
#9 Maryland
#10 Florida
I am a self proclaimed mega-fan of a good old fashioned underdog. So while the preseason top 3 rankings were no surprise going to the Wildcats, Eagles, and Tar Heels, I was quite pleased (respectfully) to watch three upset games to shake things up early on in the season.
The 6th ranked JMU Dukes barked their way past #3 Carolina. As a former Duke Blue Devil, you would think I’d be happy about this, but I think my love for the ACC will always take precedent. I have a lot of respect for UNC, and they had four key players fall to season ending injuries heading into this game. Coach Levy and her staff will work their magic, and I bet we will see the Heels figure out the kinks before you can say ACC’s.
Now, despite all of what I just said, JMU is REALLY fun to watch and they deserve the same respect we automatically give to the top three. They’ve got the whole package. They win the draw, they have multiple threats on offense, and their goalie is a solid final line of defense behind an aggressive D-line. They proved themselves a second time against an ACC opponent the next weekend vs the Hokies… sheesh they could not be stopped. I’m saying it now, senior attacker Isabella Peterson needs to be a Tewaaraton Finalist at the end of the season.
#7 ranked Notre Dame Irish upset #1 Northwestern with conviction, winning 14-10. They held Izzy Scane to 2 goals, which is a huge improvement from her I believe 10 goals she had last season vs ND. I watched the game live, humble plug, because my little sister is a freshman for the Irish. She’s number 29 and getting time so check her out ;) Notre Dame is locked in and on the hunt for their first National Championship.
#9 Maryland Terps upset the #5 Syracuse Orange-women in a nail biter OT win. This was the first game I watched where the new Green Card rules (link
https://www.ncaa.org/news/2023/7/19/media-center-panel-approves-additional-one-minute-releasable-penalties-in-womens-lacrosse.aspx) seemed to have a negative effect on the outcome of the game… Maryland started the 2nd OT a man up after a pretty weak foul committed by SU in the midfield resulting in a one minute releasable penalty. I wouldn’t sleep on Cuse, they just haven’t found their groove yet (and y’all can be sure that I’ll be writing about the green card situation…stay tuned).
#4Denver had a tough 4-8 loss to Michigan last weekend, bumping them down, while also throwing Michigan into the mix early on in the season. I’ve got a weird feeling about Michigan… they might be here to stay in the Top 10.
Here’s what we are working with after an exciting 3rd weekend of games!
(Poll from Inside Lacrosse/IWLCA - February 19)
#1 Boston College
#2 Notre Dame
#3 JMU
#4 Northwestern
#5 Maryland
#6 Michigan
#7 Syracuse
#8 UNC
#9 Loyola
#10 Denver
Northwestern beat Colorado 19-14 (impressive showing by the Buffs).Carolina held on for a 10-9 win over UVA. Notre Dame had a heart breaking 14-16 loss to Syracuse (little sis had 2 goals and an assist though). BC was on fire in the cold temps against Pitt (winning 19-3). Florida was hungry for a win, and defeated Maryland 13-12. JMU and Loyola are holding strong and steady. Michigan extended their winning streak, beating USC Trojans 9-3. Denver beat SDSU 18-8.
Side note: don’t sleep on Stanford either, they’re lurking under the radar with an outstanding coaching staff.
Northwestern and Boston College play this Thursday, February 29th. I’m excited to see the battle of the attack and the goalies. Northwestern needs the W for obvious reasons, but BC has a deep bench and a lot of fire power.
Here are my rough predictions for the next poll. BC (assuming they win on Thursday) will stay on top. JMU will move to #2, while Loyola and Denver will probably stay in the #9 and #10 spots, unless Florida’s win over Maryland brings them into the top 10 again. Syracuse will move up, but seeing as how they lost to both Maryland and Northwestern, I’m not sure where they will fall. It’s all up in the air for those in the middle!
All of these teams are so capable and dominant it makes this part of the season unbelievably exciting! Not to mention we’ve got Ivy League teams that are always ready to compete and throw a wrench into someone’s season.
Catch you all next week!
MADDY MORRISSEY
Maddy is a former Duke Lacrosse standout and Founder of South Bay Lacrosse and The LA Select in Hermosa Beach, CA.