2019 has a tough act to follow.
The 2018 college lacrosse season sent us on a wild ride, a journey that on Memorial Day ended with first-time champions in five of six divisions, men and women. It’s entirely too early to predict what’s in store for next spring. We’ll try, anyway.
Way-Early 2019 Rankings
Division I Men
No. 25- No. 21
No. 20- No. 16
No. 15- No. 11
No. 10- No. 6
No. 5-No. 1
Division I Women
No. 25-No. 21
No. 20-No. 16
No. 15-No. 11
No. 10-No. 6
No. 5-No. 1
Division III Men
Top 10
Division III Women
Top 10
Division II Men’s Top 10
Thursday, June 14
Division II Women’s Top 10
Thursday, June 14
Gettysburg won its second consecutive NCAA Division III women’s championship a scant 17 days ago, but that doesn’t mean we can’t look ahead to the 2019 season.
Way-early predictions by sports media outlets remain, for now, trendy. They’re not compiled in complete ignorance — roster turnover, including that of honorees, already has begun — but significantly more and better forecasting data will emerge through and after fall ball.
Be that as it may, our 2019 Division III women’s way-early top 10 includes some familiar and new faces, below. Player classes mentioned refer to 2017.
1. The College of New Jersey
The Lions graduated just three seniors from their NCAA semifinalist team. Unfortunately, one was defender Elizabeth Morrison, who today became a rare four-time, IWLCA first-team All-American. Truly remarkable. TCNJ will miss her, but can feel much better because fellow first-team All-American Miranda Chrone returns for her senior season in goal. The Lions also get back two second-team All-Americans in dazzling sophomore attacker Olivia Cleale, who led the team with 65 assists and 97 points, and junior midfielder Kathleen Jaeger, who finished second with 55 goals despite missing four games.
2. Gettysburg
The national champions will go for three in a row behind first-team All-American midfielder Steph Colson. No player may do as much for her team as Colson does. She led the Bullets with 50 goals, 76 points, 140 draw controls and 53 ground balls, and finished second to classmate and defender Brooke Holecheck (28) in caused turnovers with 25. Sophomore Liza Barr and freshman Kerry McKeever each amassed nearly 60 points. Six seniors, including some key contributors, graduated, but the Bullets retain plenty of firepower in front of junior goalie Bailey Pilder.
3. Middlebury
The Panthers placed three on the IWLCA All-American first team, and one returns: junior attacker Emma McDonagh, who led the NESCAC champions with 54 goals and 75 points. They’ll miss another one of the nation’s best all-around players in graduated midfielder Hollis Perticone, but 5-foot-11 freshman attacker Kristen Murphy led the team with 30 assists and scored 32 goals herself. Sophomore goalie Julia Keith emerged as the leader with 18 starts.
4. Wesleyan
Pressure’s on, if there is such a thing eight-plus months before practice starts. Kim Williams will enter her fourth season in 2019 needing to replace just two seniors from a team that started 6-1 and handed then-No. 1 TCNJ its first loss of the season in March. Four of their regular-season losses came by a total of six goals. Experience and maturation should serve the Cardinals well, as will the return of second-team All-Americans Abigail Horst and Carolina Sgaglione. Midfielder Horst led Wesleyan with 38 goals, while defender Sgaglione corralled 60 draws and caused 23 turnovers. Sophomore midfielder Abby Manning added 36 goals, 13 assists and 45 draw controls, helping the Cardinals win two true road games in the NCAA tournament before a season-ending loss to Amherst.
5. Amherst
The Mammoths started 2017 under the radar and ascended to No. 1 at one point, challenging host Gettysburg in an eventual 13-10 NCAA quarterfinal defeat. Leading goal-scorer Julia Crerend was a second-team All-American and is one of five seniors to depart, but the leading point-producer was just a freshman: Claire Dunbar’s 31 goals and 37 assists make her a multi-dimensional threat. Classmate Maia Noyes joined Crerend on the second team after leading Amherst with high 75 draw controls and contributing 52 points. First-team All-American Sabrina Solow caused 39 turnovers in front of sophomore Talia Land, who started all 20 games in goal.
6. Mary Washington
The Eagles sometimes fare better when preseason expectations are lower, but the potential for excellence in Fredericksburg, Va., can’t be ignored here. Ten of 11 players that amassed double figures in points return, led by second-team All-American junior attacker Mackenzie Maguire (37 G, 36A). Classmates Paige Childers (75 DC) and Allison Davis (40 DC, 36 G) will help Mary Washington secure possession time given the departure of first-team All-American defender Kirsten Littlefield, who corralled 83 draws from her post. The overlooked Eagles started 10-1 before falling back to the back and exiting in the NCAA round of 16.
7. Tufts
The Jumbos return their entire defense, led by third-team All-American junior Hedy Veith, who caused 21 turnovers, and much of their firepower. First-team All-American attacker Dakota Adamec controlled 52 draws, scored 51 goals and handed out 16 assists as a junior, and third-team honoree Annie Sullivan added 38 draw controls and 34 goals. Tufts had a late lead at Franklin and Marshall in the second round of the NCAA tournament before falling, 12-11, so motivation will be there.
8. York
The Spartans likewise must recover from a late blown lead; this one at Middlebury in an 11-10 NCAA quarterfinal loss. York has considerable talent to reach the final four, though, thanks to a pair of first-team All-Americans. Sophomore Meghan Fox led the offense with 57 goals and 67 points. Junior defender Nicole Clauter retrieved 112 draws and caused 29 turnovers. The Spartans’ top three scorers return, among them third-team All-American Devin Hursey (30 G, 32 A). York could stand to give Clauter more help in the draw-control department (graduated Kayleigh Phillips had 84) and must replace starting goalie Charlotte Wright.
9. Salisbury
The Sea Gulls were the last of the unbeatens to fall, doing so at TCNJ after a 14-0 start. They didn’t lose again until the NCAA semifinals against eventual champ Gettysburg. The bad news is their three top point-producers were among five graduating seniors. The good news is that freshman attacker Emma Skoglund finished second on the team with 37 goals, and third-team All-American junior Martha Hutzell (56 DC, 20 CT) returns alongside most of the defense. The notable exception is second-team All-American goalie Gianna Falcone, who graduated.
10. Franklin and Marshall
The Diplomats endured a tough early start before working their way back, ultimately reaching the NCAA quarterfinals. It’s pretty safe to say F&M will miss first-team All-American attacker Paige Moriarity and her 97 points at one end, and third-team All-American goalie Danielle Harrington at the other. But youthful talent is in place. Second-team All-American defender Maggie Hanzche (24 CT) was just a sophomore, and freshmen Anya Chopoorian (73 DC, 19 CT), Megan Jackson (42 DC, 37 G) and Jane Cote (20 G, 50 A) contributed significantly, to say the least.
In the Conversation (alphabetical order): Bowdoin, Cortland, St. John Fisher, Trinity, Washington & Lee