Terps Take Over Top Spot in USA Lacrosse Top 20

March 3, 2025

USA Lacrosse Magazine Staff

Cecil Copeland

The third-earliest NCAA championship game rematch in Division I men’s lacrosse history went the way of the Maryland Terrapins, opening the door for the Terps to replace former No. 1 Notre Dame in the top spot of the USA Lacrosse Division I Men’s Top 20.

The 10,000-plus fans in Atlanta for the Atlanta Lacrosse Invitational weren’t disappointed with what could easily hold up as the game of the year.

The fourth quarter saw Maryland let a three-goal lead dwindle to one before Daniel Kelly revived a two-goal lead with 5:22 left. Jordan Faison scored with 93 seconds remaining, cutting it back to one.

Will Lynch won the next faceoff for Notre Dame, and after a timeout, the Irish got two attempts at tying things up. Chris Kavanagh missed high, then Kavanagh was stonewalled by Logan McNaney with 23 seconds to go. Maryland hung on for an 11-10 win.

Elsewhere in the Top 20, No. 4 Princeton re-established its place in the top five by taking down both Duke and North Carolina in a jaunt down Tobacco Road. Penn, which happened to lose to both Duke and North Carolina in the same timeframe, plummeted from No. 12 to No. 18.

New to the Top 20 this week is Fairfield, better known as “America’s Team,” after a resounding win over Providence.

Continue below to see the entire Top 20, which is compiled by USA Lacrosse Magazine staff and contributors.

USA LACROSSE DIVISION I
MEN’S TOP 20

Rank	Team	W-L	Prev
1	Maryland	5-0	2
2	Notre Dame	3-1	1
3	Cornell	4-0	3
4	Princeton	3-1	6
5	North Carolina	4-1	4
6	Johns Hopkins	5-1	7
7	Army	5-0	8
8	Duke	5-1	5
9	Penn State	4-1	9
10	Georgetown	3-2	11
11	Richmond	3-2	10
12	Ohio State	6-1	15
13	Denver	4-2	14
14	Syracuse	4-2	13
15	Harvard	3-1	16
16	Colgate	4-2	17
17	Virginia	2-3	19
18	Penn	2-3	12
19	Michigan	3-2	18
20	Fairfield	5-0	20
Also considered (alphabetical order)
AC	Boston U	4-1	AC
AC	Dartmouth	3-1	--
AC	Delaware	3-1	AC
AC	Navy	4-1	AC
AC	Sacred Heart	4-1	AC
AC	Saint Joseph's	3-2	--
AC	UMass	4-1	--

Written By

USA Lacrosse Magazine Staff

Since 1978, USA Lacrosse Magazine has inspired generations of lacrosse families to love this great game and leave it better for the next. We harness the power of storytelling to help fuel the sport’s growth and enrich the experience of participants.