Boston College Rises to Top of Final USA Lacrosse Division I Women's Top 20

At the end of a season marked by unpredictable and constant ranking reshuffling, the top two teams in the final USA Lacrosse Division I Women’s Top 20 were predicted in January.

For the second straight year, Boston College and Northwestern played for a national championship. And, again for the second straight year, Boston College was a slow starter. But the Eagles flipped the script in 2024, storming back from a six-goal deficit to beat defending champion Northwestern and end the season atop the Division I women’s lacrosse world.

National runner-up Northwestern is No. 2, and for much of the season, the Wildcats were the best team top to bottom.

Syracuse closes the year at No. 3 after bowing out in the semifinals. Florida, the lone unseeded team to advance to championship weekend, is fourth.

Michigan, a quarterfinalist, completes the top five, the highest finish in program history for the Wolverines, who won a record 16 games in 2024. Fellow quarterfinalists Maryland, Yale and Penn come next, followed by Notre Dame and Virginia to finalize the top 10.

USA LACROSSE DIVISION I
WOMEN’S TOP 20

1. Boston College, 20-3 (Prev: 2)
2. Northwestern, 18-3 (Prev: 1)
3. Syracuse, 16-6 (Prev: 3)
4. Florida, 20-3 (Prev: 7)
5. Michigan, 16-4 (Prev: 12)
6. Maryland, 14-6 (Prev: 8)
7. Yale, 17-3 (Prev: 13)
8. Penn, 15-5 (Prev: 15)
9. Notre Dame, 16-4 (Prev: 4)
10. Virginia, 15-5 (Prev: 6)
11. Loyola, 18-3 (Prev: 5)
12. Johns Hopkins, 12-8 (Prev: 11)
13. Denver, 16-4 (Prev: 9)
14. Stony Brook, 18-3 (Prev: 14)
15. Princeton, 11-7 (Prev: 18)
16. Penn State, 11-8 (10)
17. James Madison, 14-6 (Prev: 16)
18. Stanford, 13-5 (Prev: 19)
19. North Carolina, 10-6 (Prev: 17)
20. Colorado, 13-6 (Prev: 20)

Also considered (alphabetical order): Brown (10-5), Drexel (13-6), Duke (10-9), Fairfield (16-3), Harvard (10-5), Navy (13-4), Richmond (13-6), USC (12-5)

HOT

Boston College (+1)

The Eagles played perhaps their best three quarters of 2024 in their final three quarters of 2024, overcoming a 6-0 first-quarter hole to beat Northwestern for the program’s second-ever national championship. If we’re talking individual players, you could put Shea Dolce and Kayla Martello in this category, too — without them, Boston College might not have been able to make its comeback.

Florida (+3)

Florida proved that people were indeed sleeping on the Gators in 2024, even as they methodically plowed through their competition and clinched a championship weekend berth. With so many new faces this spring, Florida took time to mesh after an 0-2 start.

Michigan (+7)

The Wolverines were a defense no team wanted to face, but it was their offense that led to a thrilling second-round win over Notre Dame at Arlotta. Nobody’s going to be sleeping on Michigan in 2025, that’s for sure.

NOT

Notre Dame (-5)

A No. 1 team in the USA Lacrosse Top 20 for a few weeks this season, Notre Dame just couldn’t put Michigan away in the second round of the NCAA tournament. It concluded an inconsistent final month for the Irish, who went 2-2 in postseason play.

Denver (-4)

It was going to be nearly impossible to replicate 2023’s success, and perhaps Denver got a rough draw having to face Northwestern in the second round of the NCAA tournament. But the Pios couldn’t keep up with the Wildcats, falling 17-4 to end their season.