Clemson, JMU Rocket Up USA Lacrosse Top 20

March 3, 2025

USA Lacrosse Magazine Staff

Rich Barnes

No teams gained more ground in this week's USA Lacrosse Division I Women's Top 20 than No. 7 Clemson and No. 8 James Madison.

Clemson earned its highest ranking ever in the USA Lacrosse Top 20 by going to the JMA Wireless Dome and taking down Syracuse. Now with two straight ACC wins in a row (the other being Notre Dame), Clemson is on fire at 5-0 and looking like it has arrived.

James Madison failed to earn much preseason buzz after significant graduation hits, but Shelley Klaes has the Dukes playing well. They earned a one-goal win over former AAC conference rival Florida to vault up 10 places from No. 18.

The bottom of the Top 20 has plenty of teams vying for placement. Ultimately, No. 19 Navy got the nod by bouncing back from a loss to Harvard with a win over Virginia, and No. 20 Ohio State earned its place on the heels of a 5-0 start.

That leaves Notre Dame unranked, though the Irish are still pressuring the Top 20 — as are a trio of Ivy League teams making noise early (Brown, Dartmouth and Harvard).

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

USA LACROSSE DIVISION I
WOMEN’S TOP 20

Rank	Team	W-L	Prev
1	Boston College	6-0	1
2	North Carolina	5-0	2
3	Northwestern	5-1	3
4	Yale	5-0	4
5	Michigan	4-1	8
6	Stanford	6-0	7
7	Clemson	5-0	16
8	James Madison	4-1	18
9	Syracuse	3-3	6
10	Maryland	3-1	10
11	Florida	3-2	5
12	Princeton	3-1	11
13	Virginia	3-2	9
14	Loyola	3-2	12
15	Johns Hopkins	4-2	13
16	Stony Brook	3-1	14
17	Duke	4-2	20
18	Penn	2-2	15
19	Navy	5-1	AC
20	Ohio State	5-0	19
Also considered (alphabetical order)
AC	Brown	4-0	AC
AC	Dartmouth	4-0	AC
AC	Drexel	4-2	AC
AC	Harvard	3-1	AC
AC	Notre Dame	3-3	17
AC	UConn	4-2	AC
AC	USC	5-1	AC

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.