Clemson Ranked in Nike/USA Lacrosse Division I Women's Top 20 for First Time

March 13, 2023

Beth Ann Mayer

Clemson Athletics

For the first time in its brief program history, Clemson is nationally ranked.

The Tigers’ first-ever ACC win came against a Duke team that entered the week at No. 13, therefore catapulting the NCAA newcomers to No. 14 in the Nike/USA Lacrosse Division I Women’s Top 20.

The top three remain untouched, with No. 1 North Carolina, No. 2 Syracuse and No. 3 Northwestern beating No. 7 Virginia, No. 11 Notre Dame Dame and No. 6 Stony Brook, respectively.

Two teams in the top three — UNC and Syracuse — are among the four unbeaten programs left in Division I. The other two are No. 6 Denver and No. 13 Army. The Black Knights are up one spot to No. 13 after beating Boston U in their Patriot League opener.

NIKE/USA LACROSSE
DIVISION I WOMEN’S TOP 20

	March 13, 2023	W/L	Prev	Next
1	North Carolina	6-0	1	3/16 at Louisville
2	Syracuse	7-0	2	3/15 at No. 12 Loyola
3	Northwestern	6-1	3	3/18 vs. No. 16 Michigan
4	Boston College	5-2	5	3/18 at No. 14 Clemson
5	Stony Brook	4-1	4	3/18 vs. Delaware
6	Denver	7-0	6	3/13 vs. Delaware
7	Virginia	6-1	7	3/15 vs. Richmond
8	James Madison	7-1	8	3/18 vs. No. 10 Florida
9	Maryland	5-3	9	3/15 vs. Georgetown
10	Florida	4-2	10	3/14 vs. Colgate
11	Notre Dame	4-2	11	3/16 vs. Virginia Tech
12	Loyola	5-1	12	3/15 vs. No. 2 Syracuse
13	Army	6-0	14	3/15 vs. Siena
14	Clemson	7-2	NR	3/16 vs. No. 4 Boston College
15	Duke	4-3	13	3/14 vs. No. 17 Yale
16	Michigan	5-3	19	3/16 at No. 3 Northwestern
17	Yale	4-2	15	3/14 at No. 15 Duke
18	Princeton	3-2	17	3/18 vs. Penn State
19	USC	5-2	16	3/17 vs. Arizona State
20	Jacksonville	4-3	20	3/16 at Navy

Also considered (alphabetical order): Drexel (5-2), Navy (5-2), Penn State (5-2), Rutgers (3-3), Stanford (3-3), UConn (4-2), UMass (6-1)

Nike/USA Lacrosse Rankings

Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women

HOT

Northwestern (no change)

Izzy Scane (8 G, 1 A) and Molly Laliberty (12 saves) anchored the Wildcats in a hard-fought win over No. 5 Stony Brook on Friday. But don’t overlook the performance of Erin Coykendall (1 G, 3 A), who drew comparisons to Boston College great Kenzie Kent for her distributing abilities. Northwestern’s defense looks stronger than it did in recent years. What’s more, though the offense undeniably flows through Scane, it’s versatile.

The Wildcats can’t overlook a tough Michigan team on Thursday. But fans are already clamoring about Sunday’s game against No. 1 North Carolina. As you likely remember, the Tar Heels bounced Northwestern from the Final Four in epic fashion last season, though the lineups will look much different on Sunday. You can catch the game at 1:30 p.m. on ESPNU.

Florida (no change)

After starting the season 1-2, including a last-minute loss to Maryland, the Gators have won three in a row. Furman and Arizona State may not have raised an eyebrow, but Florida trailed 11-9 to Loyola with less than 10:30 left on Saturday and stormed back with a game-ending five-goal run to earn its second Top 20 win of the season (No. 16 Michigan is the other). Florida hosts Colgate on Tuesday before an anticipated clash with AAC newcomer James Madison on Saturday.

Michigan (+3)

The Wolverines graduated considerable talent on both ends of the field, which showed in losses to Florida and Stony Brook in February. But Michigan appears to have found its footing. The Wolverines have won three straight, including starting 2-0 in conference play with wins at Ohio State and Cincinnati. Jill Smith (29 G, 3 A) has put the offense on her back, and goalie Maya Santa-Maria (10.46 GAA, .488 SV%) is settling in after replacing All-American goalie Arielle Weissman. On Thursday, Michigan travels to Evanston to play Northwestern, the current consensus Big Ten favorite.

NOT

USC (-3)

USC squeaked by Hofstra 9-8 on Sunday. But the Trojans lost to Princeton, a team that entered the weekend lower in the rankings, 11-8 on Friday. Next up is Arizona State, the team that upset USC in the Pac-12 semis last year, on St. Patrick’s Day. It marks the conference opener for both teams.

Duke (-2)

Two-straight losses to Notre Dame and Clemson have the Blue Devils down two spots. A Tuesday night date with Yale, another team that got upset over the weekend (vs. UConn), awaits.

IN

Clemson (No. 14)

Clemson may have made news for its transfer portal raid heading into its inaugural season. But it was a freshman, Sofia Chepenik, who lifted the Tigers to their first-ever conference win. Chepenik scored four goals to lead the Tigers past Duke 11-10. Clemson also previously played Notre Dame to a slimmer margin than Duke (12-9 for Clemson, 14-6 for Duke). It’s earned them a spot in the top 15. There won’t be much time to celebrate — welcome to ACC women’s lacrosse, Tigers. Clemson faces another blue blood in Boston College on Thursday.

OUT

Rutgers (was No. 18)

Rutgers lost its third game in a row, 9-7 to Penn State on Saturday, putting the Scarlet Knights on the outside looking in. Rutgers stays in Nashville, where it can get back in the win column Monday night at Vanderbilt. Then it’s back home for a date with Maryland on Saturday. The two teams met in the Big Ten championship game last year, but both have had rocky starts to 2023.

PREVIOUS RANKINGS

Written By

Beth Ann Mayer

Beth Ann Mayer is a Long Island-based writer. She joined USA Lacrosse in 2022 after freelancing for Inside Lacrosse for five years. She first began covering the game as a student at Syracuse. When she's not writing, you can find her wrangling her husband, two children and surplus of pets.

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