First-Time Champ Tampa Finishes No. 1 in USA Lacrosse D-II Women’s Top 20

Tampa’s exciting postseason run to its first national championship and some surprising results throughout the NCAA tournament yielded a bit of reshuffling in the final USA Lacrosse Division II Women's Top 20 of 2024.

After capturing its third Sunshine State Conference championship on April 28, Tampa continued its roll through the NCAA tournament with victories over Lynn, Florida Southern, Regis and Adelphi to claim its first NCAA title on May 25. The Spartans finish the year at No. 1 in our final ranking, with national runner-up Adelphi in the second position. Regis, Pace and West Chester round out the top five.

For the first time since the NCAA expanded its tournament field, none of the four No. 1 seeds advanced out of their regionals. In fact, all four top seeds were eliminated in their respective regional finals on their home fields.

USA LACROSSE DIVISION II
WOMEN’S TOP 20

1. Tampa, 19-3 (Prev: 7)
2. Adelphi, 19-4 (Prev: 4)
3. Regis, 20-2 (Prev: 3)
4. Pace, 21-1 (Prev: 2)
5. West Chester, 20-1 (Prev: 1)
6. Maryville, 18-2 (Prev: 5)
7. Grand Valley State, 17-2 (Prev: 6)
8. East Stroudsburg, 14-7 (Prev: 17)
9. Florida Southern, 16-5 (Prev: 8)
10. Flagler, 17-3 (Prev: 10)
11. Limestone, 17-1 (Prev: 9)
12. Kutztown, 15-6 (Prev: 11)
13. Lynn, 13-6 (Prev: 15)
14. Anderson, 15-3 (Prev: 12)
15. Wingate, 13-5 (Prev: 13)
16. UIndy, 14-6 (Prev: 14)
17. Mount Olive, 16-3 (Prev: 16)
18. Seton Hill, 13-6 (Prev: 18)
19. Saint Leo, 12-6 (Prev: 19)
20. Embry-Riddle, 12-6 (Prev: 20)

Also considered (alphabetical order): Bentley (11-8), Lock Haven (14-4), Northern Michigan (13-5), Roberts Wesleyan (13-5), Rollins (11-6), Slippery Rock (15-4)

HOT

Tampa (+6)

The Spartans closed the season with an 11-game winning streak and won 17 of their last 18 games while becoming the fourth straight first-time champion in Division II women’s lacrosse. Tampa avenged two of its three regular season losses in the NCAA tournament, defeating Florida Southern in the South Regional final and Adelphi in the NCAA final. The Spartans finished the year with 13 wins over nationally ranked opponents, one of the factors that coach Kelly Gallagher said prepared the team for its championship run.

“Our confidence continued to grow throughout the season,” she said. “I think our schedule helped to prepare us for the postseason, and we believed that we belonged.”

East Stroudsburg (+9)

After losing to Kutztown in the PSAC quarterfinals, the Warriors bounced back by defeating the same Bears team nine days later in the Atlantic Regional and rival West Chester two days after that in the regional final. Riding the coattails of its All-America midfielder Emily Mitarotonda, who tallied 12 goals and 18 points in three NCAA tournament games, ESU returned to the final four for the third time in four years. Mitarotonda finished her career with 314 goals, second all-time in D-II history, and set a new PSAC single-season record with 98 goals in 2024.

NOT

West Chester (-4)

For the second straight year, the Golden Rams brought an undefeated record and No. 1 ranking into the NCAA tournament but were unable to complete the run to claim the program’s third national title. The end was especially harsh this season, as WCU squandered a four-goal lead in the fourth quarter of its regional final, falling 13-12 to ESU. The loss was also a sad farewell for one of the best to ever play in the PSAC, as senior midfielder Hannah Stanislawczyk capped her All-American career with 302 goals, fourth highest in D-II history.

Pace (-2)

The undefeated Setters seemed destined for a second straight trip to the final four but couldn’t get past NE10 foe Adelphi for a third time this season. Despite losing a lot of offensive firepower from its 2023 championship team, Pace was able to quickly reload in 2024 for a chance to run it back until Adelphi halted the run in the East Region final.