Middlebury Leads Wire-to-Wire in Nike/USA Lacrosse D-III Women's Top 20

Middlebury completed a perfect season by capturing the Division III women’s national championship, and the Panthers ran the table in the Nike/USA Lacrosse Top 20, too, finishing 2023 at No. 1.

The Panthers have won each of the last three NCAA tournament they’ve competed in. Salisbury won the 2021 title while Middlebury did not compete because of COVID-19 restrictions. There was no tournament in 2020 because of the pandemic.

Gettysburg, which the Panthers beat in the final, was rewarded for its tournament run with a big jump from No. 9 to No. 2. The Bullets upset former No. 2 and previously unbeaten William Smith in the semifinals.

Franklin & Marshall also benefited from a Final Four run, moving up four spots from No. 8. The biggest slides were Salisbury, TCNJ and Wesleyan, which all dropped four spots after Sweet 16 exits.

Denison, which made a surprising run in the postseason, moved into the Top 20 at No. 18 despite a rough regular season that led an 11-11 finish, and Kenyon also returned at No. 19. Amherst, which did not make the tournament field after ending its season in the first round of the NESCAC tournament, and Geneseo, both dropped out of the Top 20.

Nike/USA Lacrosse Rankings

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

NIKE/USA LACROSSE
DIVISION III WOMEN’S TOP 20

Also considered (alphabetical order): Amherst, Christopher Newport, Cortland, Geneseo, Haverford, Ithaca, MIT, Williams