Middlebury Starts Another Season Atop USA Lacrosse Division III Women's Top 20

Two-time defending national champion Middlebury has gotten used to being on top of the Division III women’s lacrosse world. Middlebury enters 2024 in a familiar place. The Panthers are No. 1 in the USA Lacrosse Division III Women’s Preseason Top 20, announced Tuesday by USA Lacrosse Magazine.

The USA Lacrosse Division III Women’s Preseason Top 20 is put together by USA Lacrosse Magazine staff and contributors with input from coaches around the country.

Continue below to see the full Top 20, and read further for a breakdown on each team.

USA LACROSSE DIVISION III
WOMEN’S PRESEASON TOP 20

1. Middlebury
2. Gettysburg
3. William Smith
4. Washington and Lee
5. Tufts
6. Franklin & Marshall
7. TCNJ
8. Salisbury
9. York
10. Colby
11. Wesleyan
12. Messiah
13. St. John Fisher
14. Pomona-Pitzer
15. Trinity (Conn.)
16. Roanoke
17. Chicago
18. Denison
19. Stevens
20. Ithaca

Also considered (alphabetical order): Capital, Cortland, Geneseo, Kenyon, MIT

TOP 20 BREAKDOWN

1. Middlebury

The Panthers’ dominance in Division III was on full display in 2023, as they put together an undefeated 23-0 season and captured another national championship. Hope Shue set a program record for goals in a single season and will return alongside Susan Rowley to guide the Panthers offense, while Kylie Wilson and Chloe Newman will be defensive anchors, making Middlebury the team to beat once again in 2024.

2. Gettysburg

Gettysburg went 18-2 in the final 20 games of 2023 and advanced to the national championship game. The Bullets have a balanced core with three stars — 120-point scorer Jordan Basso, Caroline Sullivan and Lily Macatee — leading the charge.

3. William Smith

William Smith made a deep postseason run last season and is poised to do the same in 2024. Senior Maddie Montgomery is nearing the program record in career goals and points, and the Herons also have an experienced goalkeeper, Maura Smeader, and shutdown defender Kate Risley on the other side of the field.

4. Washington and Lee

Washington and Lee put together a strong overall season in 2023 but fell to Gettysburg in the NCAA tournament. Hanna Bishop is one of the program’s best scorers ever and will anchor the Generals’ offense. Eugenie Rovegno will do the same on the defensive end and in the draw circle.

5. Tufts

The Jumbos battled a difficult 2023 slate with 13 of 21 games against ranked opponents. They weathered the storm and only lost five games, including a pair of contests against Middlebury. Maggie Carden will guide Tufts into 2024 after scoring 69 goals in each of her first two seasons.

6. Franklin & Marshall

Franklin & Marshall is the reigning Centennial Conference champion and earned a spot in the NCAA tournament semifinals last season before fallling to Middlebury. They have a deep lineup set for 2024, and senior attacker Gillian Brennan is expected to make an impact after an injury affected the beginning of her 2023 campaign.

7. TCNJ

TCNJ graduated a lot of talent following its 2023 NCAA tournament run, but senior goalkeeper Julia Charest will be an anchor this season. Ally Tobler will quarterback the offense following her 80-point campaign.

8. Salisbury

The Sea Gulls’ tournament run ended sooner than anticipated in 2023, but they return a strong defense this year, led by junior Natalie Held. Attacker Erin Scannell and goalkeeper Kaitlyn Hunsinger are returning as grad students to guide Salisbury into 2024.

9. York

York put together a strong season thanks in large part to the 2023 IWLCA Division III goalkeeper of the year, Isabella Garabo. Garabo is returning to the Spartans for her fifth year hoping to replicate what culminated in an NCAA quarterfinal appearance.

10. Colby

Colby made it to the NCAA quarterfinals before falling to Middlebury. Ally Franz should continue to make a strong impact offensively for the Mules, who finished fourth in the NESCAC.

11. Wesleyan

The Cardinals graduated some of their top defensive players from their 2023 run, but attacker Olivia Lai is returning for her fifth year to help bolster the offense. fellow attacker Laura Baine and midfielder Kiara Tangney are also expected to be impact players.

12. Messiah

Messiah is fielding a young roster with junior defender Emma Hagg guiding the team into the season. The Falcons reached the second round of the NCAA tournament before falling to TCNJ.

13. St. John Fisher

St. John Fisher dominated in 2023, at one point winning 12 games in a row. It was also the only team to hold William Smith to single-digit goals in the NCAA tournament, thought it was a 6-5 loss. The Cardinals are bringing back the majority of that team and are poised for another postseason run.

14. Pomona-Pitzer

Pomona-Pitzer reached the NCAA quarterfinals last year sporting a high-powered offense that scored 20 or more goals in 16 different games. The Sagehens are looking for similar results.

15. Trinity

The Bantams made an NCAA tournament run in 2023 that ended, like many others, at the hands of Middlebury. Still, Trinity went 6-4 against the NESCAC in the regular season and is returning a lot of the players from that team.

16. Roanoke

Roanoke is bringing back nearly its entire tournament team. Grace Koutouzis is expected to be a key cog in the offense, while Natalie Mason and Addison Schmidt will anchor the defense.

17. Chicago

Chicago is returning six all-conference players from its 2023 NCAA tournament team, including goalkeeper Rachel Keefe and attacker Lulu Hardy, who were the CCIW offensive and defensive players of the year, respectively.

18. Denison

Denison battled a grueling non-conference schedule but caught fire at the right time and made it to the third round of the NCAA tournament. This year, the team will be led by a pair of defenders, senior Kate Coward and junior Mary Daniel.

19. Stevens

The Ducks are a younger team but are still hoping to replicate their successful season from a year ago when they won their conference championship and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament before losing to York.

20. Capital

Capital made an NCAA tournament run with a lot of help from the returning Grace Osborn, who led all Division III players in goals as a sophomore, with 111 through 16 games.