Syracuse Enters Top 5 of Nike/USA Lacrosse Division I Women's Top 20

Syracuse and Northwestern have become one of the great rivalries in Division I women’s lacrosse, having squared off in each of the last three NCAA tournaments. Northwestern holds a 2-1 advantage, including last year’s 15-4 romp in the quarterfinals.

A win in February doesn’t make up for that, but Saturday’s season-opening heavyweight bout between the bluebloods lived up to its advanced billing. The back-and-forth affair saw Izzy Scane drop seven points on five goals and two assists in her return, but USA Lacrosse Magazine Preseason Player of the Year Meaghan Tyrrell finished with a casual two goals and six assists (a career high) to catapult the Orange to a 16-15 win. As such, Syracuse, previously No. 6, moves up to No. 4. Northwestern falls out of the top five — for now.

Virginia’s 2-0 start, including a win over then-No. 9 Stanford, moves the Cavs up to No. 11, leading to some mild reshuffling in the middle of the pack, including the Cardinal’s drop to No. 12.

No. 1 North Carolina beat James Madison 14-9 to remain atop the Top 20, and No. 2 Maryland (15-5 vs. Saint Joseph’s) and No. 3 Boston College (14-3 over No. 16 USC) held firm to keep the top three the same. Johns Hopkins also enters the Top 20 for the first time courtesy of a win over Albany.

NIKE/USA LACROSSE
DIVISION I WOMEN’S TOP 20

Also considered (alphabetical order): Arizona State (0-0), Jacksonville (0-2), Louisville (1-1), Ohio State (1-0), UMass (1-0), Yale (0-0)

Nike/USA Lacrosse Rankings

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

HOT

Syracuse (+2)

Meaghan Tyrrell’s eight points may have led the day, but the healthy players around her make the Orange scary this season. Megan Carney, who never looked 100 percent last year, scored four goals. Emma Ward tallied two goals and an assist in her first game since the 2022 national championship game, and Emma Tyrrell, who missed the end of 2023, came off the bench and tallied a hat trick and one assist. If Syracuse can finally skirt the injury bug this season, it will be dangerous. There isn’t much time to bask in the glory of the semi-revenge win — the Orange go toe-to-toe with another powerhouse on Friday when they welcome No. 2 Maryland.

Virginia (+2)

The Cavs won twice in the Golden State this weekend, following up Friday’s win over Stanford with one over UC Davis. But the win over the Cardinal did UVA the most favors in the rankings. Virginia’s balanced-but-lethal offense saw Rachel Clark (3 G, 1 A), Morgan Schwab (1 G, A) and Ashlyn McGovern (4 G) post four points each. Jaime Biskup added a hat trick. The Cavs have to run through the gauntlet of the ACC each year, which typically sees them falling to the .500 mark overall. But the offense clicked Friday and could help elevate the Cavs in a conference that saw top-tier teams graduate generational talents.

Boston College (no change)

There were two buzzy teams coming out of fall ball, according to coaches — Stony Brook and Boston College. The Seawolves don’t start the season until Friday vs. Michigan. But, if there was any doubt about Boston College post-Charlotte North, the Eagles buried it Saturday in a 14-3 rout of No. 16 USC. The usual suspects delivered, with Jenn Medjid posting five goals and Belle Smith notching a hat trick. The Eagles planned to lean more on sophomore Mckenna Davis this year. Davis, who was highly touted coming out of Canandaigua Academy (N.Y.) last year, gave a taste of what’s to come, posting two goals and a game-high five assists.

IN

Johns Hopkins (No. 20)

Jacksonville’s losses to No. 18 Michigan and No. 7 Rutgers are the Blue Jays’ gain. Hopkins kicked off the Tim McCormack era win a 17-10 win over Albany on Sunday. The Jays utterly dominated the first three quarters, leading 15-4 after three. Georgie Gorelick led the game with five goals.

OUT

Jacksonville (was No. 19)

The Dolphins had No. 7 Rutgers on the ropes, leading 7-5 in the fourth quarter. But Rutgers closed the game on a 4-0 run to win 9-7, handing Jacksonville its second loss to a Big Ten foe at home in three days. No. 18 Michigan beat the Dolphins 14-10 Friday. Tara Singleton pulled no punches with Jacksonville’s non-conference schedule, and these losses to touted competition may wind up being a case of delayed gratification when the stakes are higher in May. But it’s February. In the short term, Jacksonville is on the outside looking in.

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