West Chester, the No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament that fell to eventual national champion Pace in the title game, is No. 1 in the USA Lacrosse Division II Women’s Preseason Top 20, announced Tuesday by USA Lacrosse Magazine.
Pace checks in at No. 4 behind two Florida superpowers in Tampa and Florida Southern.
The USA Lacrosse Division II 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 II WOMEN’S
PRESEASON TOP 20
1. West Chester
2. Florida Southern
3. Tampa
4. Pace
5. Regis
6. Grand Valley State
7. UIndy
8. Maryville
9. Seton Hill
10. East Stroudsburg
11. Flagler
12. Wingate
13. Adelphi
14. Rollins
15. Kutztown
16. Embry-Riddle
17. Saint Anselm
18. Mercy
19. New Haven
20. Lynn
Also considered (alphabetical order): Bentley, Colorado Mesa, IUP, Molloy, Walsh
TOP 20 BREAKDOWNS
1. West Chester
The Golden Rams were the last undefeated team standing in 2023 and fell one game short of becoming the first undefeated national champion since 2014. Paced by a pair of 100-point scoring All-Americans, Hannah Stanislawczyk (105 points) and Keri Barnett (101), and a defense anchored by All-American goalie Jessica Gorr, West Chester is a good bet to make another title run in 2024.
2. Florida Southern
Led by Jackie Stoller (107 points) and Madison Tare (56 goals), the Mocs feature plenty of returning firepower for another final four run. The addition of two graduate transfers, Kristi Kada (Seton Hill) and Lauryn Rygiel (Northern Michigan) should help bolster the defense.
3. Tampa
The Spartans finished undefeated in the Sunshine State Conference last year and won their first SSC title since 2019. Led by All-Americans Sarah Hinkle (68 goals) on offense and Alyssa Romano on defense, Tampa will once again be a strong contender in the South Region.
4. Pace
'The Setters enjoyed a record-setting 2023 season that culminated with their first national championship. They will have to overcome the loss of three All-Americans (Aleya Corretjer, Emma Rafferty and Kayla Conway), but they welcome back midfielder Angelina Porcello (65 goals, 142 draw controls) and the entire defense, led by Alexandra Quinn and Delilah Doyle.
5. Regis
The Rangers won their fourth straight RMAC championship last year and were the top seed in the NCAA’s Midwest Regional. Regis will be led by a strong midfield that includes All-Americans Lily Ferguson, Bailey Truex and transfer Megan Bunker.
6. Grand Valley State
Following a 3-4 start last year, GVSU embarked on a 13-game winning streak that carried it to its first final four appearance. All-America midfielder Molly Bursinger is gone, but returnees Maddy Champagne, Hailey Crittendon and Kylie Waeghe should help the Lakers challenge for another postseason berth.
7. UIndy
In 2022, All-America midfielder Peyton Romig was one of the heroes in leading UIndy to its first national championship. Now Romig is back as the program’s new head coach and inherits a team that advanced to last year’s national quarterfinals.
8. Maryville
Led by All-America attacker Sydney Tiemann, who set a new NCAA Division II scoring record with 115 goals last year, the Saints enjoyed a breakthrough 2023 campaign and earned their first NCAA tournament berth. Tiemann leads a strong returning nucleus that should find more success this spring.
9. Seton Hill
The Griffins are under new leadership this year, as Dina Cifelli takes over as head coach. Seton Hill opened and closed the 2023 season with losses to No. 1 ranked teams. In between, they enjoyed a 13-game winning streak and captured their third straight PSAC West Division title. All-American defender Makayla Kintner will anchor the defense once again.
10. East Stroudsburg
Three of the Warriors’ losses last year came against league rival and national runner-up West Chester. If ESU can get past the Rams, they could make another title run. Having All-American midfielder Emily Mitarotunda (79 goals) back for another season is a big boost.
11. Flagler
The Saints were one of the fun stories of the 2023 season, winning the Gulf South championship and earning an NCAA tournament berth in just their second year of competition. Midfielder Lexie Morton, last year’s leading scorer with 75 goals, spearheads the offense.
12. Wingate
The Bulldogs return 22 players from last year’s team that won its final 13 games of the season and claimed its first SAC championship. All-American midfielder Leah Knowles (66 goals) paces the offense and goalie Megan Biase anchors the defense.
13. Adelphi
The Panthers never got on a roll last year, but nevertheless came within one game of earning another final four berth. Leading scorer Kerrin Heuser (42 goals) returns and is joined by transfer Marielle Colalillo, last year’s NE10 Rookie of the Year at New Haven.
14. Rollins
The Tars began the 2023 season with 12 straight wins and climbed as high as number five in the USA Lacrosse Magazine weekly ranking. A pair of two-goal losses against league rivals FSC and Tampa brought the season to an end. Graduate player Caroline Gastonguay, who has 130 goals over the past two seasons, is the offensive leader.
15. Kutztown
Senior Emma Meakim (82 points) and junior Sam Graf (52 goals) should form a potent 1-2 combo again for the Golden Bears, who tied their single-season record for victories and earned their first NCAA Tournament berth in 2023.
16. Embry-Riddle
The Eagles hope to recapture the form that led to a 10-1 start in 2023 before match-ups with the SSC’s upper echelon brought them back to earth. Junior midfielder Sallie Squire (70 goals) and defender Kaitlyn Henry are all-conference performers.
17. Saint Anselm
The Hawks tied their team record with 13 wins last year while advancing to the NE10 semifinals. Junior Elizabeth Driscoll was named the NE10’s Goalkeeper of the Year in 2023 after her first season as the starter.
18. Mercy
The Mavericks closed the 2023 campaign with a seven-game winning streak that carried them to their second straight ECC championship. Lindsey Shimborske (55 caused turnovers) was last year’s ECC Defender of the Year and has emerged as one of the nation’s top defenders.
19. New Haven
The Chargers must replace their top three scorers from last year’s NCAA tournament squad, but return two all-region players in defender Laura Agbayani and goalie Gabby Buscemi.
20. Lynn
The Fighting Knights made a strong early statement last year with a 9-1 start but struggled against a tough SSC line-up down the stretch. Midfielder Becca Clark (25 goals) was the SSC’s Freshman of the Year after an impressive rookie campaign.
