West Chester Holds Steady at Top of D-II Women's Top 20

With two more wins last week, West Chester (13-0) remained undefeated and maintained its spot atop the USA Lacrosse Division II Women's Top 20. The Golden Rams are the only remaining undefeated team in the nation and visit No. 19 Kutztown this week.

Defending national champion Tampa (14-1) jumped two spots to No. 2 after a pair of top-10 wins. The Spartans have rebounded from their only loss on March 29 with four straight victories, including a 17-8 win on Saturday over No. 6 Lynn. All-American attacker Peyton Howell registered seven goals and three assists to lead the way.

Heading into the final week of the Sunshine State Conference’s regular season, Tampa is one of three teams — along with No. 3 Florida Southern and No. 4 Embry-Riddle — tied for first place in the league and vying for the top seed in the SSC tournament. The SSC quarterfinals begin Saturday.

No. 5 Maryville extended its winning streak to 12 games with an 18-16 win Sunday against No. 13 UIndy. An eight-goal run through the middle portion of the game keyed the victory for the Saints, who benefitted from a game-high six goals by Helen Bae. Maryville’s only loss came in its season-opener to Tampa.

The NCAA releases its first regional ranking this Wednesday, identifying the top teams contending for postseason spots across the four geographical regions. There’s an expanded NCAA bracket of 24 teams this year — the largest ever for Division II — but the format still calls for regional playoffs to determine the four national semifinalists.

Continue below to see the entire Top 20, which is compiled by USA Lacrosse Magazine staff and contributors.

USA LACROSSE DIVISION II 
WOMEN'S TOP 20