The top two teams, Queens and UIndy, remain unchanged in the Nike/USA Lacrosse Division II Women’s Top 20, but there was lots of movement throughout the rest of this week’s ranking, including two newcomers in the top five.

Undefeated East Stroudsburg jumped five spots to the third position following its PSAC road win at previously No. 4  West Chester, while Adelphi climbed to fourth after adding two more wins. Undefeated Rollins rounds out the top five.

Lurking just behind is No. 6 Regis, which recorded one of the best wins of the week with a 13-10 home victory over defending champion Lindenwood.

As conference play moves into full swing this week, games to watch include No. 15 Pace at Adelphi, No. 18 Davenport at No. 10 Grand Valley State and No. 12 Embry-Riddle at No. 17 Florida Tech.

NIKE/USA LACROSSE
DIVISION II WOMEN’S TOP 20

Also considered: Limestone (7-3), Lynn (8-2), St. Rose (5-2), Tampa (4-5), Wingate (8-2)

Nike/US Lacrosse Rankings

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

HOT

East Stroudsburg (+5)

Coming off last year’s national semifinal appearance, the Warriors (7-0) are off to the best start in program history, punctuated by last week’s 13-9 road win at PSAC rival West Chester. Sophomore midfielder Emily Mitarotonda continues to shine as one of the best players in the nation, scoring a combined 10 goals in last week’s two victories. Junior Kiki Fitzpatrick was also critical in the win at WCU, tallying a game-high five goals on six shots.

Adelphi (+3)

Don’t look now, but the Panthers are streaking, jumping three more spots this week after climbing seven positions last week. The defense, anchored by goalie Emma Lemanski, appears to be leading the change, having not allowed more than seven goals in any game this year.

Regis (+3)

On the day that Regis officially celebrated the grand opening of its renovated turf field, the Rangers notched their biggest win of the season by taking down defending champion and third-ranked Lindenwood 13-10. Regis scored the final three goals of the game, including two by Alexis Parker, to secure the upset victory.

NOT

Lindenwood (-7)

After starting the year with four impressive wins, the Lions now have more losses this month than they did in all of their 2021 championship season. To be fair, former conference rival Regis has always been trouble for the Lindenwood, evidenced by winning four of the last six meetings between the teams.

West Chester (-4)

A familiar foe handed WCU its first setback of the season, as East Stroudsburg built a seven-goal cushion through three quarters and posted a 13-9 win. The Rams didn’t help matters with a season-high 26 turnovers. These conference rivals met four times last year, with West Chester winning the first three match-ups before ESU won their NCAA Tournament showdown. They could be on a similar path again in 2022.

IN

Davenport (No. 18)

The Panthers have won six straight since their only loss, which came at No. 2 UIndy three weeks ago. Senior Aaliyah Miller scored a game-high four goals and added two assists in Davenport’s latest victory, a 12-10 triumph over Concordia-St. Paul. DU has another chance for a statement win this week with a visit to No. 9 Grand Valley State.

OUT

Tampa (was No. 19)

There’s no debate that Tampa (4-5) has played one of the nation’s toughest schedules to date, with all five of its losses coming against teams that are ranked in this week’s top 10. Unfortunately, they have only been close to winning in one of those five games. There’s a chance to add some notable wins to the resume as Tampa moves into SSC action, with more ranked teams still ahead on the schedule.

PREVIOUS RANKINGS

• Preseason

• Week 1 (Feb. 14)

• Week 2 (Feb. 21)

• Week 3 (Feb. 28)

• Week 4 (March 7)

• Week 5 (March 14)

• Week 6 (March 21)