Entering the spring as the defending national champions, the Middlebury Panthers check in at No. 1 in the Nike/US Lacrosse Division III Women's Preseason Top 20.

The rankings are published in the January edition of US Lacrosse Magazine, which drops Jan. 2.

The loss of Emma McDonagh could prove to be a mountain to climb, but three other All-Americans return. Midfielders Erin Nicholas and Jane Earley and defender Addy Mitchell are the type of players who can bring another national championship to Middlebury.

Gettysburg is No. 2 after falling short of a third national championship in a row. Courtney Patterson and Liza Barr are game-changing talents. At No. 3 is Salisbury, a team that lost in the national title game but returns Alexis Strobel. Tufts and York check in at Nos. 4 and 5, respectively.

Rankings are compiled by US Lacrosse Magazine staff and contributors, with input from college coaches. The full list of teams appears below.

Check back to uslaxmagazine.com as we roll out our preseason rankings and players of the year for Division I, II and III men’s and women’s lacrosse and look for an extensive NCAA preview in the upcoming editions of US Lacrosse Magazine — an exclusive benefit for US Lacrosse members. Join today to start your subscription.

Nike/US Lacrosse Rankings

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

Also considered (in alphabetical order): Babson, Clarkson, Dickinson, Scranton, Trinity