It’ll be a season of change in NCAA Division III women’s lacrosse as the largest sport-sponsorship group gets its first taste of the 90-second shot clock, enacted prior to 2017 for Division I but delayed by a year to allow these schools time to budget for and construct, if necessary, visible clocks on game fields.

Last year, Gettysburg won the national championship with a 6-5 defeat of The College of New Jersey. Contrast that with Maryland’s 16-13 win over Boston College in the Division I final, and you can see the likely future of women’s lacrosse at this level.

What may not change, however, is the blue bloods at the top; well-positioned with talented players and deep rosters to determine this year’s champion independent of game tempo.

TCNJ gets the nod as the bluest of the blue in the Nike/US Lacrosse Division III Women’s Preseason Top 20.

TCNJ spent much of last season ranked in our top five and was minutes away from winning the NCAA title in their 18th final appearance. Just three starters departed, and senior defender Elizabeth Morrison (61 GB, 61 DC, 59 CT), a three-time first-team All-American, ranks 11th on the NCAA’s career caused turnovers list.

The Lions yielded a nation’s-best 3.24 goals per game and committed the fewest turnovers per game (9.76) in the country. Fifteen Lions produced their 319 total points. Only two, who accounted for 55 points combined, graduated.

Middlebury enters at No. 2. With only four starters gone and literal all-everything midfielder Hollis Perticone (78 DC, 33G, 11A, 20 CT) leading the returnees, Middlebury is set up for a final-four run. Defender Evie Keating and goalie Kate Furber earned NESCAC or IWLCA honors.

The defending champion Bullets begin the season at No. 3, but will have every opportunity to repeat with a healthy midfielder Steph Colson in the lineup. She missed 12 games last season, but returned to key the run through the tournament.

Franklin & Marshall and Washington & Lee round out the top five.

A more detailed preview of the rankings will be appear as part of US Lacrosse Magazine’s NCAA preview edition that mails to US Lacrosse members Feb. 1.

Nike/US Lacrosse Division III Women’s
Preseason Top 20

1. The College of New Jersey
2. Middlebury
3. Gettysburg
4. Franklin & Marshall
5. Washington & Lee
6. York
7. Trinity
8. Hamilton
9. Salisbury
10. William Smith
11. Catholic
12. Brockport
13. Tufts
14. Mary Washington
15. Colby
16. St. John Fisher
17. Ithaca
18. Messiah
19. Cortland
20. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps