In a flash, another college lacrosse season is here.

To prepare for what’s in store, our Nike/US Lacrosse Division III Women’s Preseason Top 20 team here. Will Middlebury and Gettysburg continue their reign, with each program winning two of the last four national titles? Can Salisbury return to championship weekend? Will we see another NESCAC or Centennial Conference team break through?

Those are some of the questions swirling before the games officially get underway, and we’ll start getting plenty of answers in March and April. Until then, here’s our take on how the field is shaping up.

1. Middlebury Panthers

X-Factor: Julia Keith, G, Sr.

As Middlebury looks to defend its seventh NCAA title, an experienced goalie could go a long way. Keith is a two-year starter with 36 career wins and 6.65 goals against average. She allowed just 104 goals in 20 games (18 starts) in 2019, making 96 saves as the backbone of a stingy Panthers defensive unit.​

Player to Watch: Jane Earley, A, So.

The Panthers returns three IWLCA All-Americans. The cream of the crop might be Earley, who’s coming off a first-year campaign that included 68 points and an All-NESCAC nod, to boot. Twenty of her 51 goals came in the postseason.

2. Gettysburg Bullets

When an NCAA quarterfinal berth equates to a bad season, that exemplifies the Bullets’ rich tradition. They won NCAA titles in 2017 and 2018 and have a dozen Centennial Conference titles. Courtney Patterson is the reigning IWLCA Division III Midfielder of the Year and the US Lacrosse Magazine Division III Women’s Preseason Player of the Year, and Liza Barr is one of the country’s top attackers. 

3. Salisbury Sea Gulls

Salisbury fell short of its fourth NCAA title in the 2010s, losing to Middlebury in the final. The Sea Gulls also had their streak of 16 straight CAC titles snapped by York. Salisbury’s big returner is All-American attacker Alexis Strobel, who had 96 points.

4. Tufts Jumbos

Tufts is coming of of a historic season in which it set a school record for wins (19) and made the NCAA semifinals for the first time. IWLCA Division III National Player of the Year Dakota Adamec graduated. Maybe Emily Games, an All-American, can lead the offense after posting 82 points as a junior.

5. York Spartans

York had a school-record 17 wins, captured its first-ever CAC title and made it to the NCAA quarterfinals for the third straight year. To keep trending up, it’ll need to replace Nicole Clauter, the IWLCA Division III Defender of the Year. On the other end of the field, attacker Meghan Fox has 210 career points.

6. Wesleyan Cardinals

Wesleyan looks to build off its best season ever, a 17-4 showing that ended in an NCAA semifinal loss to Middlebury. Wesleyan has had three straight winning seasons for the first time since 1980-82. Midfielder Abby Manning and goalie Allegra Grant are both top-end players.

7. Washington and Lee Generals

W&L has won 10 straight ODAC titles but made just one deep NCAA tournament run — the 2017 march to the final four. The March 1 matchup with Salisbury will be telling.

8. St. John Fisher Cardinals

St. John Fisher has won eight straight Empire 8 titles and enjoyed unprecedented success under Linda Michele. But York was SJFC’s kryptonite in 2019, both in the CAC and NCAA tournaments. Sophomore midfielder Sydney DeGirolamo was the conference rookie of the year.

9. TCNJ Lions

TCNJ has won nine straight NJAC titles, though the Lions took a step back in 2019 after making the prior two final fours. They must replace All-American goalie Miranda Chrone and midfielder Erin Harvey. TCNJ tends to reload every year, though. 

10. Williams Smith Herons

The four-time defending Liberty League champs were bounced by Bowdoin in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Junior defender Mekayla Montgomery, is a two-time All-American who transferred from Gettysburg. 

11. Catholic Cardinals

Eleven titles in the 12-year history of the Landmark Conference is an incredible run for Catholic. The Cardinals almost made it to the NCAA quarterfinals but fell to Amherst in the third round. Senior midfielder Ally Criscuolo will lead after posting a career-high 66 points.

12. Amherst Mammoths

The Mammoths made just one NESCAC championship game last decade. They’ve advanced to the third round in each of their last four NCAA tournament appearances, highlighted by one final four berth (2014). Amherst returns nine of its top 10 scorers.

13. Franklin & Marshall Hornets

F&M has made an NCAA quarterfinal in consecutive seasons. Two-time All-American defender Maggie Hanzsche returns. There’s also sophomore Emily Kitchin, who’s one of the country’s top young goalies.

14. Mary Washington Eagles

Mary Washington will look to knock Salisbury and York from the CAC’s perch. The Eagles will have to cope with life after Hanna Ashby, the reigning IWLCA Division III Goalie of the Year.

15. Colorado College Tigers

Colorado College won the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. The Tiger are becoming a constant on the national stage and even made the final four back in 2005. Senior attacker Eva King returns with 213 career points. 

16. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags

CMS has won three straight SCIAC titles, though it again fell early in the NCAA tournament. Aside from All-American attacker Corie Hack, most of the team’s offense is back.

17. Brockport Golden Eagles

Brockport is coming off its first SUNYAC title, snapping Cortland’s streak of 20 straight. That was partially because the Golden Eagles had 10 seniors (and a graduate student), but SUNYAC Rookie of the Year Allison Jennings is back on attack. Can they keep the magic going?

18. Bowdoin Polar Bears

Bowdoin’s record (10-8) isn’t glamorous, but it’s a byproduct of the ultra-competitive NESCAC. Bowdoin fell in the NCAA tournament’s round of 16 to eventual champ Middlebury. Bowdoin returns four All-Americans: defender Caroline Maxwell, midfielders Eliza Denious and Kara Finnerty, and attacker Katie Miller.

19. Cortland Red Dragons

Cortland’s streak of 20 straight SUNYAC titles ended. That will serve as plenty of motivation in 2020, as the roster truly becomes coach Kelly Orr’s recruits. 

20. Illinois Wesleyan Titans

Illinois Wesleyan won its third straight CCIW title and finished with a school-record 19 victories. The Titans enter their sixth year as a program.