A perfect weekend in sunny California vaulted Pittsburgh to the top of the first WCLA (Women’s Collegiate Lacrosse Associates) Division I coaches poll of the year, released today. 

In Division II, Utah State jumped eight spots from the preseason poll to claim the No. 1 spot. The Aggies finished with a 3-0 record at last weekend’s Santa Barbara Shootout with wins over Denver, San Jose State and Air Force.

No. 1 Pittsburgh finished 4-0 at last weekend’s UCLA’s Golden State Invitational, which celebrated its second year. Pitt jumped seven spots from its preseason ranking following impressive wins over Santa Clara, UCLA, Georgia and Cal Poly.

“The girls really wanted to get out there and start playing,” said first-year Pitt head coach Kevin Tidgewell. “We really like this tournament and hope that it continues.

BYU, ranked second in the preseason poll, dropped two spots despite posting a 3-0 record in Santa Barbara. The Cougars, who were last year’s national championship runner-up, spread the scoring around to help record victories over three ranked opponents: Texas, Virginia Tech, and Colorado.

“Last year, our offense really relied on Briana Arnold for scoring and now we have a more balanced attack,” said coach Nikki Dabrowski. “We had nine different girls score last weekend which really takes the pressure off. A lot of girls stepped up.” 

UCLA jumped nine spots to second in the poll. Defending Division I champion Michigan finished 2-2 at the Golden State Invitational and dropped two spots from its preseason No. 1 position. 

Utah, now starting its second season as a Division I program, also had a strong debut in Santa Barbara. The Utes posted a 4-0 record with wins over Western Washington, Duke, Grand Canyon and UC Davis. Utah is ranked 12th this week after not being included in the preseason poll.

Combined, the three teams from Utah posted a perfect cumulative record of 10-0 in the two California events last week.

The rankings committee did not consider teams that have not played games yet, including defending Division II champion Loyola Club, which was ranked No. 1 in the preseason. 

The WCLA features 230 Division I and Division II non-varsity teams that compete under the US Lacrosse umbrella. The 2019 season will conclude with the US Lacrosse WCLA D-I and D-II national championships in Virginia Beach, May 8-11.

WCLA Division 1 National Top 20

WCLA Division 2 National Top 20