The largest fan base in Round Rock will likely belong to local favorite Texas, which has to venture just 22 miles from its Austin campus. The Longhorns have become a staple at the WCLA Championship, making their 11th appearance in the last 12 tournaments played. As champion of the Texas Women’s Lacrosse League (TWLL), No. 14 seed Texas brings a 15-3 record into its opening game against No. 3 Virginia.
In the 15-team Division II bracket, Utah Valley earned the top seed for the first time and received a first-round bye in the tournament. The Wolverines, 11-1 overall, are making just their second appearance in the championship and won the Rocky Mountain Women’s Lacrosse League title this season.
“Our team has grown so much his season, and we’re pretty excited to be going into the tournament as the No. 1 seed,” said SueAnn Van Valkenburg, club president and a junior attacker. “It’s nice to have the extra day with the bye, but we’ll definitely be watching the game involving the teams we could be playing.”
Utah Valley jump started its successful 2022 campaign with a 3-0 showing at the Santa Barbara Shootout in February, including a win over nationally ranked UC San Diego, which is seeded fourth in Round Rock. The Wolverines have held the top spot in the Division II national ranking throughout the spring, with their only blemish coming against Division I BYU in midseason.
“We didn’t know what to expect going into this season because we had a lot of new faces on the team, but we’ve really built a strong chemistry,” Van Valkenburg said. “We’re determined to live up to our ranking and seeding.”
Loyola Maryland Club, national champion in 2018 and 2019, is the No. 2 seed after winning the Mid Atlantic Women’s Lacrosse League championship. The Greyhounds are trying to become the first three-time champion in the 12-year history of the Division II championship.
“Chasing a third straight championship has definitely been on our mind,” said senior Erin Haverty, one of just three holdovers from Loyola’s 2019 squad. “After getting put on pause for the last two seasons, the motivation and excitement for this tournament has been very present on our team.”
The format for both the Division I and Division II tournament calls for a traditional single-elimination bracket to determine the champion. Following each team’s first loss, it moves into the consolation bracket to determine its final placement.
WCLA Division I First Round Games — Wednesday, May 4
11 a.m. — No. 1 Boston College Club (12-0) vs. No. 16 Delaware (8-4)
11 a.m. — No. 8 Utah (8-3) vs No. 9 UCLA (10-3)
11 a.m. — No. 5 Florida Club (13-2) vs. No. 12 Michigan Club (5-5)
11 a.m. — No. 4 Virginia Tech Club (11-2) vs. No. 13 Pittsburgh Club (11-4)
2 p.m. — No. 3 Virginia Club (7-0) vs. No. 14 Texas (15-3)
2 p.m. — No. 6 Arizona State Club (13-0) vs. No. 11 Clemson (7-3)
2 p.m. — No. 7 BYU (10-3) vs. No. 10 Florida State (9-3)
2 p.m. — No. 2 Georgia (18-0) vs. No. 15 Washington (12-2)
WCLA Division II First Round Games – Wednesday, May 4
12 p.m. — No. 8 Providence (6-2) vs. No. 9 Oakland (7-3)
12 p.m. — No. 5 St. Thomas (12-1) vs. No. 12 UC Santa Cruz (9-1)
12 p.m. — No. 4 UC San Diego (14-1) vs. No. 13 Vermont Club (6-3)
3 p.m. — No. 3 Grand Valley State Club (10-1) vs. No. 14 Denver Club (5-5)
3 p.m. — No. 6 New Hampshire Club (7-1) vs. No. 11 Portland (8-2)
3 p.m. — No. 7 CSU San Marcos (9-2) vs. No. 10 Boise State (6-2)
3 p.m. — No. 2 Loyola Maryland Club (10-1) vs. No. 15 Air Force (6-4)
Note: No. 1 seed Utah Valley (11-1) received a first-round bye
USA Lacrosse will provide free video streaming of Friday’s D-I and D-II semifinal games and Saturday’s two championship games from Round Rock. Details coming soon.
Complete coverage of the championships — including stories, scores, game schedules, brackets, and photo galleries — will be available throughout the event on usalacrosse.com/wcla and USALaxMagazine.com, and via social media (@USA_Lacrosse and @USALacrosseMag).