2019 has a tough act to follow.
The 2018 college lacrosse season sent us on a wild ride, a journey that on Memorial Day ended with first-time champions in five of six divisions, men and women. It’s entirely too early to predict what’s in store for next spring. We’ll try, anyway.
Way-Early 2019 Rankings
Division I Men
No. 25- No. 21
No. 20- No. 16
No. 15- No. 11
No. 10- No. 6
No. 5-No. 1
Division I Women
No. 25-No. 21
No. 20-No. 16
No. 15-No. 11
No. 10-No. 6
No. 5-No. 1
Division III Men
Top 10
Division III Women
Top 10
Division II Men’s Top 10
Thursday, June 14
Division II Women’s Top 10
Thursday, June 14
15. NAVY
2018 record: 18-4 (8-1 Patriot League)
Last seen: Losing an NCAA quarterfinal heartbreaker to Maryland.
Senior starts lost: 131 of 264 (49.6 percent)
Senior scoring departing: 222 of 537 (41.3 percent)
Initial forecast: Navy is in elite program territory coming off appearances in the 2017 NCAA semifinals and 2018 NCAA quarterfinals. The 2019 season presents a rare situation where two 100-point scorers depart and the leading scorer from last year, Kelly Larkin (117 points), returns. Expanded roles will be expected of Andie O’Sullivan (45), Meg O’Donnell (41), Kayla Harris (35) and Molly O’Sullivan (24). Where coach Cindy Timchal’s real work will come is on defense as she’ll have to decide if Gab Harchelroad is next year’s starting goalie and who the next primetime defenders are in the absence of Blake Smith, Sarah Childress and Caitlin McGlaughlin to complement all-Patriot League standout Marie Valenti.
14. STONY BROOK
2018 record: 20-1 (7-0 America East)
Last seen: Falling to eventual NCAA runner-up Boston College in a double-overtime thriller in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
Senior starts lost: 111 of 252 (44.1 percent)
Senior scoring departing: 361 of 612 (59.0 percent)
Initial forecast: There’s little predicting how difficult it will be for the Seawolves to replace a pair of record book-altering scorers like Kylie Ohlmiller and Courtney Murphy. In addition to those starters, Stony Brook loses key pieces at the draw and on defense, and then there’s the unknown element of how Taryn Ohlmiller will recover from her torn ACL. The heavy lifting will fall on players like Ally Kennedy and Keri McCarthy offensively. As we’ve seen in years past, you can’t count out what coach Joe Spallina and company will produce.
13. STANFORD
2018 record: 15-5 (8-2 Pac-12)
Last seen: Struggling to score in a nine-goal loss to Virginia in the NCAA tournament first round.
Senior starts lost: 116 of 240 (48.3 percent)
Senior scoring departing: 161 of 424 (38.0 percent)
Initial forecast: The defending Pac-12 tournament champion will rely on a steady diet of offense from Ali Baiocco (62 points in 2018), Galen Lew (53), Areta Buness (39), Daniella McMahon (37) and Maggie Nick (34). The Cardinal’s entire draw team will be back next year led by Julia Massaro (86 draw controls in 2018) and Genesis Lucero (67). One of the biggest unknowns will be in net as Allie DaCar graduates and soon-to-be sophomore Trudie Grattan is set to take hold. Early returns for Gratten were positive (9.03 GAA, .500 save percentage in 106 minutes). It will be expected that Stanford is the class of the Pac-12 in 2019.
12. LOYOLA
2018 record: 16-5 (9-0 Patriot League)
Last seen: Dropping a second straight home contest to Navy to fall short of the NCAA quarterfinals.
Senior starts lost: 80 of 252 (31.7 percent)
Senior scoring departing: 89 of 528 (16.9 percent)
Initial forecast: The Greyhounds return an astounding amount of firepower next season. Livy Rosenzweig (102 points) and Hannah Powers (78) combined for 180 points last season and they’ll be supported by Taylor VanThof (53), Frankie Kamely (44), Sam Fiedler (39), Elli Kluegel (30), Bridget Ballard (26) and Sabrina Tabasso (20). That’s eight of the top nine scorers from a team that ranked fourth nationally in goals per game (16.33). Having Kady Glynn back in net behind a solid defense that allowed less than 10 goals per game last year will boost the Greyhounds near top 10 territory once again.
11. NORTHWESTERN
2018 record: 15-6 (5-1 Big Ten)
Last seen: Falling by five to North Carolina in the NCAA quarterfinals for the first time in three years.
Senior starts lost: 118 of 252 (46.8 percent)
Senior scoring departing: 199 of 480 (41.5 percent)
Initial forecast: Yes, the Wildcats lose nearly 200 points from last year’s team, but they return nearly 300, which is why they remain on the cusp of being a top 10 team. Led by Selena Lasota, who bounced back from injury with a 93-point season, the formidable Northwestern offense will be ready to reload with new talent and overpower opponents. If Julie Krupnick remains the No. 1 goalie choice next year, the Wildcats are going to have to put her in better position to succeed as a defensive unit. Northwestern managed to score 12 or more goals in the final 15 games of the year, but still lost three of the last five games by giving up an average of 19 goals per game in that stretch. Nevertheless, a tighter defense could yield large gains for a team looking to break up Maryland’s run on Big Ten regular season titles.