Season Rewind: A Pair of Ivies Exceed All Expectations

Before USA Lacrosse Magazine looks ahead to what’s to come in 2026, our team of staff and contributors decided it was worth taking one last look at 2025.

After all, you have to look at the most recent results before making projections for what’s to come. To do that, we’re taking a journey through the top 30 teams in men’s and women’s lacrosse — what went right, what went wrong and what we should all think of that team’s season.

Was it a success? A failure? A mixture of both? You’ll find out our thoughts over the next week.

CORNELL

USA Lacrosse preseason/postseason ranking: Unranked/Also considered
2025 record: 9-6 (3-4 Ivy)

What went right: Cornell was firmly in the Ivy League tournament conversation, which came as a surprise. The Big Red entered 2025 with little to no fanfare, and good for them for putting lacrosse on notice. They beat Penn State, Brown and Harvard, hung with Princeton before losing 12-11 and took Yale to overtime in their season finale.

What went wrong: You can harp all you want on the one-goal losses to Princeton and Yale, as either result, when flipped, would have Cornell in the Ivy League tournament. But a 12-10 loss to Dartmouth, a good team but a more beatable one than the aforementioned two, is the game that should sting when looking back.

Season highlight: The Big Red allowed Harvard to score five of six goals to start the fourth quarter on April 12 but hung on for a 13-12 win that kept their postseason hopes alive.

Final verdict: A considerable building block year for Cornell means the Big Red shouldn’t be a surprise next season. Now the goal is to reach the postseason.

DENVER

USA Lacrosse preseason/postseason ranking: No. 16/Also considered
2025 record: 14-6 (5-1 Big East)

What went right: Denver was one of the harder teams to get a grasp of as the spring progressed, though the highs were high. Wins over Michigan (13-11) and Stanford (14-9) represented high-end victories that likely would have gotten Denver into the NCAA tournament had it not won the Big East tournament. Normally a defense-first operation, Denver thrived on offense with four players producing big numbers — Olivia Ripple (76 points), Lauren Black (76), Raegan Wilson (69) and Eva Thomsen-Marr (57).

What went wrong: Denver inexplicably started 0-2 against Louisville and Ohio State. The Pios’ defense took a step back, though that’s relative compared to the outstanding seasons they put together in 2023 and 2024. They also couldn’t beat Stanford for a second time, falling to the Cardinal 10-4 in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Season highlight: A scrappy Villanova team posed a challenge in the Big East championship game, but Denver got 10 goals between Ripple, Wilson and Ryan Dineen to capture its fifth straight conference crown.

Final verdict: Denver hasn’t been able to replicate its storybook 2023 season, but it remains one of the most consistently pesky programs in the Top 20.

DREXEL

USA Lacrosse preseason/postseason ranking: Also considered/Also considered
2025 record: 14-4 (7-1 CAA)

What went right: The Dragons earned nice wins over Harvard (14-12) and Penn State (14-9) and continued to lean on the backstop stylings of Jenika Cuocco, who finished ninth in Division I with a save percentage of 49.3. That led to a scoring defense that placed 18th nationally (9.89 goals allowed per game). Paired with a scoring offense that finished 19th in the country (14.39 goals per game), Drexel could do a little bit of everything.

What went wrong: Stony Brook was a problem. Had Drexel beaten Stony Brook in the regular season, it might have secured at worst an at-large opportunity. Then it lost 12-10 to the Seawolves in the CAA championship game, another missed chance to punch an NCAA tournament ticket.

Season highlight: Down two goals at halftime on Feb. 21 to Harvard, Drexel scored the first four goals of the third quarter before matching Harvard goal for goal the rest of the way to earn a win that was worthwhile when having bubble discussions in May.

Final verdict: Drexel missed the NCAA tournament for the first time (in a full season) since 2019, marking something of a disappointment. But the Dragons’ 14 wins were the most in program history, so it’s unfair to be too negative when assessing their season.

NAVY

USA Lacrosse preseason/postseason ranking: No. 15/No. 19
2025 record: 15-6 (7-2 Patriot)

What went right: Let’s start with the obvious: Navy won the Patriot League championship. The Mids nearly clipped Loyola in a wild regular-season game but lost in overtime, and they exacted revenge on their longtime rival in another overtime game for the title. Navy was one of the hottest teams in the country entering the NCAA tournament, with the win over Loyola making a sixth win in a row.

What went wrong: There were just inconsistencies along the way. All teams are susceptible to random happenings during the course of a season, but Navy lost to Jacksonville on March 8 only to take Florida (an eventual final four team) to the brink four days later. The Mids’ season came to an end when they ran into Clemson to open the NCAA tournament.

Season highlight: Tori DiCarlo tied the Patriot League title game with 18 seconds left in regulation, then Mikayla Williams deposited the OT winner to down Loyola.

Final verdict: There were high hopes for Navy entering 2025, and even though an NCAA tournament run wasn’t in the cards, a Patriot League championship represents plenty of reasons for Navy to celebrate its season.

BROWN

USA Lacrosse preseason/postseason ranking: Unranked/No. 20
2025 record: 10-7 (4-3 Ivy)

What went right: Brown featured the 20th-ranked offense in the country and leaned on the combination of Annie Burton (57 assists) and Greta Criqui (51 goals) for much of its punch. Brown reached the Ivy League tournament in large part thanks to arguably the largest in-conference upset of the season, a 14-11 win over Yale on March 22.

What went wrong: Brown was 63rd nationally in save percentage, and those goaltending shortcomings were evident during a four-game skid to end the season. Granted, two of those four losses came to Princeton by a combined three goals.

Season highlight: That win over Yale was likely what earned Brown a trip to the NCAA tournament, where Syracuse proved too much in the first round. Brown trailed Yale after the first quarter but steadied in the second quarter and took control late in the third.

Final verdict: The Ivy League was a blast to watch this year, and Brown was part of the reason why. Katrina Dowd has turned the Bears into a consistent contender during her tenure.

ARMY

USA Lacrosse preseason/postseason ranking: Unranked/Also considered
2025 record: 14-7 (6-3 ACC)

What went right: The Black Knights still couldn’t solve Loyola, but a regular-season win over Navy is always one to highlight, as was their win over Stanford. Brigid Duffy played like one of the top players in the country, accounting for 64 goals, 22 assists, 94 draw controls, 47 ground balls and 32 caused turnovers. She was named a USA Lacrosse first-team All-American.

What went wrong: Army beat Navy once, but it couldn’t win the most important one – in the Patriot League semifinals. The Mids bounced back from a 17-12 defeat to double up Army in an 18-9 win. Army still reached the NCAA tournament via an at-large berth, but the Black Knights fell to Penn 16-6. It was a disappointing finish to an otherwise strong season.

Season highlight: A 12-9 win on March 26 over a Stanford team that had proven itself as a national contender was enough to put Army on the map as the season reached April.

Final verdict: Army continues to elevate itself in the Michelle Tumolo era, and with one more season of Duffy in the mix, the time is now for the Black Knights.