Season Rewind: UNC Took 'Down Year' in 2024 to the Bank

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.

FLORIDA

USA Lacrosse preseason/postseason ranking: No. 9/No. 4
2025 record: 20-3 (5-0 Big 12)

What went right: Florida had itself a year. For the second year in a row, Florida faced plenty of questions heading into the season. As with the prior season, the Gators lost crucial offensive pieces (Hall, Danielle Pavinelli, Ashley Gonzelez and Emily Heller). And for the second year in a row, the Gators finished the season as a conference champion and national semifinalist.

Here’s the quick recap. Florida went 15-2 in the regular season to earn the top seed for the inaugural Big 12 Tournament. The Gators went on to claim their 12th conference title in program history and their 11th consecutive, earning the No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament.

There, the Gators cruised by Mercer in the first round. When Stanford rallied to force overtime in the second round, Florida recovered, booking a trip to the quarterfinals on a Kaitlyn Davies goal in the extra session.

Florida had to hold off another late rally in the quarterfinals, this time when Duke closed an 11-2 third-quarter deficit to 11-9 with under seven minutes left in the fourth quarter. But Florida shut down Duke from there, winning it 11-9 and advancing to the Final Four for the second consecutive year.

Despite losing all that offense, the Gators finished the year sixth in Division I in goals per game (16). Junior Gianna Monaco led the way with 70 goals, but redshirt freshman Frannie Hahn (33G, 59A) and true freshman Clark Hamilton (55G, 15A) were also key contributors. And Davies, a junior, added 51 goals.

You’ll notice a trend here: All of these players are slated to return in 2026. The only significant loss on attack will be quarterback Jordan Basso (37G, 38A), who stood out after transferring from Division III Gettysburg.

What went wrong: Florida lost to North Carolina twice. The first occurred in the regular season, with the second one taking place in the Final Four. The Gators actually led 4-2 after the first quarter in the national semifinals, but UNC did its thing thereafter, winning 20-4 and giving Florida a chance of playing for its NCAA championship.

Season highlight: The overtime win over Stanford in the second round of the NCAA tournament. It was a thriller of a game, and Florida came through during the most critical time of the year.

Verdict: Florida performed significantly better than expected. No, the Gators weren’t the only team to undergo a roster transformation in 2025. But while other teams took a step back, Florida remained in lockstep with its standard by playing deep into May. It’s a testament to what Amanda O’Leary has worked toward for the last 15 years in Gainesville, and better things are likely to come as the Gators bring in a talented freshman class of five-star athletes in 2026 (and use back-to-back final four appearances to continue to score talent on the recruiting trail).

YALE

USA Lacrosse preseason/postseason ranking: No. 6/No. 5
2025 record: 16-4 (5-2 Ivy)

What went right: Yale entered 2025 as the defending Ivy League champion for the first time in program history, and unlike much of the nation, it didn’t lose its core to graduation. The Bulldogs started predictably strong, beating Michigan in their opener (12-6) and winning their first seven games.

The Bulldogs then went on a three-game skid, which ended when they scored another statement win, 13-10 over Syracuse in the Dome on April 3.

Yale wouldn’t lose again until the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament, beating Penn in double-overtime on April 12. The Bulldogs earned the second seed (but final spot) in the Ivy League championship when Fallon Vaughn scored an overtime game-winner in the regular-season finale against Cornell.

Too close for comfort for a reigning champion? More like a battle test. Yale again had to eek out a close one against Penn in the conference championship semifinals, taking it 11-10 after Jenna Collignon and Taylor Lane scored in the game’s final minute. The title game wasn’t much of a contest. Yale beat top-seeded Princeton, 17-6, with Collignon and Sky Carrasquillo combining for 11 goals. The Bulldogs limited Princeton’s high-flying offense to a mere 12 shots on goal.

Yale took the No. 7 national seed in the NCAA tournament, downed Albany in the first round and again used a late rally to sunset Syracuse’s season two days later. Down 8-7 with under seven minutes left, Collignon scored the final two goals of the game to push Yale to the NCAA quarterfinals for the second-straight year.

What went wrong: The three-game losing streak in March included losses to Brown and Princeton, meaning Yale faced a must-win over Cornell in the last game of the regular season. Proving to themselves they could win close wins was ultimately a benefit for the Bulldogs, but perhaps left fans with some chewed fingernails. The Bulldogs saw their season end in an NCAA quarterfinal loss to Boston College, 18-11.

Season highlight: As gratifying as the win over Princeton must have been, beating Syracuse in the NCAA tournament put a stamp on Yale’s successful 2025.

Verdict: The Bulldogs ended about where expected — one notch better, actually. The path there was a rollercoaster, but all is well that ends well. If anything, the bumpy road to success made Yale more fun to watch. And a No. 5 finish shows the significant progress Yale — a program that had never won a conference crown — has made under Erica Bamford.  

PRINCETON

USA Lacrosse preseason/postseason ranking: No. 17/No. 6
2025 record: 16-4 (6-1 Ivy)

What went right: Princeton went 6-1 in the Ivy League, with the lone and ultimately nominal setback coming to Penn, and reclaimed the conference regular-season crown for the first time since 2022, legendary head Chris Sailer’s final season. The Tigers also made noise with significant non-conference wins against Loyola, Penn State, Rutgers (a 20-8 drubbing) and Stony Brook.

As hosts for the Ivy League championship, Princeton held off an emerging Brown program, 17-16, to advance to the finals — a feat it also had not achieved since 2022. After losing to Yale in the finals, Princeton had to hit the road for the NCAA tournament. The Tigers were fine with it, getting off the mat and beating UMass (19-10) and No. 8 seed and hosts Johns Hopkins (18-12) to book a trip to the quarterfinals.

Its record-setting offense was a blast to watch. The three-headed monster of an attack featured senior McKenzie Blake (89G, 9A, 50DC, 29GB) and juniors Jami MacDonald (58G, 34A) and Haven Dora (29G, 60A). Milestones were nightly affairs. A bulleted list will be easier to digest:

• Haven Dora had already broken her own single-season program assists mark by mid-April and came three helpers shy of passing former Penn attacker Gabby Rosenzweig’s conference record (63 in 2019). 
• Dora’s seven-assist days against Hofstra and Delaware were program records MacDonald posted 10 points against Harvard, becoming just the fourth Tiger to do so
• Blake’s 89 goals mark a new single-season Ivy League and program record Blake finished her career with a program-record 231 career goals, which is good for second in the Ivy League behind Harvard’s Francesca DenHartog (249; 1980-83)
• Blake scored eight goals three times (Rutgers, Stony Brook and Johns Hopkins), something no other Tiger has done

Blake ended the year third in Division I in goals per game (4.45), behind only Tewaaraton finalists Madison Taylor and Rachel Clark. Junior Dylan Allen was a force on defense for the Tigers, causing 21 turnovers and earning a spot on the all-conference first team.

What went wrong: The Tigers sought to reclaim the Ivy League title, and they technically achieved this goal in the regular season. However, a 17-6 loss to defending tournament champion Yale hours before the bracket was announced knocked the Tigers out of contention for a seed — something Yale and Penn got. It wound up not mattering much, as Princeton earned its way to the quarterfinals. There, the Tigers saw their season come to an end in a 19-10 loss to eventual champion North Carolina.

Season highlight: The first two rounds of the NCAA tournament. Not to belabor the point, but Princeton had just suffered a 17-6 loss in the conference championship. It would have been easy to fold. But the Tigers proved they didn’t peak too early, knocking out the team that likely benefited most from their loss in eighth-seeded Hopkins. Blake scored eight goals in her penultimate collegiate game.

Verdict: In April, Jenn Cook mentioned feeling like people underestimated the Tigers heading into 2025. They were returning key pieces all over the field, including on offense. Especially on offense. She was right. Princeton finished 11 spots higher than we initially predicted, and regained its position as one of the best teams in the Ivies. The only thing left undone was a tournament crown, but with most pieces returning, including MacDonald and Dora, it’s safe to say the Tigers won’t get overlooked in 2026.

NORTH CAROLINA

USA Lacrosse preseason/postseason ranking: No. 4/No. 1
2025 record: 22-0 (9-0 ACC)

What went right: What didn’t? The Tar Heels took the injury-riddled “down year” of 2024 to heart — and to the bank. UNC purchased an old-time cash register and “cashed in” anytime they took down one of the seven programs that had beaten the Heels in 2024, and as Ashley Humphrey put it, “celebrated like they had won the national championship” (that UNC now has). The wins included beating Florida, which had knocked UNC out in the first round of the NCAAs the previous year, in the Final Four, before topping Northwestern to take the national championship.

Statistically, North Carolina ended 2025 atop the rankings in scoring offense (17.45) and scoring defense (6.86). After missing 2024 with an injury, Chloe Humphrey played better than advertised — and that’s saying something considering for a player who arrived in Chapel Hill as the nation's No. 1 recruit out of high school power Darien (Conn.) in the fall of 2023. Playing alongside her elder sisters Nicole and Ashley, Chloe finished the year with 90 goals, the most by a Tar Heel in single-season history. It’s also a new NCAA mark for freshmen. Ashley set a new UNC mark for assists in a single campaign (90).

Ashley and Chloe became the first sister-sister duo to be named Tewaaraton finalists, joining Albany’s Lyle and Miles Thompson as the only siblings to share the distinction.

What went wrong: Nothing. At 22-0 and the title “national champions,” the Tar Heels had a perfect season.

Season highlight: Cashing one last check by beating Northwestern 12-8 in the national championship, setting off a celebration two seasons in the making.

Verdict: Given the increased parity in the game since Cindy Timchal’s Maryland dynasty and the “Purple Reign” at Northwestern from 2005-12, you could make the case that this Tar Heels team is the best ever assembled. Legacy aside, the season was an epic success that officially put 2024 to bed. And, while the Tar Heels will lose some key pieces like Ashley Humphrey, the depth this team had — including freshmen Kate Levy (14G, 9A, 26CT, 25GB, 24DC) and Eliza Osburn (35G, 9A, 56DC) — makes it likely they’ll celebrate like they won the national championship in 2026 and even beyond (after winning it, of course, which they have the best shot at doing on paper).

NORTHWESTERN

USA Lacrosse preseason/postseason ranking: No. 2/No. 2
2025 record: 19-3 (8-0 Big Ten)

What went right: A lot. Northwestern went undefeated in the Big Ten and beat Maryland in the conference tournament championship on an Aditi Foster goal with 15 ticks left. But the Wildcats arguably entered the NCAA tournament as a “dark horse” with Boston College and UNC, both of whom beat the Wildcats in the regular season, seemingly playing in a separate stratosphere.

Yet third-seeded Northwestern upended talk of round three between the ACC rivals with a wild comeback in the national semifinals against Boston College. Down 11-6 in the fourth quarter, the Wildcats scored the game’s final six goals, holding the Eagles scoreless and sealing the 12-11 W on a Delaney Sweitzer save on a Mia Mascone shot in the waning seconds.

Madison Taylor became Northwestern’s No. 1 option with two-time Tewaaraton winner Izzy Scane and Erin Coykendall graduated. She ended the season a Tewaaraton finalist, the single-season NCAA record holder for goals (109) and first in Division I in goals per game (4.95). The defense finished third nationally in fewest goals allowed per game (8.64), with Jane Hansen (49 CT) picking up Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors and having a heck of an NCAA Tournament.

What went wrong: Northwestern’s three losses in 2025 came against Boston College and UNC (twice). The Wildcats avenged the 13-9 loss to the Eagles on Feb. 15 in the Final Four. But they couldn’t do the same against the Tar Heels, who became the first team to hold Madison Taylor without a goal or multiple points since Michigan on May 14, 2023. The loss came despite a stellar performance from Delaney Sweitzer, who made 17 saves in the loss.

Season highlight: The national semifinal win over Boston College, with the Big Ten title game serving as a formidable second. But the Final Four had an extra edge for the Wildcats, who had lost to Boston College by one goal in the 2024 national championship game. Northwestern will also go down as the team that snapped BC’s seven-season streak of making the NCAA championship.

Verdict: Northwestern started and ended the season ranked No. 2. Ho-hum? Not really. With losses to all-time players like Izzy Scane and Erin Coykendall, the success the Wildcats had in 2025 wasn’t a sure thing.

It’s a testament to Kelly Amonte Hiller’s strong recruiting, Taylor’s ability to adjust to being the top target (for Northwestern’s attackers and opposing defenses) and a solid — and frankly unheralded — defense anchored by Delaney Sweitzer, along with sixth-year Jane Hansen and senior Sammy White.

The year was a success that required the Wildcats to battle through adversity and continue to make sustained excellence look easy, even with roster upheaval and even if it didn’t culminate in the ultimate prize.

BOSTON COLLEGE

USA Lacrosse preseason/postseason ranking: No. 2/No. 3
2025 record: 19-3 (8-1 ACC)

What went right: For the vast majority of 2025, Boston College and UNC seemed to play in their own stratosphere. The Eagles spurned Northwestern 13-9 in a rematch of the 2024 NCAA title game, which BC won. Boston College was the No. 2 seed in the ACC championship, cruising by UVA (17-7) and Stanford (16-9) in the quarter and semifinals. After falling to UNC in the finals, the Eagles also kept the No. 2 spot and a first-round bye in the NCAA tournament. They held off Stony Brook 10-7 in the second round after a two-week layoff, then downed Yale in the quarterfinals to make their eight-straight championship weekend trip.

Statistically, the numbers BC put up match the hype. The Eagles finished third in Division I in scoring offense (17.05 goals per game). Tewaaraton finalist Rachel Clark led the pack with 106 goals, the second-most in NCAA single-season history (Northwestern’s Madison Taylor scored 109 goals this year). Somehow, Emma LoPinto (78G, 35A) and Mckenna Davis (28G, 77A) fly under the radar in Chestnut Hill.

Defensively, Boston College was also as solid as ever, letting in 7.73 goals per game, the second-lowest average in Division I. Netminder Shea Dolce — a Tewaaraton finalist and the IWLCA Goalkeeper of the Year — led the nation in save percentage (.549). Shea Baker (99DC, 43CT, 37GB) was the ACC Defender of the Year..

What went wrong: Boston College lost to UNC by one goal twice, including in the ACC Championship title game. But the true heartbreaker came against Northwestern in the final four — a loss that denied Boston College a third crack at the Tar Heels and an eighth-straight appearance in the national championship.

It wasn’t just that Boston College lost, but how it happened. The Eagles led 11-6 at the end of the third quarter, but Northwestern stormed back, scoring the game’s final six goals. The Eagles had a chance in the waning seconds, but Mia Mascone’s shot went right into goalie Delaney Sweitzer’s stick.

Season highlight: Defeating Yale in the NCAA quarterfinals on home turf to advance to another final four.

Verdict: The Eagles were one of the best, most dominant teams in Division I this season and in recent history. Their offense and defense were packed with stars who delivered game in and game out. Recency bias could look at this season — and the way it ended — and call it “not up to snuff,” given that Boston College has made a tradition of playing in the final game of the year. But that tradition is a recent one for a program that wasn’t considered a traditional power until after it made its first run to the title game in 2017 as an unseeded team.

So, 2025 was another successful year, and the way it ended is nothing but fuel for 2026.