UNC No. 1, Northwestern No. 2 in USA Lacrosse Division I Women's Top 20

Somehow, through all the season's twists and turns, we're right back where we started with North Carolina at No. 1 and Northwestern at No. 2 — just like we had in our Preseason Top 20.

It took time to get here. And a Syracuse loss to Boston College opened the door for Northwestern to slide up the requisite one place to No. 2. But there is little doubt right now about who the best two teams in the country are, and the rankings now reflect that sentiment.

Boston College, by the way, was the No. 3 team in the preseason. It continued the up-and-down nature of its season with that win over the Orange. That means the Eagles are back on the upswing at No. 12. Their next opponent — Stanford in the ACC quarterfinals — is the team they beat last month in a game that arguably kickstarted their turnaround.

USA LACROSSE DIVISION I
WOMEN’S TOP 20

1. North Carolina
2. Northwestern
3. Maryland
4. Johns Hopkins
5. Michigan
6. Navy
7. Syracuse
8. Florida
9. Stony Brook
10. Colorado
11. Stanford
12. Boston College
13. Army
14. Clemson
15. Yale
16. Notre Dame
17. Virginia
18. Denver
19. Duke
20. Penn State

Also considered (alphabetical order): Georgetown, James Madison, Loyola, Penn, Princeton

USA LACROSSE DIVISION II
WOMEN'S TOP 20

The biggest mover this week is Adelphi, which is up five spots to No. 11 with a 10-game winning streak after starting the year 0-4. There are still three undefeated teams — No. 1 Flagler, No. 3 Slippery Rock and No. 4 East Stroudsburg — while No. 2 Florida Southern and No. 5 UIndy are both riding 11-game winning streaks.  

The Sunshine State Conference is down to its semifinals with a pair of top-10 battles on Wednesday between No. 2 Fla Southern and No. 9 Embry-Riddle and No. 6 Saint Leo and No. 7 Tampa. The conference final is Sunday.

1. Flagler
2. Florida Southern
3. Slippery Rock
4. East Stroudsburg
5. UIndy
6. Saint Leo
7. Tampa
8. West Chester
9. Embry-Riddle
10. Maryville
11. Adelphi
12. Pace
13. Wingate
14. Rockhurst
15. Mercy
16. Lynn
17. Ashland
18. Dominican (N.Y.)
19. Kutztown
20. Regis

Also considered (alphabetical order): Frostburg, Grand Valley State, Mount Olive, Rollins, Wilmington (Del.)

USA LACROSSE DIVISION III
WOMEN'S TOP 20

Middlebury knocked down yet another NESCAC foe when it defeated Amherst 13-7 behind the strength of Caroline Adams’ four goals and four assists. The Panthers are one win away from a perfect regular season.

Trinity became the latest NESCAC team to enter the Top 20 thanks to its 12-7 victory over Colby. The strong defensive performance was led by Sam Hark and Emily Ambrozy, who combined for seven caused turnovers and six ground balls.

Colorado College earned a big overtime victory over Chicago, 15-14, to break into the Top 20.

1. Middlebury
2. Salisbury
3. Tufts
4. Wesleyan
5. Washington and Lee
6. Denison
7. Amherst
8. William Smith
9. York
10. Gettysburg
11. TCNJ
12. Pomona-Pitzer
13. Rowan
14. Stevens
15. MIT
16. Christopher Newport
17. Messiah
18. Trinity
19. Colby
20. Colorado College

Also considered (alphabetical order): Babson, Chicago, Ithaca, Scranton, Williams