St. Anthony's (N.Y.) Takes Top Spot in High School Girls' Preseason National Top 25

On the strength of consecutive undefeated seasons and six straight CHSAA titles, the St. Anthony’s (N.Y.) girls’ lacrosse team has earned the No. 1 ranking in the USA Lacrosse High School Girls’ National Preseason Top 25, presented by CWENCH Hydration.

Led by U.S. U15 Youth National Team coach Darcy Messina, the Friars have won 48 straight games dating to 2023. Senior Emma Speed, a dynamic left-handed attacker, impacts the game in a variety of ways — as a scorer, facilitator, and a relentless rider. Fellow senior Sophia Novelli (Vanderbilt) is a lockdown defender. Neither has lost a varsity game since midway through their freshman year.

And with Anna Christie (Notre Dame) on attack, Kelsey Gorman (Siena) as a defensive presence, and two-way midfielders Cameron Pupke (Princeton) and Meadow Szillus (Stony Brook), the Friars are looking to extend the streak while playing a national schedule.

Maryvale (Md.), Archbishop Spalding (Md.), McDonogh (Md.) and Darien (Conn.) round out the top five in the preseason rankings.

Compiled by USA Lacrosse writers with input from coaches around the country, the list also includes Top 10 rankings for each of our five regions of coverage — the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, South, Midwest and West.

Regional No. 1 spots went to St. Anthony’s (N.Y.), Maryvale (Md.), American Heritage-Delray (Fla.), New Trier (Ill.) and Coronado (Calif.), respectively.

The season is well underway in the South and West. The first rankings updates for those regions will be March 3, with Mid-Atlantic and National updates starting March 10 and Northeast and Midwest updates starting March 24. Public schools-only lists also will be published starting in March.

NATIONAL TOP 25

1. St. Anthony's (N.Y.)
2. Maryvale (Md.)
3. Archbishop Spalding (Md.)
4. McDonogh (Md.)
5. Darien (Conn.)
6. Sacred Heart Greenwich (Conn.)
7. Good Counsel (Md.)
8. Penn Charter (Pa.)
9. Noble & Greenough (Mass.)
10. Sayville (N.Y.)
11. Agnes Irwin (Pa.)
12. St. Paul's (Md.)
13. Episcopal (Pa.)
14. Phillips Andover (Mass.)
15. Bayport-Blue Point (N.Y.)
16. American Heritage-Delray (Fla.)
17. Stone Ridge (Md.)
18. Nyack (N.Y.)
19. Potomac (Va.)
20. Penfield (N.Y.)
21. Milton (Ga.)
22. Cambridge (Ga.)
23. Victor (N.Y.)
24. St. Mary's (Md.)
25. St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes (Va.)

Also considered (alphabetical order): Academy of Notre Dame (Pa.), Archbishop Carroll (Pa.), Bishop Shanahan (Pa.), Cape Henlopen (Del.), Chatham (N.J.), Cicero-North Syracuse (N.Y.), Cold Spring Harbor (N.Y.), Conestoga (Pa.), Coronado (Calif.), Downingtown West (Pa.), Garden City (N.Y.), Georgetown Visitation (D.C.), Haddonfield (N.J.), Hockaday (Texas), IMG Academy (Fla.), John Carroll (Md.), Loyola (Ill.), Manchester Valley (Md.), Manhasset (N.Y.), Marriotts Ridge (Md.), Mendham (N.J.), Moorestown (N.J.), New Canaan (Conn.), New Trier (Ill.), Notre Dame Prep (Md.), Oak Knoll (N.J.), Phillips Exeter (N.H.), Radnor (Pa.), Sacred Heart Prep (Calif.), Severna Park (Md.), Springfield-Delco (Pa.), St. Anne's-Belfield (Va.), St. Ignatius (Calif.), Suffern (N.Y.), Summit (N.J.), Valor Christian (Colo.), West Chester Henderson (Pa.), Westhampton (N.Y.)

NORTHEAST TOP 10

1. St. Anthony's (N.Y.)
2. Darien (Conn.)
3. Sacred Heart Greenwich (Conn.)
4. Noble & Greenough (Mass.)
5. Sayville (N.Y.)
6. Phillips Andover (Mass.)
7. Bayport-Blue Point (N.Y.)
8. Nyack (N.Y.)
9. Penfield (N.Y.)
10. Victor (N.Y.)

MID-ATLANTIC TOP 10

1. Maryvale (Md.)
2. Archbishop Spalding (Md.)
3. McDonogh (Md.)
4. Good Counsel (Md.)
5. Penn Charter (Pa.)
6. Agnes Irwin (Pa.)
7. St. Paul's (Md.)
8. Episcopal (Pa.)
9. Stone Ridge (Md.)
10. Potomac (Va.)

SOUTH TOP 10

1. American Heritage-Delray (Fla.)
2. Milton (Ga.)
3. Cambridge (Ga.)
4. Hockaday (Texas)
5. IMG Academy (Fla.)
6. Lake Highland (Fla.)
7. West Forsyth (Ga.)
8. Cardinal Gibbons (N.C.)
9. St. Andrew's (Fla.)
10. Anderson (Texas)

MIDWEST TOP 10

1. New Trier (Ill.)
2. Loyola Academy (Ill.)
3. Olentangy Liberty (Ohio)
4. Upper Arlington (Ohio)
5. St. Francis DeSales (Ohio)
6. Hinsdale Central (Ill.)
7. Carmel (Ind.)
8. Guerin Catholic (Ind.)
9. Prior Lake (Minn.)
10. Hudson (Ohio)

WEST TOP 10

1. Coronado (Calif.)
2. Sacred Heart Prep (Calif.)
3. Valor Christian (Colo.)
4. St. Ignatius (Calif.)
5. Foothill-Santa Ana (Calif.)
6. Redwood (Calif.)
7. San Ramon Valley (Calif.)
8. Evergreen (Colo.)
9. Mira Costa (Calif.)
10. Jesuit Portland (Ore.)