Tar Heels Stay Atop Division I; Florida Breaks into Top 3
NORTHBOROUGH, Mass.— The North Carolina Tar Heels remain at No. 1 after securing the ACC regular-season title with their 22nd consecutive ACC regular-season victory, defeating No. 20 Duke, 11–5, last Thursday. UNC will enter the ACC Tournament as the No. 1 seed and is set to begin play on Wednesday, April 22, at American Legion Field in Charlotte.
Northwestern holds steady at No. 2 after a 9–7 win over No. 11 Michigan secured its fourth consecutive outright Big Ten regular-season title on Saturday night. With the victory, the Wildcats clinched the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye in the Big Ten Tournament.
Florida climbs into the Top 3 for the first time this season, landing at No. 3 following a dominant 16–5 win over Cincinnati. The victory clinched a share of the Big 12 regular-season championship. The Gators have one conference game remaining, hosting UC Davis on Saturday, April 25.
Maryland checks in at No. 4 after closing out the regular season with a 13–9 road win over Ohio State. The Terps will enter the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 2 seed and face No. 7 seed Ohio State in the quarterfinals on Wednesday in Ann Arbor.
Rounding out the Top 5 is Johns Hopkins. The Blue Jays rallied to defeat No. 19 Penn State in overtime, improving to 13–3 overall and 6–2 in Big Ten play. As the No. 3 seed, Hopkins will take on No. 6 seed Rutgers on Wednesday at U-M Lacrosse Stadium in the Big Ten quarterfinals.
In total, 25 teams are represented in the poll, with voters—college coaches from across the nation—reflecting the latest results across women’s lacrosse. The rankings are based on weekly performances, with the poll set to be released each Monday throughout the season.