Boston College, Penn State Rising in USA Lacrosse Division I Women's Top 20

Boston College once again spoiled Syracuse’s perfect ACC regular season on the final day. This time, it came on a Cassidy Weeks overtime winner.

The Eagles are now third in the USA Lacrosse Division I Women’s Top 20 behind No. 1 Notre Dame and No. 2 Northwestern, which beat Michigan to win an outright Big Ten crown on Sunday.

Penn State — Northwestern’s only conference loss of the year — is also on the rise. The Nittany Lions followed their upset of No. 6 Maryland with a win over No. 14 Johns Hopkins, giving them a four-spot boost. USC enters at No. 20.

USA LACROSSE DIVISION I
WOMEN’S TOP 20

1. Notre Dame, 14-2 (Prev: 1)
2. Northwestern, 13-2 (Prev: 2)  
3. Boston College, 12-4 (Prev: 5)
4. Syracuse, 12-4 (Prev: 3)
5. Virginia, 13-3 (Prev: 4)
6. Maryland, 12-4 (Prev: 7)
7. Michigan, 14-2 (Prev: 8)
8. Loyola, 14-2 (Prev: 6)
9. Yale, 12-1 (Prev: 10)
10. Florida, 14-2 (Prev: 13)
11. Penn, 11-3 (Prev: 12)
12. Penn State, 9-6 (16)
13. Johns Hopkins, 10-6 (Prev: 9)
14. Denver, 12-3 (Prev: 14)
15. Stony Brook, 14-2 (Prev: 15)
16. Princeton, 9-5 (Prev: 11)
17. James Madison, 11-4 (Prev: 17)
18. North Carolina, 10-5 (Prev: 18)
19. Stanford, 10-3 (Prev: 19)
20. USC, 11-4 (Prev: NR)

Also considered (alphabetical order): Brown (9-5), Colorado (10-5), Drexel (11-4), Duke (10-7), Fairfield (15-1), Harvard (10-3), Navy (13-3) 

HOT

Boston College (+2)

A week after an overtime loss to Virginia, the Eagles scored a signature win over outright ACC champion Syracuse (thanks to a Cassidy Weeks overtime goal). The Eagles have made a habit of getting hot late in the season, too. (See: their 2021 run to a national championship as a No. 3 seed.) Is history repeating itself? Time will tell, but it’s trending in that direction.

Penn State (+4)

The Nittany Lions close the Big Ten at 4-2. While one of those losses (Ohio State) was a head-scratcher, Penn State has scored wins over Northwestern, Maryland and Johns Hopkins. The Nittany Lions enter the Big Ten tournament as the No. 2 seed and winners of three of their last four. First up: The aforementioned Ohio State in the quarterfinals.

NOT

Johns Hopkins (-4)

After a 7-1 stretch from Feb. 28 to April 6, the Blue Jays have dropped three straight to Maryland, Michigan and Penn State. The Big Ten is arguably the toughest conference this year, but the Jays sit 2-4 in it and limp into the postseason.

Johns Hopkins drew Michigan in the quarterfinals. Make no mistake: Michigan is a No. 4 seed but just pushed Northwestern to the brink in the regular-season finale. The Jays will need to play their best for a full 60 minutes, something that has been a struggle in 2024.

IN

USC (No. 20)

After a win over Colorado, USC will once again (or, more appropriately, one last time) likely go toe-to-toe with rival Stanford for the Pac-12 tournament crown. The Cardinal clipped USC last weekend, but it was a close one (8-6). First things first: USC concludes the regular season with San Diego State on Saturday.

OUT

Duke (was No. 20)

If there was ever a year for Duke to beat North Carolina, 2024 would be it. Yet an injury-laden North Carolina team outscored Duke 6-2 in the third quarter to pull away for a 16-11 win. The rather convincing performance from UNC, plus USC’s win over Colorado, bumps the Blue Devils from the Top 20. Duke will square off with a Boston College team riding high after an overtime win against top-seeded Syracuse in a quarterfinal game Wednesday.