For the first time in this women’s lacrosse season, all teams in the IWLCA coaches poll shifted at least one spot from their respective rankings a week ago. Let’s take a look at the changes.
NOTE: All rankings referenced in this article are from this week’s poll.
1. North Carolina (12-1, 9-0 ACC)
Movement: up one spot
Last Week: 18-9 win over No. 10 Stanford
This Week: at No. 20 Duke
The Tar Heels have come back strong since their heartbreaking overtime loss to Northwestern, defeating their following three opponents (including two ranked
squads) by a combined score of 60-16. The fuel for UNC against Stanford was an eight-goal performance from Chloe Humphrey, and 11 draw controls from Sarah Gresham helped boost North Carolina to a dominant 20-8 advantage in the circle. Up next, the Tar Heels have one final regular season contest against Duke before the ACC Tournament begins.
2. Northwestern (12-3, 6-1 B1G)
Movement: up two spots
Last Week: 11-10 win over No. 3 Maryland, 17-12 win over No. 19 Penn State, 18-6 win over No. 22 Rutgers
This Week: at No. 11 Michigan
The Wildcats just keep piling up massive wins. Their victory over Maryland was their second victory over a No. 1 team this season, and it was driven by four goals from Madison Taylor, a hat trick from Aditi Foster and fourth-quarter grittiness that helped the ‘Cats hold off a late Terrapin charge. Taylor’s six goals helped NU take down the Nittany Lions on Sunday, and on Wednesday, she added six more tallies to her season total in a dismantling of Rutgers. Not bad for the No. 1 overall pick in the first-ever WLL College Draft.
3. Maryland (13-1, 5-1 B1G)
Movement: down two spots
Last Week: 11-10 loss to No. 2 Northwestern
This Week: at No. 11 Michigan, at Ohio State
After the Terrapins’ close defeat at the hands of Northwestern, they must now find a way to rebound to close their Big Ten regular season slate. JJ Suriano (11 goals allowed, 12 saves) played well as usual against the Wildcats, but a 16-11 turnover disadvantage was a key stat that dragged down Maryland’s efficiency just enough to ensure a loss. As of now, the Terps remain in good position to be a top NCAA Tournament seed, but they’ll certainly have to be concerned with the possibility of facing Northwestern again in the looming Big Ten Tournament.
4. Syracuse (12-3, 7-2 ACC)
Movement: down one spot
Last Week: 10-9 win over No. 15 Notre Dame
This Week: at No. 13 Boston College
In one of the wildest games this season, the Orange escaped the Fighting Irish in a four-overtime thriller, with Caroline Trinkaus firing the winning goal with just one second left on a frenetic final possession. The win helped maintain Syracuse’s spot near the top of the rankings, and it was a whopping 12th consecutive victory for the Orange, who have surged since early-season losses to Maryland, UNC and Stanford. Next up, Syracuse will have to endure one final regular season ranked matchup against Boston College before heading to the ACC Tournament.
5. Florida (12-2, 3-0 Big 12)
Movement: up two spots
Last Week: 14-8 win over South Florida, 18-6 win over San Diego State, 12-11 win over Jacksonville
This Week: at Cincinnati
Florida handled business against its first two opponents of the week before surviving a massive scare from Jacksonville, who scored six unanswered goals in the second half to nearly come back and pull off an upset. Shockingly, the Gators got outdone 17-8 in the draw circle, but they managed to hold on thanks to three-goal performances from Autumn Blair and Clark Hamilton. The near-loss should raise some alarm bells for Florida, but it isn’t necessarily a huge reason to be concerned. Jacksonville may be unranked, but its three losses against ranked schools have only been by a combined five goals, and the Dolphins still sport a respectable 9-5 overall record on the season.
6. Johns Hopkins (12-3, 5-2 B1G)
Movement: up three spots
Last Week: 13-6 win over No. 11 Michigan
This Week: at No. 19 Penn State
The Blue Jays secured a dominant win over the Wolverines, powered by five goals from Lacey Downey and a truly complementary performance between offense and defense. Ashley Langdon made nine saves while allowing just six goals for Johns Hopkins, who also capitalized on a whopping 26 turnovers from Michigan. The Blue Jays have suffered some tough losses this campaign, but nonetheless, they sit in the upper echelon of the Big Ten with one regular season contest remaining.
7. Navy (14-1, 6-1 Patriot League)
Movement: up one spot
Last Week: 14-8 win over No. 14 Army, 24-1 win over Lafayette
This Week: at Colgate
Navy snagged a huge resume-boosting win against Army over the weekend, outscoring the Black Knights 7-0 in the second quarter en route to a rousing victory. Alyssa Chung had five goals for Navy in a contest that featured an incredible 47 turnovers, including 25 from Army. Then, the Midshipmen absolutely smoked a floundering Lafayette squad, allowing just one fourth-quarter goal and outshooting the Leopards 40-16 while enjoying a no-goal, 10-save performance from goalkeeper Felicia Giglio. Navy appears to be on the right track as postseason play looms, with two unranked Patriot League matchups remaining to close out its regular season.
8. Yale (11-2, 5-0 Ivy League)
Movement: down three spots
Last Week: 7-4 win over Penn
This Week: vs. Harvard
Yale continues to handle the Ivy League, claiming Penn as its latest victim in a low-scoring 7-4 game featuring just one Quaker goal after the first quarter. Goalkeeper Niamh Pfaff was a hero for the Bulldogs, saving 11 shots while allowing just four goals in an electric performance. Now, the Bulldogs will seek to take care of business in two more regular season matchups, with the Ivy League Tournament coming up in May.
9. Clemson (12-4, 6-3 ACC)
Movement: up two spots
Last Week: 17-5 win over No. 20 Duke
This Week: at Florida State
The Tigers are currently riding a nine-game winning streak featuring numerous big victories, and a 17-5 thrashing of Duke was the latest resume booster for a team that is stepping up at the right time. Clemson won the draw-control battle 17-7 against the Blue Devils, taking a 5-0 lead after the first quarter and never looking back. Next up for the Tigers is an expected mismatch against a Florida State squad that sits at 0-9 in conference play.
10. Stanford (12-3, 7-2 ACC)
Movement: up two spots
Last Week: 18-9 loss to No. 1 North Carolina, 19-6 win at Elon
This Week: vs. California
Stanford has now lost three of its past five games, suffering losses to tough UNC and Boston College squads while also falling to unranked Villanova in recent weeks. Understandably, the Cardinal had a tough time against a Tar Heels squad that has dominated almost everyone this year, but they did manage to pick up a confidence-boosting blowout against Elon in response. Up next, Stanford plays its final regular season game of 2026 against California.
Just missed the cut: Michigan (13-12 loss to No. 22 Rutgers, 13-6 loss to No. 6 Johns Hopkins), Stony Brook (18-9 win over William & Mary, 19-6 win over Arizona State), Boston College (17-14 loss to No. 21 Virginia)
