The Fighting Irish are 9-1 overall and 3-0 in the ACC, with their only loss to the committee’s No. 2 team, Denver.
With little more than two weeks remaining before Selection Sunday, the NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Committee provided the first of two top-10 rankings.
The committee tabbed Notre Dame as the No. 1 team in the country through games played by April 17. The Fighting Irish are 9-1 overall and 3-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, with their only loss to the committee’s No. 2 team, Denver.
The Pioneers are 10-1 and 3-0 in the Big East Conference, with their only loss to Penn State. Brown is ranked No. 3 with a 10-1 record, which doesn’t include a 16-10 victory over Providence on April 19, and is 4-0 in The Ivy League. Maryland follows at No. 4 with a 9-2 record, which doesn’t include a 10-5 win against No. 7 Navy on April 19. Yale rounds out the top five with a 10-1 record, with its only loss coming to the third-ranked Bears in conference action.
The remainder of the top 10 includes Johns Hopkins, Navy, Albany (New York), Marquette and Loyola Maryland.
“There is obviously a lot of lacrosse still left to be played, but it was a good exercise for the committee to hear from the regional advisory committees and then rank the top 10 teams,” said Gene Doris, chair of the committee and athletics director at Fairfield University.
“We had some very good discussions regarding the teams, and it just re-emphasizes what we already know – that come selection weekend, the committee is going to have some very difficult decisions to make.”
This is the first of two rankings the committee will unveil, with the second announcement coming during the April 29 Atlantic Coast Conference semifinals on ESPNU. The two ranking announcements will have no bearing on the final bracket, which will be revealed at 9 p.m. ET Sunday, May 8, on the NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Championship Selection Show, aired on ESPNU.
The rankings are based on the criteria used to select and seed the 18 teams for the Division I Men’s Lacrosse Championship and include strength of schedule, Rating Percentage Index, head-to-head competition, results versus common opponents, significant wins and losses, and locations of contests. Additionally, input is provided by the regional advisory committees for consideration by the Division I Men’s Lacrosse Committee.
NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Committee
April 23 – Top-10 Ranking (record through games of April 17)
| Rank | School | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Notre Dame | 9-1 |
| 2. | Denver | 10-1 |
| 3. | Brown | 10-1 |
| 4. | Maryland | 9-2 |
| 5. | Yale | 10-1 |
| 6. | Johns Hopkins | 7-4 |
| 7. | Navy | 9-2 |
| 8. | Albany (New York) | 9-2 |
| 9. | Marquette | 9-2 |
| 10. | Loyola Maryland | 9-3 |
Others receiving consideration (in alphabetical order): Bryant, Duke, Penn State, Syracuse, Villanova.
