Women's Lacrosse Ranked As No. 1 In The Country

The IWCLA has released its latest Top 25 rankings after last week's games. The Maryland Terrapins women's lacrosse team has now claimed the No. 1 spot in this week's coaching poll, surpassing North Carolina, which previously held the top spot.

Wake up, Terps fans — you're No. 1 🐢@MarylandWLax is the new top team in the USA Lacrosse Division I Women’s Top 20, presented by @CwenchHydration pic.twitter.com/f1U1C5H2SO
— USA Lacrosse Magazine (@USALMag) March 30, 2026

Maryland improved to 12-0 overall on the season after defeating back-to-back ranked opponents in No. 7 Johns Hopkins (15-12) and No. 21 Penn State (14-13). The Terps are 6-0 at both home and on the road.

They also improved to 4-0 within the Big Ten Conference. Maryland is also off to its best start since the 2019 season, when it went a perfect 17-0 in the regular season and went on to win the National Championship later that year.

Maryland has also defeated three other ranked opponents this year: No. 13 Syracuse, No. 12 Virginia, and No. 14 Princeton.

In her 19th year, legendary Terrapins women's lacrosse head coach Cathy Reese continues to build championship-level teams, both with returning players and by welcoming new faces to College Park, while building on the winning, rich culture established.

The Terps have six double-digit scorers: Lauren LaPointe (43 goals), Kori Edmondson (32 goals), Kristen Shanahan (27 goals), Keeley Block (24 goals), Jordyn Lipkin (11 goals), and Lexi Dupcak (11 goals). It has helped the Terps rank in the top 20 in scoring offense, points per game, and assists per game.

LaPointe has been on a tear this season, leading the Terps in goals scored, assists, and points. The junior has made a visible jump in her junior season, becoming the do-it-all offensive force that can be called upon to make the big plays. LaPointe has also finished with 3+ goals in eight contests.

Kayla Gilmore, Neve O'Ferrall, Maddy Sterling, and Annabella Schaefer anchor the defensive backfield that is 32nd in the nation in clearing percentage (.905), 15th in draw controls per contest (15.5), 11th in draw control percentage (.627), and 27th in scoring defense (8.91 goals per game).

The defensive backfield has led to the steady, reliable presence in the net that goalies J.J. Suriano provide every game for the Terps. Suriano leads all Big Ten goalies in saves (123 saves), saves per contest (10.3 saves), and save percentage (53%).

Maryland has four contests remaining in the season against Rutgers, No. 11 Northwestern, No. 6 Michigan, and No. 25 Ohio State before the conference tournament kicks off in late April.

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