Tar Heels Return to No. 1, Amonte Hiller Hits 400-Win Milestone
NORTHBOROUGH, Mass.— Returning to the top, the North Carolina Tar Heels have reclaimed the No. 1 ranking in the latest IWLCA Division I Coaches Poll. With an 18–9 victory over No. 12 Stanford this past Saturday, UNC secured its 12th ACC regular-season championship and will be the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament in two weeks. The Tar Heels will close out the regular season on the road at Duke on Thursday, April 16.
Northwestern University moves into the No. 2 spot this week. Head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller reached a remarkable milestone, earning her 400th career victory with a 17–12 win at No. 18 Penn State on Sunday. Amonte Hiller becomes the sixth coach in Division I women’s lacrosse history to reach the milestone and joins North Carolina’s Jenny Levy as the only active coaches to record 400 wins at a single Division I program. The Wildcats (11–3, 5–1 Big Ten) will face No. 22 Rutgers on Wednesday before closing the regular season against No. 11 Michigan on Saturday.
Maryland checks in at No. 3 after suffering its first loss of the season, falling to Northwestern last Thursday. The Terps will hit the road to close out the regular season with two Big Ten matchups, facing No. 11 Michigan on April 16 and Ohio State on April 18.
Syracuse climbs to No. 4 following a dramatic 10–9 victory over No. 19 Notre Dame, sealed by a game-winning goal with one second remaining in the fourth overtime. The Orange will wrap up the regular season with a rivalry matchup against Boston College on Thursday night in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
Rounding out the Top 5 are the Florida Gators, who remain perfect in Big 12 play following an 18–6 win over San Diego State. Florida has three games remaining in the regular season.
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.