Penn State Women’s Lacrosse Finishes Season Ranked No. 4

Penn State women’s lacrosse was voted No. 4 in the final IWLCA poll on Tuesday afternoon following the conclusion of the NCAA Championship.

The Nittany Lions, who fell by a single goal in the semifinals to eventual national champion North Carolina, finished 14-7 on the season. Penn State received a total of 338 points from the 20-voter panel, just 14 points less than No. 3 Syracuse (19-6). UNC (20-2) was the unanimous No. 1 followed by Maryland (22-1), who was a unanimous No. 2 pick.

Penn State was the only team in the country to play the top two teams to one-goal games, dropping a 10-9 decision to the Terrapins on April 28 and a 12-11 semifinal loss to the Tar Heels this past Friday.

Penn State climbed seven spots from the previous IWLCA ranking of No. 11, which was conducted following the conference tournaments. The seven-spot jump was the largest ascension of anyone in the Top 20 followed by Penn’s five-spot leap (No. 14 to 9).

The Nittany Lions were just the third unseeded squad to reach the national semifinals since the eight-team seeding format began in 2005. Penn State was the first team to win three games while reaching the semifinals after defeating Winthrop, No. 2 Florida and seventh-seeded Penn.

Penn State reached the NCAA Tournament for a fifth straight time under sixth-year head coach Missy Doherty. Under Doherty, the Nittany Lions have reached four quarterfinals and a semifinal.