June 5, 2009
Notre Dame, Ind. -
The Notre Dame women's lacrosse team added one more accolade to its highly successful 2009 season as the Irish finished the season ranked sixth in the nation in the final Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches' Association (IWLCA)/Under Armour preseason poll announced this week.
Previously, Notre Dame's top final rankings came in 2002 and 2006 when the team finished both of those seasons ranked seventh in the nation.
This year's team set a school record with 16 wins versus five losses and captured its first-ever BIG EAST Championship in April. Notre Dame advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals where they lost to eventual NCAA finalist, North Carolina, 16-10 on May 16.
The Irish opened the 2009 season ranked 11th in the IWLCA preseason poll and spent most of the year in the middle of the poll ranked as high as sixth and as low as 12th. Since the 2001 season, the Irish have finished the year ranked in the final poll in all but one season.
The year-by-year rankings: 2009 - 6th; 2008 - 10th; 2007 - 13th; 2006 - 7th; 2005 - NR; 2004 - 9th; 2003 - 16th;
2002 - 7th and 2001 - 18th
Notre Dame finished the season as the highest ranked team from the BIG EAST with four conference teams - Syracuse (8th), Georgetown (9th) and Loyola (Md.) ranked 18th - in the top 20 while Louisville received votes in the final rankings.
IWLCA/Under Armour Division I Final Weekly Poll
Team (first place votes) 2009 record Points Previous Week
1. Northwestern (20) 23-0 398 1
2. Pennsylvania 15-3 374 5
3. Maryland 21-1 353 2
North Carolina 16-5 353 3
5. Duke 15-6 320 4
6. Notre Dame 16-5 287 6
7. Princeton 14-4 266 7
8. Syracuse 14-5 265 t8
9. Georgetown 13-6 241 t8
10. Virginia 11-8 219 10
11. Vanderbilt 10-7 200 12
12. Boston University 15-4 193 11
13. Stanford 14-4 137 t13
14. Towson 13-6 119 16
15. Penn State 9-8 109 t13
16. Ohio State 11-6 93 15
17. Dartmouth 8-8 61 17
18. Loyola (Md.) 11-6 52 t18
19. Fairfield 17-3 38 RV
20. Cornell 9-7 37 t18
Also receiving votes: Colgate, Louisville, New Hampshire, William & Mary
