Stanford women’s lacrosse earned its third straight NCAA Tournament berth, the university announced on May 4. The team will face Penn State in the first round of the tournament in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
This development is significant as it marks another milestone in what has been described as a historic season for Stanford. The Cardinal finished No. 11 in the Ratings Percentage Index and will join host No. 7 Michigan and Mercer alongside Penn State as part of the regional bracket.
Stanford (15-4, 8-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) heads to Michigan after a strong showing at the ACC Women’s Lacrosse Championship last week. The team defeated Boston College and Clemson to reach its first ACC title game before falling to North Carolina by a score of 12-8. With these two wins, Stanford secured its ninth victory over ranked opponents this season and built a strong case for NCAA selection.
The Cardinal’s appearance this year extends their streak to three consecutive NCAA tournaments and marks their fourteenth overall participation in program history. Last season under head coach Danielle Spencer, Stanford achieved its first NCAA Tournament win with a victory over Denver before losing an overtime match against Florida.
In total, Stanford has four wins in program history at the NCAA Tournament level, including advancing past the first round on three occasions: last year against Denver, in 2013 with an 8-7 win over Notre Dame, and again in 2016 also defeating Notre Dame.
