Tar Heels Start 2020 At No. 2 In IWLCA Poll

CHAPEL HILL – The North Carolina women's lacrosse team will start the 2020 season ranked No. 2 in the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) preseason poll, the organization announced Monday.

Defending NCAA champion Maryland narrowly edged UNC for the top spot, garnering 15 first-place votes. The Tar Heels, who are searching for their ninth trip to the NCAA final four in the last 12 years, earned the other 10. Northwestern checked in at No. 3, followed by Syracuse and Boston College. Princeton, Notre Dame, Virginia, Michigan and Denver rounded out the top 10.

Duke and Virginia Tech came in at Nos. 21 and 23, respectively, giving the ACC seven teams in the top-25 rankings, the most of any conference. The Big Ten placed four schools in the poll, while the Ivy League and Pac-12 each had three.

Carolina will open the 2020 season against No. 17 James Madison on Feb. 8 in Harrisonburg, Va. The Tar Heels and Maryland will meet in what could be a battle between the nation's top two teams on Feb. 22 in Chapel Hill.

2020 IWLCA Preseason Poll:

Rank	Institution	Points	FPV	2019 Record
1	Maryland	608	15	22-1
2	North Carolina	605	10	17-4
3	Northwestern	556	0	16-5
4	Syracuse	546	0	16-5
5	Boston College	539	0	22-2
6	Princeton	471	0	16-4
7	Notre Dame	429	0	14-5
8	Virginia	425	0	13-7
9	Michigan	417	0	16-4
10	Denver	382	0	16-4
11	Loyola	359	0	16-5
12	Penn	329	0	12-6
13	Stony Brook	329	0	16-5
14	Florida	302	0	14-7
15	Navy (USNA)	256	0	16-5
16	Southern California	253	0	16-4
17	James Madison	238	0	16-4
18	Colorado	167	0	11-8
19	Georgetown	165	0	12-9
20	Stanford	146	0	13-6
21	Duke	128	0	11-8
22	Dartmouth	115	0	11-6
23	Virginia Tech	93	0	8-10
24	Johns Hopkins	91	0	10-8
25	High Point	55	0	15-5

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