JWU Faces No. 16 York at No. 2 Wesleyan to Open NCAA DIII Women’s Lacrosse Championship

NCAA RELEASE
INTERACTIVE BRACKET

INDIANAPOLIS – 2024 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women’s Lacrosse Champion Johnson & Wales will take on No. 16 York in the First Round of the 2024 NCAA Division III Women’s Lacrosse Championship. The game will take place at No. 2 Wesleyan on Saturday, May 11 at 1 p.m.

The Wildcats were one of 46 teams selected into this year’s field, which was announced on Monday (May 5) morning during the NCAA.com Selection Show. JWU was one of 31 teams to earn their championship berth by way of their league’s automatic qualifier. The rest of the championship field was selected at-large.

Johnson & Wales was the No. 1 seed in the South Division during GNAC play as they compiled a 7-0 divisional record carry a 15-4 record into the national bracket. As the No. 1 seed in the South, the GNAC Champions defeated No. 5 North seed Norwich, 14-4 in the quarterfinals and No. 2 North seed Saint Joseph’s (Maine), 15-8, in the semifinals. These wins set up a GNAC Championship matchup with No. 1 North seed Emmanuel, which the Wildcats were able to win 14-4 to claim their second-straight conference crown.

York was also the recipient of its league’s AQ, securing the bid from the MAC Commonwealth Conference. The Spartans are currently ranked No. 16 in the ILWomen/Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Division III Poll. They went 13-6 during the regular season, including a perfect 7-0 mark in conference play. York was the No. 1 seed in the Commonwealth Championship Tournament, besting No. 4 seed Widener, 18-5, in the semifinals before defeating No. 3 seed Stevenson in the championship, 8-7.

Awaiting the winner of the JWU-York first round game is host Wesleyan, which sits at No. 2 in the national poll. The Cardinals were one of the 15 programs to gain entry to this year’s championship as an at-large selection after missing out on the automatic qualifier coming out of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC). They hold a 15-3 record heading into the national tournament and went 8-2 in NESCAC play. They were the No. 2 seed in the NESCAC Championship Tournament, defeating No. 7 seed Bowdoin, 14-5, and No. 3 seed Tufts, 15-7, before falling to top-seeded Middlebury in the championship, 11-5.

Wesleyan is one of 16 host sites for the first weekend of the 2024 Championship with the winners advancing to Regional sites on Saturday-Sunday, May 18-19.

The Regional winners will advance to the national semifinals on Friday, May 24 with the championship game scheduled for Sunday, May 26. The semifinals and final will take place at Kerr Stadium in Salem, Va.

2024 NCAA Division III Women’s Lacrosse Championship Schedule

First Round – Saturday, May 11
(Hosted by No. 2 Wesleyan – Middletown, Conn.)

Johnson & Wales vs. No. 16 York, 1 p.m.

Second Round – Sunday, May 12
(Hosted by No. 2 Wesleyan – Middletown, Conn.)

Johnson & Wales/No. 16 York at No. 2 Wesleyan, 1 p.m.

ABOUT THE GREAT NORTHEAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 16 member institutions and over 4000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.

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