Checking in on Ivy League lacrosse three weeks before the conference tournament

With only a few games left in their respective regular seasons, Penn men’s and women’s lacrosse each stand on the precipice of an Ivy Tournament berth, giving them a shot at a conference title.

Here’s where both teams stand in their respective standings as the playoffs stand less than a month away.

Women’s Lacrosse

The Quakers are off to their hottest conference start since 2018, and are currently atop the conference table, after winning their first four Ivy League games, all by three or more goals. The next-closest team to Penn in the Ivy standings is Princeton, which sits a full game back at 3-1, while all other teams in the conference have at least two losses. 

Penn will next face off against Princeton Wednesday night at Franklin Field, and with a win, the Quakers would be on the verge of securing the top seed, and home field advantage, in next month's Ivy Tournament. 

But against non-conference foes, Penn has struggled this season, going 4-4, with all four losses coming against ranked opponents.

After this past Saturday’s victory over Cornell, the Quakers will likely move up in the polls, but as of now, Penn slots in at No. 17 in Inside Lacrosse’s ranking and at No. 23 on the NCAA RPI ranking.

Men’s Lacrosse

Though seemingly not as much of a powerhouse as they were last year, the Quakers still remain nicely cushioned in the top half of the Ivy League standings, sitting a full game ahead of fifth-place Yale and only a half-game back of the top two teams, Cornell and Princeton.

Last season, Penn only had four losses throughout the regular season. This year, the team is already at five with three games left. Arguably more important than total losses, though, Penn has a shot at eclipsing last season’s Ivy win total on Saturday, as it faces Dartmouth in its final regular season conference game.

With a win, the Quakers would likely slot in at the No. 2 spot in the Ivy Tournament, as current top seeds Cornell and Princeton will face each other in their regular season finale.

Penn will be looking to three-peat this season, as the last two Ivy Tournaments have finished with the Quakers reigning victorious.

Like the women’s team, Penn will likely see a rise in the polls after a victory this past Saturday against Harvard. But as of now, the Quakers sit at No. 13 in the NCAA RPI rankings and No. 18 in the Inside Lacrosse rankings.