Not making the final 4. Gets the academics mark bigtime, just not high enough on the lax.
I say best combination is Northwestern.
Princeton, Stanford, Penn, Duke, Johns Hoplins, Northwestern and Notre Dame.
Good list. I don't think Stanford, Princeton, JH have a realistic shot at final 4s anymore. Stanford won't get past USC let alone the rest. Princeton is at best a 10-20 team now and might fall back a bit. JH definitely not a top 4 type team. Having said all of that, would be thrilled to have my daughter go to any of these places of course.
The question was, "What is the best combination of super high academics and at least a shot at a final four type D1 team?".
Princeton made it to the final 8 teams in 2015. Their strength of schedule has been top 10 in each of the past three years and they have knocked off such teams as Penn State, Virginia and Southern Cal they also had a very respectable 1 goal loss to a Maryland squad which won the National Championship. The Tigers continue to bring in strong recruiting classes and no doubt have a chance to make it back to the final four.
Stanford has finished the season with very respectable records (14-5, 15-3, 15-5) over the past three seasons. During that same time The Cardinal have wins Vs Ohio State, Notre Dame, Johns Hopkins, Penn State and Southern Cal. Stanford most certainly is a super high academic school that also has a very competitive lacrosse team.
Johns Hopkins has also shown that they can compete. Since 2014 Hopkins has beaten Northwestern, Duke, Penn State, Virginia, Stony Brook (a BOC favorite), Boston College and Ohio State. They also played Florida to 1 goal and Maryland to 2 goals respectfully. (Come to think of it, Princeton also beat a highly touted Stony Brook team that many on this site had going to the Final Four). With Hopkins now in the Big Ten their SOS will improve and I believe they will become even more competitive.
I think your points are all valid. I just don't think any of those 3 teams will be getting to the final 4 any time soon. In fact, I think Stanford and Princeton are taking steps backwards going forward. Looking at their recruiting classes, I would say they will maintain in the 10-20 range, not be heading into top 4 territory. JH moving to Big Ten may change things for them, you're right. Lets see how that goes. In the meantime, I think the two teams w the best combination of very challenging academics and realistic final 4 chances are Duke and NU.
Splitting hairs. All great schools with great lacrosse programs. Student athletes attending these universities are all very fortunate. Working hard in the classroom and on the athletic field is what enables young women to be presented with such incredible opportunities. Making the Final Four is great but in the end who really cares?
Let the fools worry about the ranking of club teams. Players on the teams listed above come from all over the place and they played for many different clubs. Let the meatheads worry about who the best 9th grade player is. Worry about your own kid and help her find the best fit at the best academic school possible.
Do you think the 2016 graduates from Harvard, Yale, Princeton Stanford, Columbia, Duke, Penn or Hopkins are worrying about the final four?
Eight of the Top Ten Universities in the country have competitive DI Women's Lacrosse programs. There are approximately 75 - 85 roster spots available per recruiting year.
16 of the Top 20 Universities have competitive programs. Thats another 80 or so spots.
Let the morons worry about who is best in the 9th grade. Focus on having your daughter land one of those spots.
