TOURNAMENT BRACKET
TOURNAMENT WEBPAGE
Memphis, Tenn. - The Transylvania women's lacrosse team begins the 2021 NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Championships with a first-round matchup against the No. 17 State University of New York College at Cortland (SUNY Cortland) Red Dragons on Saturday, May 8 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time at Mason Field on the campus of Rhodes College.
The Pioneers (11-4 overall, 4-0 HCLC) defeated Hanover College last weekend in the 2021 Heartland Collegiate Lacrosse Conference Women's Lacrosse Championship match to clinch their third straight conference tournament championship and third straight NCAA Tournament berth with the conference's automatic NCAA bid.
Transylvania faces the No. 17 nationally-ranked Red Dragons (12-1, 8-0 SUNYAC) in the inaugural match between the teams in Saturday's first-round match, hosted by Rhodes.
SUNY Cortland won the SUNYAC Championship over No. 14 SUNY Brockport, 15-13, to clinch the State University of New York Athletic Conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
The 37-team bracket was announced this past Monday by the NCAA with Rhodes being awarded a first-round bye and hosting duties for the pod which includes George Fox University (Ore.), Illinois Wesleyan University, and Messiah College (Pa.), who also received a first-round bye.
The winner of Transylvania - SUNY Cortland will advance to face Rhodes in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, May 9 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern while the George Fox-Illinois Wesleyan winner will advance to play against Messiah at Mason Field on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Eastern in the first match of the Sunday second-round doubleheader.
Transylvania is making its third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and its third overall in the nine-year history of the program. SUNY Cortland is making its 23rd NCAA appearance and notably won the NCAA National Championship in the 2015 season.
The Red Dragons carry a 12-match winning streak into the NCAA Tournament while the Pioneers enter the 2021 NCAA Tournament on a run of nine straight wins. SUNY Cortland is regionally ranked No. 2 out of the East Region while the Pioneers are ranked 7th regionally in the Great Lakes Region.
The Pioneers are led by senior midfielder Courtney Pontious (Caledonia, Mich. / Caledonia HS), the newly-minted HCLC Offensive Player of the Year and senior midfielder Salem Carlow (West Chester, Pa. / Unionville HS), the newly-crowned HCLC Defensive Player of the Year. Pontious led the conference with 59 goals this season and is averaging 4.2 goals per match. The senior carries totals of 77 points, 54 draw controls, 18 assists, and 37 ground balls for the season.
Carlow led the HCLC in assists with 31 this season and points with 83 total. Carlow averages 5.4 draw controls per game, 2.8 ground balls per game, and has 52 goals on the season.
Transylvania is guided by seventh-year head coach Lauren Wentworth (109-58, 71-29 at Transy), who earned her 100th career head coaching victory earlier this season.
The Red Dragons are coached by interim head coach Carissa Medeiros this season while SUNY Cortland head coach Kelly Orr is on maternity leave. Orr led the Red Dragons to the national championship in her first year at the helm of SUNY Cortland women's lacrosse. Senior midfielder Hannah Lorenzen leads the Red Dragons with 43 goals in 11 matches and tops the team in points with 59. Senior attack Cecilia Procopio leads the team in assists with 28 on the year.
Each student-athlete and coach planning to attend NCAA Tournament matches at Rhodes College may have a maximum of two family members in attendance. These guests must pre-register and their names must appear on a pass list in order to be admitted into the facility. Fans may only watch their specific team play. Guest check-ins will take place at the entrance to Mason Field listed on the campus map.
All tournament games at Rhodes will be live streamed via the Lynx Live Network and live stats are also available via the official NCAA Tournament page.
The weekend winner of the Memphis pod will advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Championships at Colby College in Waterville, Maine on Saturday, May 15.
For more on Transylvania women's lacrosse, follow @TransyWLax on Twitter
