The 1998 NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship was the 17th annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of Division I NCAA women's college lacrosse. The championship game was played at UMBC Stadium in Catonsville, Maryland during May 1998. All NCAA Division I women's lacrosse programs were eligible for this championship. This year, the tournament field expanded from 8 to 12 teams, the second consecutive expansion after increasing from 6 to 8 teams the previous year.
Maryland defeated Virginia, 11–5, to win their sixth and fourth consecutive, national championship. This would subsequently become the fourth of Maryland's record seven straight national titles (1995–2001).
The leading scorer for the tournament, with 15 goals, was Cathy Nelson from Maryland. Nelson was also the recipient of the Most Outstanding Player award, given out for the first time since 1984.
Teams Seed School Conference Berth Record1VirginiaACCAutomatic15-22North CarolinaACCAt-large14-23MarylandACCAt-large15-34DartmouthIvy LeagueAutomatic12-2DukeACCAt-large10-6GeorgetownIndependentAt-large9-6James MadisonCAAAt-large10-7Loyola (MD)CAAAutomatic12-3PrincetonIvy LeagueAt-large11-4TempleIndependentAt-large13-4West ChesterIndependentAt-large13-4William & MaryCAAAt-large8-7
Tournament bracket
Tournament outstanding players Kate Graw, Dartmouth Jacque Weitzel, Dartmouth Alex Kahoe, Maryland Kathleen Lund, Maryland Cathy Nelson, Maryland (Most outstanding player) Sascha Newmarch, Maryland Kristin Sommar, Maryland Sarah Dacey, North Carolina Aubrey Falk, North Carolina Kara Ariza, Virginia Peggy Boutilier, Virginia Melissa Hayes, Virginia
See also 1998 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship 1998 NCAA Division II Lacrosse Championship 1998 NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Championship
References