The Navy Midshipmen women's lacrosse team is an

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

college lacrosse College lacrosse is played by student-athletes at colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. In both countries, men's field lacrosse and women's lacrosse are played at both the varsity and club levels. College lacrosse in Canada is ...

team representing the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

as part of the

Patriot League The Patriot League is a collegiate athletic conference comprising private institutions of higher education and two United States service academies based in the Northeastern United States. Outside the Ivy League, it is among the most selective gr ...

. They play their home games at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

Head coach

The Midshipmen are led by hall of fame coach

Cindy Timchal Cindy Timchal (born September 14, 1954) is an American lacrosse coach. She is the head women's lacrosse coach at the United States Naval Academy. She has coached for some of the top programs in college women's lacrosse, including Northwestern Univ ...

, who was named the team's inaugural head coach on August 5, 2006, and has guided the team since its 2008 inception. Timchal is the winningest coach in

women's lacrosse history, earning her 500th win on March 31, 2018. A 1976 graduate of

West Chester University West Chester University (also known as West Chester, WCU, or WCUPA, and officially as West Chester University of Pennsylvania) is a public research university in and around West Chester, Pennsylvania. The university is accredited by the Middle ...

, Timchal began coaching as an assistant lacrosse and field hockey coach at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

in 1979. Her first Division I head coach gig was at

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

in 1982. She led the

Wildcats The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while the ...

to 5 NCAA Tournaments in nine seasons. In 1991 Timchal moved to the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

, where she transformed a school with one national title in its first eight seasons into a national juggernaut. In 16 seasons, Timchal won eight national titles, reached eleven title games, and made the NCAA Tournament every year. Timchal's Midshipmen made an immediate impact. After coaching the club team to an 18–5 record in 2007, Navy made the jump to Division I the next year and has won at least 13 games in each of its first ten seasons. Navy broke through in 2010, capturing the

title for its first NCAA Tournament appearance. They beat

Sacred Heart The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus ( la, Cor Jesu Sacratissimum) is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This devo ...

in the play-in game before falling to

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

in the first round to finish the year 17–4 with a #19 national ranking. This began a stretch of four straight conference titles and NCAA appearances. The Midshipmen won play-in games three years in a row from 2010 to 2012 and added a first-round victory over

Monmouth Monmouth ( , ; cy, Trefynwy meaning "town on the Monnow") is a town and community in Wales. It is situated where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. Monmouth is northeast of Cardiff, and west of London. I ...

in 2013. For those four years, Navy's dominance in the Patriot League was hardly contested—they went 21–3 in league play with three regular season titles and four tournament titles. However, Loyola joined the league in 2014, led by its own all-star coach,

Jen Adams Jen Adams (born 1980) is the head women's lacrosse coach at Loyola University Maryland and was an All-American lacrosse player at the University of Maryland from 1998 to 2001, leading the Terrapins to national titles for four straight years, i ...

. Adams was Timchal's star player at Maryland from 1998 to 2001, as they had captured four straight national titles together and Adams still holds many Maryland scoring records. Loyola instantly dominated the league, winning three straight conference and tournament titles, preventing the Midshipmen from qualifying again from 2014 to 2016. Loyola completed its fourth straight unbeaten Patriot League regular season in 2017, and faced Navy in the tournament final. The Midshipmen stunned the Greyhounds 15–5, ending Loyola's 41-game unbeaten streak against PL teams. This win kicked off a Cinderella run for the Midshipmen, who defeated three teams in the NCAA tournament--#7 Penn,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, and #2

—before falling 16–14 to fellow underdog

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

in the national semifinals. Navy's run marked the first time a women's service academy team had made a Division I national semifinal, and the Midshipmen ended the year 18–5, ranked #4 in the final Inside Lacrosse Media Poll and #6 in the IWLCA Coaches Poll.

Individual career records

Reference:

Individual single-season records

Seasons

Postseason Results

The Midshipmen have appeared in 6 NCAA tournaments. Their postseason record, not including play-in games, is 6–6.

References

{{Reflist 2008 establishments in Maryland Lacrosse clubs established in 2008