The ground rules are simple. Take the latest Laxnumbers national rankings (on 6/14/23) and exclude schools from the following places: New York, Maryland, New Jersey, District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Delaware and Connecticut.

Why do this?

I’ve been critical of how the Northeast continues to hog pretty much all the Top 25 spots in the Inside Lacrosse Poll, and without their regional polls, there’s a TON of schools that are not getting much recognition for their great seasons nationally. For those wondering, Laxnumbers has a proprietary software program for rankings similar to the old Lax Power approach, and I thought we’d make a few points:

1. If there are no IL regional polls anymore, it would be nice to expand from 25 to 40 to give schools outside the Northeast some love they are not being given now
2. How do the new hotbeds stack up against each other
3. Take the heat in case there’s anger I am doing this . . . send in your complaints to me at lee@floridalacrossenews.com

One more ground rule. This is NOT a dig at IL or Alyssa Murray/IL Women’s Staff, who put in a ton of work and thought into this Poll and their recruiting rankings, and no one should take it that way. I am always a supporter of their work even if I don’t always agree with his conclusions. There are only so many resources available in the lacrosse world now and hopefully over time, we keep expanding that as the sport’s TV ratings and online viewership continues to grow.

Here we go!

The Laxnumbers.com Girls National Top 40 Outside of the Northeast!

1. American Heritage-Delray (FL)
2. Colorado Academy (CO)
3. San Ramon Valley (CA)
4. Cardinal Gibbons (NC)
5. Hockaday (TX)
6. Bishop England (NC)
7. Milton (GA)
8. Blessed Trinity (GA)
9. Olentangy Liberty (OH)
10. St. Annes-Berlfield (VA)
11. St. Ignatius Prep (CA)
12. Oak Ridge (CA)
13. Upper Arlington (OH)
14. Paul VI (VA)
15. Loyola Academy (IL)
16. Lake Highland Prep (FL)
17. Bartram Trail (FL)
18. Valor Christian (CO)
19. Creekview (GA)
20. Torrey Pines (CA)
21. Foothill Santa Ana (CA)
22. Dublin Coffman (OH)
23. St. Stephens & St. Agnes (VA)
24. New Trier (IL)
25. Regis Jesuit (CO)
26. Sacred Heart Prep (CA)
27. Charlotte Catholic (NC)
28. West Forsyth (GA)
29. Hagerty (FL)
30. Tamalpais (CA)
31. Steinbrenner (FL)
32. Ponte Vedra (FL)
33. Bishop Ireton (VA)
34. Cherry Creek (CO)
35. Collegiate School (VA)
36. Thunder Ridge (CO)
37. IMG Academy (FL)
38. Fairview (CO)
39. Potomac School (VA)
40. Harpeth Hall (TN)

Honorable Mention:

1. Cambridge (GA)
2. Dominion (VA)
3. Sacred Heart Academy (KY)
4. North Paulding (GA)
5. Walton (GA)
6. Indian Hill (OH)
7. Sycamore (OH)
8. Anderson (TX)
9. Ensworth (TN)
10. Alpharetta (GA)