Scaling the mountain is the easy part.
F&M coach Anne Phillips directs traffic at Diplomats' lacrosse practice on Wednesday.
F&M players work on drills while preparing for the Final Four at practice Wednesday.
F&M players prepare for their semifinal game against The College of New Jersey at practice Wednesday.
F&M is out to defend its Division III national championship.
Staying there is tricky.
Last spring, Franklin & Marshall's women's lacrosse team reached the summit of the NCAA Division III mountain, winning the national championship with a perfect 21-0 record.
Now they're looking for an encore.
The Diplomats are back in the final four this season with an 18-1 record and a No. 3 ranking in the Intercollege Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association poll. They've gotten there despite the loss of two starters to knee injuries.
And with two more wins, they'll maintain their perch atop the mountain.
The first team standing in their way is The College of New Jersey. F&M will meet the Lions on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at Roanoke College in Salem, Va.
"We'd love matching rings," F&M midfielder Shannon Summers said. "We're thrilled to have the opportunity to go to the Final Four again, and we really want to repeat."
The other semifinal features top-ranked Salisbury (22-0) — the team F&M beat in last year's finale — against No. 4 Hamilton (19-1).
The title match is Sunday at noon, and will be televised by CBS College Sports.
"My goal when I came to F&M was to win the national championship at least twice," Diplomats' coach Anne Phillips said. "The first one, a lot of people will probably say we were lucky. The second one, we're going to put to rest that notion."
F&M, in the NCAA Tournament for the 10th time in the history of the program, has not played TCNJ since 2004, and the Diplomats have never defeated the Lions, who are in the national semifinals for the 23rd time in the last 24 years and are ranked second in the nation in the IWLCA poll.
But F&M, which has outscored its opponents 299-116, has the weapons to keep TCNJ's defense occupied — and the scoreboard operator busy.
"I think we have the scariest offense in all of Division III," Phillips said. "We want everyone participating on offense and for everyone to be a threat. That's what makes us dangerous.
"TCNJ is a little more dependant on a few players, and if you can neutralize those players, it really neutralizes their offense."
F&M's offense is spearheaded by four players with 60 or more points this season: attack Blake Hargest (44 goals, 39 assists, 83 points), Summers (34-45-79), attack Jen Pritchard (67-11-78) and midfielder Sarah Meisenberg (37-32-69).
Pritchard and Meisenberg were All-American picks last season.
This season, F&M's lone loss was to Salisbury — a 9-7 setback March 29 in Maryland.
The Diplomats also handed Hamilton its only loss of this season — 14-13 — and then went on to win the Centennial Conference for the second year in a row. They followed that up with wins over Babson and Amherst in the NCAA regional round to reach the final four.
Now they have to tame the Lions.
"TCNJ is a quick, scrappy team," Summers said. "But I think our defense is ready for that. We won't change much. Our attack and our defense are in place. We have to make them adjust to us."
TCNJ (17-1) has outscored its opponents 270-99, and is led by midfielder Karen Doane, who has a team-high 62 goals and 76 points.
"TCNJ is a very fast team, and they like to drive," Hargest said. "In our conference we're used to playing teams that like to pass a lot. TCNJ like to run and gun. But we're ready to rock and roll."
And try and stay on top of the mountain for another year.
"We have the team that can do it," Phillips said. "And we've put ourselves in a great position to win it again. There are 174 teams in Division III and we're one of the top four. And I think we can finish it."
Getting ready for the Final Four
Sports writer Jeffrey Reinhart can be reached at jreinhart@LNPnews.com or 291-8777.
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