NEW YORK – The bracket for the 2023 BIG EAST Women’s Lacrosse Championship presented by JEEP was set on Saturday, the final day of the regular season as third-ranked Denver clinched the No. 1 seed. The Pioneers also claimed their fourth consecutive regular-season title outright with a 12-5 victory over Marquette. The Golden Eagles are the No. 2 seed in the BIG EAST Championship, followed by No. 3 seed Connecticut and No. 4 seed Villanova. Marquette is currently ranked 24th and the Huskies are No. 23 in the IWLCA Division I Poll while Villanova is receiving votes.
UConn will serve as host of the three-game event, which is slated for May 5 and 7 at Joseph J. Morrone Stadium. The winner of the BIG EAST Championship receives the conference’s automatic bid into the 2023 NCAA Championship.
Semifinal action kicks off on Thursday as No. 2 seed Marquette plays No. 3 seed UConn in a top-25 match-up at 1 p.m. ET. No. 1 seed Denver against No. 4 seed Villanova will follow at 4 p.m. Both semifinal games will be streamed live on the BIG EAST Digital Network on FloSports. The semifinal winners advance to Saturday’s title match which is set for a 12 p.m. start airing on FS2.
Denver (17-0, 6-0 BIG EAST) went undefeated in conference play for the fourth consecutive year and are the only undefeated team left in the country. The No. 3 Pioneers are making their sixth trip to the BIG EAST Championship and are 7-3 (.700) all-time in the tournament, winning their second consecutive title in 2022. Denver has a 2-0 record all-time against Villanova, defeating the Wildcats in the semifinals in 2019 and 2021. The Pioneers won the 2023 regular season meeting with Villanova, 17-4, at home.
Marquette (15-2, 5-1) is making its fourth appearance in the BIG EAST Championship and eyes its first postseason win. The Golden Eagles have made tournament appearances in 2022, 2019 and 2018. This is the first time Marquette will play the Huskies in the postseason. The Golden Eagles defeated UConn, 12-9, in the regular season match-up.
UConn (11-5, 4-2) is making its seventh trip to the BIG EAST Championship and is 2-6 (.250) all-time in the tournament. The Huskies finished as the tournament’s runner-up in both 2021 and 2015.
Villanova (11-5, 3-3) is back in the BIG EAST Championship for the first time since 2021. The Wildcats are making their third tournament appearance and are seeking their first postseason victory.
For more information on the 2023 BIG EAST Women’s Lacrosse Championship, visit Championship Central.
BIG EAST Women’s Lacrosse Championship
Presented by JEEP
Semifinals – May 5 – BEDN
No. 2 seed Marquette vs. No. 3 seed UConn, 1 p.m.
No. 1 seed Denver vs. No. 4 seed Villanova, 4 p.m.
Final – May 7 – FS2
Semifinal winners, 12 p.m.
All times Eastern
All games played at Joseph J. Morrone Stadium – Storrs, Conn.