Oregon women’s lacrosse’s goals are about to get even more ambitious.
The Ducks have repeatedly expressed throughout the season that they’re hungry to contend among the best of the Pac-12. They’ve shown that they’re a team on the rise with alumna Jess Drummond at the helm and with a set of strong performances early.
The problem is that Oregon is about to make the move to arguably the best conference in collegiate lacrosse — the Big Ten. Below are some of the top programs the Ducks will face starting in 2025, and what to expect for a young Oregon program moving forward.
Rutgers
The Scarlet Knights gave the Ducks a taste of what the Big Ten will look like when they delivered Oregon’s only non-conference loss on March 3. The Ducks got off to a blazing start to their 2024 season and the defeat wasn’t just a wake-up call to the tough road ahead this season. A 15-7 Rutgers victory revealed what lies ahead in Oregon’s future.
While the Scarlet Knights looked dominant against the Ducks, they started their season 5-4, losing their first two conference games. A team that Oregon struggled against is currently at the bottom of the Big Ten standings.
Northwestern
If there’s any question about the strength of competition in the Big Ten, just take a look at the Wildcats. Not only has Northwestern won eight different national championships, but it’s made 24 separate NCAA Tournaments.
Head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller built the program into a national powerhouse when she took over in 2002. Now, the Wildcats are both the reigning conference champions and national champions. They don’t appear to be slowing down any time soon. Oregon may not be able to contend with Northwestern right away, but the Wildcats set the standard for the conference the Ducks aspire to conquer.
Michigan
The Wolverines are currently atop the Big Ten standings early into the conference season. Michigan went undefeated in its first 11 games of 2024 to earn a spot at No. 2 in the Women’s Coaches Association Top 25 Poll.
The Wolverines only promoted its lacrosse team from club to varsity in 2011, so its accomplishments have been recent. Still, Michigan is rolling in this season and looks like a lock for another NCAA Tournament appearance. For an Oregon program that wants to work its way into the top 25 rankings in the coming years, the Wolverines provide hope for what that may look like.
Maryland
The Terrapins are the most successful program in the history of women’s collegiate lacrosse with 14 titles. They’ve won three national championships since joining the Big Ten in 2015 and that success has continued this season. Maryland is the No. 2 ranked team in the nation after 10 games. The Terrapins’ only loss came in overtime earlier in the season against Florida.
The Ducks will also join Johns Hopkins, Ohio State and Penn State in the Big Ten. USC will be the other Pac-12 program moving to the Big Ten next season. Including the Trojans, five Big Ten programs currently rank in the top 25.
Oregon has struggled against Power Five opponents this season. It lost its first two games of the Pac-12 season, as well as the defeat to Rutgers. Soon, the Ducks will travel across the country to face the best teams in the country on a weekly basis. For a team that has the desire to win conference championships, a shift to the Big Ten is a major bump in the road to achieving that. At the same time, a program has to beat the best to be the best.
There will be a lot of growing pains in Oregon’s future. The conference change likely won’t be easy at first, but it provides the Ducks with the opportunity to learn from playing NCAA Tournament caliber teams on the regular. Some of lacrosse’s biggest powerhouses are Big Ten programs that quickly rose to national prominence. Now, Oregon has the chance to do the same by proving itself against those teams.
