IRVING, Texas – After closing the regular season with a 16-game winning streak, including a 6-0 mark in conference play, James Madison claimed the outright regular-season conference title and the No. 1 seed for the 2023 American Athletic Conference Women’s Lacrosse Championship, which takes place May 4 and 6 at Howarth Field in Philadelphia.
 
Ranked No. 5 in this week’s ILWomen-IWLCA poll, the Dukes capped their first season in The American with a 19-5 win against East Carolina Saturday, improving to 16-1 overall and bringing the nation’s second-longest active winning streak into The American Championship.
 
James Madison will face No. 4-seeded Cincinnati in the tournament opener May 4 at 4:30 p.m. ET. The Bearcats, who were idle Saturday, went 3-3 in The American (10-7 overall), and picked up the No. 4 seed when Temple fell to Vanderbilt in the conference’s regular-season finale. Cincinnati is making its third appearance in The American Championship after the Bearcats reached the championship final in 2019 and fell in the semifinals in 2021.
 
Thursday’s second semifinal will pit No. 2-seeded Florida against No. 3-seeded East Carolina at 7:15 p.m. ET. 
 
The Gators have won all three previous American Athletic Conference tournament titles and will play as the No. 2 seed for the first time after they went 14-3 overall and 5-1 in The American during the regular season. Florida is ranked No. 8 in the national polls and takes a nine-game winning streak into the postseason.
 
East Carolina went 10-7 overall and 3-3 in The American in the regular season, finishing tied with Cincinnati and earning the No. 3 seed based on its head-to-head win against the Bearcats. The Pirates, who are playing in The American Championship for the second consecutive season, will look for their first win in the conference tournament. 
 
The 2023 Championship will be The American’s fourth postseason tournament in women’s lacrosse. Florida has won the first three conference tournament titles, defeating Cincinnati 15-9 in the 2019, topping Temple 19-4 in 2021 and beating Vanderbilt 18-7 last season. The 2020 tournament was canceled.
 
All three games of The American Championship will be available on ESPN+. The most up-to-date information on the tournament will be available on the conference’s Championship Central site.
 
 
 
2023 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE WOMEN’S LACROSSE CHAMPIONSHIP
May 4 and 6 | Howarth Field | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
 
All games on ESPN+
 

Semifinals | Thursday, May 4
No. 4 Cincinnati (11-6) vs. No. 1 James Madison (16-1)	4:30 p.m.
No. 3 East Carolina (10-7) vs. No. 2 Florida (14-3)	7:15 p.m.
Final | Saturday, May 6
Semifinal winners	Noon

 
 
 
all times Eastern