1997 NCAA Division I women's lacrosse tournament

The 1997 NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship was the 16th annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of Division I NCAA women's college lacrosse. The championship game was played at Goodman Stadium in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania during May 1997. All NCAA Division I women's lacrosse programs were eligible for this championship. This year, the tournament field expanded from 6 to 8 teams, the first expansion since 1986.

1997 NCAA Division I women's lacrosse tournament
Dates	May 1997
Teams	8
Finals site	Goodman Stadium Bethlehem, PA
Champions	Maryland (5th title)
Runner-up	Loyola (MD) (1st title game)
Attendance	3,571 finals
NCAA Division I women's tournaments «1996 1998»

Maryland defeated Loyola Maryland, 8–7, to win their fifth and third consecutive, national championship. This would subsequently become the third of Maryland's record seven straight national titles (1995–2001).

The leading scorers for the tournament, each with 10 goals, were Amy Fine from North Carolina and Kerri Johnson from Loyola (MD). The Most Outstanding Player trophy was not awarded this year, although it would be reintroduced in 1998.

Teams

School	Conference	Berth	Record
James Madison	CAA	Automatic	13-4
Loyola (MD)	CAA	At-large	13-2
Maryland	ACC	Automatic	18-1
North Carolina	ACC	At-large	13-3
Penn State	Independent	At-large	10-5
Temple	Independent	At-large	13-2
Virginia	ACC	At-large	14-4
William & Mary	CAA	At-large	10-5

Tournament bracket

	First Round					Semifinals					Finals Goodman Stadium Bethlehem, PA
		Maryland	6
		Penn State	2
							Maryland	9
							Temple	6
		Temple	17
		James Madison	10
												Maryland	8
												Loyola (MD)	7
		North Carolina (3OT)	12
		Virginia	11
							North Carolina	8
							Loyola (MD)	10
		Loyola (MD)	11
		William & Mary	2

Tournament outstanding players

• Kerri Johnson, Loyola (MD)
• Michelle Meyer, Loyola (MD)
• Stephanie Roberts, Loyola (MD)
• Allison Valentino, Loyola (MD)
• Ginette Chelious, Maryland
• Caryl Duckworth, Maryland
• Sarah Forbes, Maryland
• Alex Kahoe, Maryland
• Ryan Laubach, Maryland
• Cathy Nelson, Maryland
• Sascha Newmarch, Maryland
• Sarah Dacey, North Carolina
• Melissa Michaels, Temple

See also

• 1997 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship
• 1997 NCAA Division II Lacrosse Championship
• 1997 NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Championship