GPS External Load Metric Data And Game Performance In NCAA Division I Women’s Lacrosse Athletes

Women’s lacrosse is a rapidly growing, physically demanding sport with limited research in sport science. The implementation of Global Positioning System (GPS) data has become crucial for monitoring athlete performance. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), such as total distance (TD), high speed distance (HSD), low speed distance (LSD), and total player load (TPL) are vital for analyzing women's lacrosse athletes. This data assists sport scientists and coaches in improving training techniques to enhance athletes’ physical capabilities. PURPOSE: To explore the relationship between TD, HSD, LSD, and TPL, and game outcomes (wins, losses) across a 17-game women’s lacrosse season. METHODS: Participation included all members of a collegiate lacrosse team (n = 33). Data were collected using Catapult Vector S7 units. Mean team KPIs were computed for each game, totaling five wins and 12 losses. Statistical analyses were conducted using MATLAB (2023b). RESULTS: A) Initial analyses included: a) Wins: MTD = 5807.43, SD = 2734.44; MHSD = 1596.20, SD = 882.80; MLSD = 4215.33, SD = 1997.77; MTPL = 636.66, SD = 315.39 and b) Losses: MTD = 5335.81, SD = 2758.44; MHSD = 1363.56, SD = 872.49; MLSD = 3970.35, SD = 1996.08; MTPL = 577.70, SD = 312.76 and B) T-tests: a) tTD​(489) = 1.729, p = .084, d = 0.171, 95% CI [-62.35, 1005.57]; b) tHSD​(489) = 2.681, p = .008, d = 0.266, 95% CI [61.28, 403.99]; c) tLSD​(483) = 1.227, p = .220, d = 0.123, 95% CI [-147.45, 637.41]; and d) tTPL​(489) = 1.897, p = .058, d = 0.188, 95% CI [-2.32, 120.24]. CONCLUSIONS: The analysis reveals a statistically and practically significant difference in HSD highlighting its impact in real-world scenarios. While TD and TPL exhibit trends suggesting potential significance, these results are not conclusively significant. LSD shows no statistically significant difference between wins and losses. These outcomes may underline the importance of high speed in match outcome. However, it's crucial to interpret these findings along with the coaching staff and within a broader context, including factors like physiological strain, injury prevalence, scheduling, and fatigue levels. Future research (e.g., player-level analysis) should consider the limitations of this study, including its focus on a single season and team, to further understand these dynamics in women's lacrosse.