A wild weekend across the Division III lacrosse world sees Ithaca and Middlebury burst into the Nike/US Lacrosse Division III Men’s Top 20. Ithaca downed defending national champion Cabrini, and Middlebury finds itself atop the NESCAC standings.
That’s not all, though, as Centennial Conference teams Franklin & Marshall, Gettysburg and Ursinus all continue to impress. Same goes for Salisbury and RIT, which hold onto the top two spots, respectively. Another massive headline was Tufts emerging victorious from a NESCAC bout against Amherst, the national runner-up in 2019.
Here’s how the landscape is shaping up with the Mustang Classic on the horizon next weekend. The season’s heating up, folks.
Nike/US Lacrosse
Division III Men’s Top 20
March 9, 2020 |
W/L |
Prev |
Next |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Salisbury | 6-0 | 1 | 3/9 vs. Rhodes |
| 2 | RIT | 4-0 | 2 | 3/13 vs. No. 15 St. Lawrence |
| 3 | Tufts | 3-0 | 5 | 3/10 vs. No. 20 Ithaca |
| 4 | Williams | 3-0 | 3 | 3/11 vs. RPI |
| 5 | Amherst | 2-1 | 4 | 3/10 at Endicott |
| 6 | Denison | 4-0 | 7 | 3/13 vs. Dickinson |
| 7 | Ursinus | 6-0 | 9 | 3/11 vs. Stockton |
| 8 | Gettysburg | 5-1 | 12 | 3/11 at Washington and Lee |
| 9 | Cabrini | 3-1 | 6 | 3/10 vs. Hampden-Sydney |
| 10 | Union | 3-1 | 10 | 3/11 vs. No. 14 St. John Fisher |
| 11 | York | 4-2 | 8 | 3/13 vs. Ohio Wesleyan |
| 12 | Franklin & Marshall | 3-1 | 13 | 3/13 at Stevenson |
| 13 | Wesleyan | 2-1 | 11 | 3/11 vs. Scranton |
| 14 | St. John Fisher | 3-1 | 15 | 3/11 at No. 10 Union |
| 15 | St. Lawrence | 3-0 | 14 | 3/13 vs. No. 2 RIT |
| 16 | Christopher Newport | 5-1 | 18 | 3/13 vs. No. 18 Lynchburg |
| 17 | Cortland | 2-1 | 16 | 3/10 vs. Morrisville St. |
| 18 | Lynchburg | 2-3 | 19 | 3/13 vs. No. 17 Christopher Newport |
| 19 | Middlebury | 2-0 | NR | 3/10 vs. Plattsburgh |
| 20 | Ithaca | 2-2 | NR | 3/10 at No. 3 Tufts |
Also considered (alphabetical order): Colorado College, Dickinson, Elizabethtown, Rhodes, RPI, Stockton, Stevens, Stevenson, Washington and Lee
Nike/US Lacrosse Rankings
Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women
Hot
Tufts (+2)
The Jumbos’ high-profile meeting against Amherst on Saturday didn’t disappoint, as a seven-point day from sophomore Mac Bredahl paced a 25-15 win over their NESCAC rival. Matt Trieber, Nick Shanks and Garrett Samuelson all hit the five-point mark as Tufts’ four-game season-opening homestand nears its end. After hosting Ithaca on Tuesday, Tufts won’t return home until April 4 against Connecticut College.
Gettysburg (+4)
The Bullets have won three straight away from home, though it’s their 7-6 overtime win at York last Wednesday that’s turning heads. The Centennial Conference side secured the upset courtesy of freshman Connor Koch’s overtime goal. Gettysburg followed with a 12-10 dispatch of Widener. Aside from an 11-5 loss to Salisbury earlier this year, the Bullets look good.
Not
Cabrini (-3)
Down goes the defending national champion. The Cavaliers lost for the first time since March 27 of last year, dropping an 11-9 contest at Ithaca to end an 18-game winning streak. The good news for Cabrini is it returns to Edith Robb Dixon Field for a five-game homestand that should portend a return to winning ways.
York (-3)
The Spartans certainly aren’t a bad team. They’re just more fallible than years past. Last weekend’s 7-6 overtime loss against Gettysburg at home was disappointing, as was their 12-11 loss against Stevenson in late February. The optimist would say those were only one-goal losses and a new-look team should only mature as Capital Athletic Conference play comes around. They also shellacked Lycoming, 18-5, over the weekend to reset before Mustang Classic games this coming weekend
In
Middlebury (No. 19)
The Panthers break through into the Top 20 after opening their season with back-to-back NESCAC wins over Bowdoin and Connecticut College. They have five players who have recorded eight points, showing just how balanced this year’s team is. Middlebury should take care of business in upcoming games against Plattsburgh and Trinity, but then a taxing stretch starts against RPI on March 17.
Ithaca (No. 20)
The Bombers shocked the D-III lacrosse world, recording a 11-9 victory over 2019 national champion Cabrini. Connor Till led with four points, and he deposited the eventual game-winner with over eight minutes left in regulation. It’s been an up-and-down start for this Liberty League program, though perhaps they can use this historic win as a springboard towards consistency. Ithaca hadn’t previously beaten a top-five team in the USILA Coaches Poll since 2016.
Out
Stevens (previously No. 20)
The Ducks were the odd one out this week after a 14-8 loss at home against Salisbury. The result soured a five-point outburst from Ryan Gebhardt, as Stevens had few solutions for the vaunted trio of Cross Ferrara, Griffin Moroney and Josh Melton. The MAC Freedom side should take care of business Wednesday against Montclair State, but then another test awaits next weekend against Tufts.
Stevenson (previously No. 17)
The Mustang Classic hosts suffered their second one-goal loss of the year, dropping a 14-13 decision at Christopher Newport. They trailed by three deep into the fourth quarter and couldn’t cap a late rally after Will Smith had a four-goal showing and Ethan Christensen posted five assists. Stevenson plays arguably the toughest schedule in D-III, and things won’t lighten up until a March 25 MAC Commonwealth opener at Albright.