Limestone finished on top of NCAA Division II men's lacrosse once again. The Saints got by Wingate and Tampa en route to a meeting with Merrimack — the only team to beat them this season — at Gillette Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
And for the third time in four years, Limestone and coach J.B. Clarke prevailed to win the NCAA title. Thus, it also finishes the 2017 season as the No. 1 team in the Nike/US Lacrosse Top 20.
Merrimack's strong season ended with its first appearance in the natonal title game, an achievement that earned the Warriors the No. 2 spot in the rankings. Also moving up was Tampa, which upset Lenoir-Rhyne en route to a close loss to Limestone in the semifinals.
May 31, 2017 |
W/L |
Prev |
Next |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Limestone | 21-1 | 1 | Season complete (NCAA champion) |
| 2 | Merrimack | 15-4 | 4 |
Season complete (NCAA runner-up)
|
| 3 | Adelphi | 15-4 | 3 |
Season complete (NCAA semifinalist)
|
| 4 | Le Moyne | 14-3 | 2 |
Season complete (NCAA 1st round)
|
| 5 | Tampa | 15-5 | 7 |
Season complete (NCAA semifinalist)
|
| 6 | Pace | 12-4 | 5 |
Season complete (NCAA 1st round)
|
| 7 | Lenoir-Rhyne | 12-3 | 6 | Season complete (NCAA 1st round) |
| 8 | Mercyhurst | 12-3 | 8 | Season complete |
| 9 | NYIT | 14-3 | 9 |
Season complete
|
| 10 | Wingate | 13-3 | 14 |
Season complete (NCAA 1st round)
|
| 11 | Lindenwood | 16-2 | 10 |
Season complete
|
| 12 | Colorado Mesa | 12-4 | 11 |
Season complete
|
| 13 | Seton Hill | 12-5 | 12 |
Season complete
|
| 14 | Belmont Abbey | 13-3 | 13 | Season complete |
| 15 | Mercy | 12-5 | 15 |
Season complete
|
| 16 | Mount Olive | 11-5 | 16 |
Season complete
|
| 17 | Saint Anselm | 8-6 | 17 |
Season complete
|
| 18 | Queens (N.C.) | 10-7 | 18 |
Season complete
|
| 19 | Florida Tech | 8-7 | 19 |
Season complete
|
| 20 | Southern New Hampshire | 9-6 | 20 |
Season complete
|
ALSO CONSIDERED: MOLLOY, LAKE ERIE , ROLLINS, TUSCULUM, FLORIDA SOUTHERN, LIU POST,, SAINT LEO, BENTLEY, INDIANAPOLIS, CHESTNUT HILL
HOT
Limestone (+1)
It’s hard not to peg the Division II champions as being hot. Maybe it was just that the Saints were better than everyone else in the nation, but they ran off three straight wins for the Division II crown. Charlie Sheehan and Cole Aikens led the Limestone offense, fueled by the best faceoff man in the country in Kevin Reisman.
Tampa (+2)
The Spartans had a rough start to the 2017 season, but turned it around considerably thanks to the nation’s leading scorer in Andrew Kew and leading assist man Connor Whipple. An upset win over Lenoir-Rhyne and a two-goal loss to Limestone isn’t a bad way to go out.
NOT
Le Moyne (-2)
It was a tough way to end the season for the defending champs. After beating Merrimack in the NE-10 tournament, the Dolphins fell in the first round to the eventual NCAA runner-up by five goals.