The NESCAC is back.
Amherst, Tufts, Williams and Wesleyan started their seasons on the right foot with victories. Offenses clicked around the conference. Tufts looked especially impressive in a 27-7 win over Colby. The Wesleyan offense also looked strong, and the Cardinals jumped six spots in the Nike/USA Lacrosse Division III Men’s Top 20 after a 22-goal performance.
Elsewhere, Gettysburg received a boost after beating Stevenson. A win against a ranked opponent moved the Bullets inside the top 15 for the first time this season.
This week also featured a handful of top 5 matchups. RIT took care of business against York, and Lynchburg suffered their first loss of the season against Salisbury. The no. 1 and 2 teams in the country looked deserving of their ranking after winning comfortably against two tough opponents.
A handful of schools also slipped in the standings this week. The losses for Lynchburg and York pushed them out of the top 5, but the quality of their opponents keeps them inside the top 10. Illinois Wesleyan lost by one goal to Hope on Wednesday, which knocked them back to No. 19.
Here’s how the entire Top 20 looks now that every team included has played at least one game.
NIKE/USA LACROSSE
DIVISION III MEN’S TOP 20
March 7, 2022 |
W/L |
Prev |
Next |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Salisbury |
5-0 |
1 |
3/9 vs. Ohio Northern |
|
2 |
RIT |
3-0 |
2 |
3/9 at Stevens |
|
3 |
Tufts |
1-0 |
3 |
3/9 at Springfield |
|
4 |
Christopher Newport |
5-0 |
5 |
3/9 vs. No. 17 Ursinus |
|
5 |
Franklin & Marshall |
4-0 |
6 |
3/9 vs. Kenyon |
|
6 |
St. John Fisher |
3-0 |
8 |
3/9 at Florida Southern |
|
7 |
Williams |
1-0 |
12 |
3/9 vs. No. 16 Union |
|
8 |
Lynchburg |
3-1 |
4 |
3/12 vs. St. Mary's |
|
9 |
York |
2-1 |
5 |
3/12 vs. No. 1 Salisbury |
|
10 |
Denison |
3-0 |
15 |
3/12 at No. 15 Stevenson |
|
11 |
John Carroll |
3-0 |
16 |
3/9 at Grove City |
|
12 |
Wesleyan |
1-0 |
18 |
3/9 at SUNY Maritime |
|
13 |
Dickinson |
4-0 |
16 |
3/9 vs. Elizabethtown |
|
14 |
Gettysburg |
3-1 |
NR |
3/11 vs. Ohio Northern |
|
15 |
Stevenson |
2-1 |
10 |
3/12 vs. No. 10 Denison |
|
16 |
Union |
3-0 |
NR |
3/9 at No. 7 Williams |
|
17 |
Ursinus |
2-1 |
NR |
3/9 at No. 4 Christopher Newport |
|
18 |
Ohio Wesleyan |
2-0 |
19 |
3/8 at Roanoke |
|
19 |
Illinois Wesleyan |
3-1 |
11 |
3/13 at No. 4 Christopher Newport |
|
20 |
Amherst |
1-0 |
NR |
3/12 at No. 3 Tufts |
Also considered (alphabetical order): Cabrini (2-2), Catholic (3-2), Ithaca (3-1), SUNY Cortland (1-2)
Nike/USA Lacrosse Rankings
Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women
HOT
St. John Fisher (+2)
The Cardinals stared down two matchups against ranked teams last week, and they took care of business in both games. Double-digit wins over SUNY Cortland and St. Lawrence helped them make a jump in the Top 20. Senior Ian Evans scored five goals against Cortland, and the Cardinals had nine different goal scorers in a 14-4 win over St. Lawrence.
NOT
Stevenson (-5)
After winning their first two games, the Mustangs hit their first road block after losing to Gettysburg. They scored seven of their nine goals in the first quarter, allowing the Bullets to hang on and win by three. The loss marked the first game of a month with major implications for Stevenson — four of the team’s five remaining games in March are against ranked opponents.
IN
Gettysburg (No. 14)
A win against a ranked opponent moves Gettysburg into the Top 20, and just narrowly inside the top 15. The Bullets are 3-1, with their only blemish being a five-goal loss to top-ranked Salisbury.
Union (No. 16)
A perfect 3-0 start has helped propel Union into this week’s rankings. Dan Donahue has had a solid start between the pipes, boasting 37 saves and just 19 goals allowed.
Ursinus (No. 17)
After losing their first game of the season to Stevenson, the Bears have responded by winning their last two. Ursinus has been close to making the jump into the Top 20 and finally did this week, but tougher challenges lie ahead with Christopher Newport up next.
Amherst (No. 20)
A handful of losses inside the Top 20, coupled with Amherst’s first win of the season, allowed the Mammoths to sneak into the rankings. The accomplishment could be short lived, though, as they head to Tufts next weekend.
OUT
Cabrini (was No. 17)
The Cavaliers fell to 2-2 after losing to Dickinson 9-7. It’s been a rocky start for Cabrini, but its only losses are against ranked teams.
Catholic (was No. 20)
The Cardinals’ time in the Top 20 was short after a 10-goal loss to Christopher Newport. Cameron Dunn was a bright spot for Catholic after he registered his first career hat trick.
St. Lawrence (was No. 15)
St. Lawrence falls out after a 14-4 loss to St. John Fisher. The loss moves the Saints to 1-1 with a chance to win some favorable matchups on the schedule in March.
SUNY Cortland (was No. 9)
A tough week for Cortland saw the Red Dragons drop two games. They fell to 1-2 after losses to St. John Fisher (a loss you can understand) and Scranton (a team that was 1-2 entering the contest). They take on Cabrini next week in a battle of teams looking to find their way back into the Top 20.