Another season is in the books, and once again, Salisbury held the lead when the final whistle blew. The Sea Gulls earned their second straight NCAA championship and 12th overall with Sunday’s 15-7 victory over RIT at Gillette Stadium. With the victory, the Sea Gulls claim the top spot in the final Nike/US Lacrosse NCAA DIII Men’s Top 20 of the season.
RIT, which entered the championship game on a 15-game winning streak, ends the year at No. 2, followed by a Denison team which nearly handed Salisbury its second loss of the season at No. 3, and NESCAC champion and NCAA semifinalist Wesleyan at No. 4. Bates, the only team besides the Sea Gulls to hold the No. 1 spot this spring, rounded out the Top 5.
As always, the NCAA tournament results weigh heavily on the final rankings update of the year, with strong performances by Cortland, Tufts and Lynchburg leading to jumps, while St. Lawrence, Franklin & Marshall and Nazareth dropped after tournament disappointment.
The only newcomer in this final ranking is Elizabethtown, which lost in its tournament opener, but played F&M tough enough to earn the nod over a .500 Middlebury team that missed out on the NCAA field when it couldn’t complete a Cinderella run through the NESCAC tournament.
May 31, 2017 |
W/L |
Prev |
Next |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Salisbury | 22-1 | 1 | Season complete (NCAA champion) |
| 2 | RIT | 20-3 | 2 | Season complete (NCAA runner-up) |
| 3 | Denison | 18-2 | 5 | Season complete (NCAA semifinalist) |
| 4 | Wesleyan | 20-2 | 3 | Season complete (NCAA semifinalist) |
| 5 | Bates | 16-2 | 4 | Season complete (NCAA quarterfinalist) |
| 6 | Cortland | 17-3 | 9 | Season complete (NCAA quarterfinalist) |
| 7 | Tufts | 13-6 | 11 | Season complete (NCAA 3rd round) |
| 8 | Lynchburg | 15-7 | 18 | Season complete (NCAA quarterfinalist) |
| 9 | St. Lawrence | 16-3 | 6 | Season complete (NCAA 3rd round) |
| 10 | York | 17-4 | 7 | Season complete (NCAA 3rd round) |
| 11 | Cabrini | 17-4 | 10 | Season complete (NCAA quarterfinalist) |
| 12 | Amherst | 13-5 | 12 | Season complete (NCAA 3rd round) |
| 13 | Franklin & Marshall | 16-3 | 8 | Season complete (NCAA 3rd round) |
| 14 | Stevenson | 13-6 | 19 | Season complete (NCAA 3rd round) |
| 15 | Nazareth | 11-9 | 13 | Season complete (NCAA 2nd round) |
| 16 | Gettysburg | 11-6 | 14 | Season complete |
| 17 | Ithaca | 13-4 | 15 | Season complete |
| 18 | Dickinson | 12-4 | 16 | Season complete |
| 19 | Hampden-Sydney | 16-6 | 17 | Season complete (NCAA 3rd round) |
| 20 | Elizabethtown | 14-4 | NR | Season complete (NCAA 2nd round) |
HOT
Lynchburg (+10)
Arguably the last team in the tournament after falling to Hampden-Sydney in the ODAC finals, the Hornets made the most of their shot. They took down Sewanee and then upset York in the second round before falling to Denison in the third round.
Stevenson (+5)
Taking on a Nazareth team that got hot at the right time to take the Empire 8 crown and earn its spot in the tournament, the Mustangs dominated en route to a 19-6 victory before bowing out in the next round against RIT.
Cortland (+3)
Feeling the sting of an unexpected SUNYAC finals loss to unranked Plattsburg, the Red Dragons dominated against Endicott and then St. Lawrence to reach the North semifinals. They couldn’t get past RIT, but the run was good enough to bring them back to the spot they held prior to the SUNYAC finals upset.
NOT
Franklin & Marshall (-5)
A close win over Elizabethtown got the Diplomats to the second round of the NCAA tournament and a school record 16th victory. However, Cabrini took a dominating win in the next contest to end their storybook season.
York (-3)
An upset loss to Lynchburg after a resounding win over Colorado College knocks the Spartans out to the edge of the Top 10 as the season closes.
St. Lawrence (-3)
Cortland earned a dominating win over the Saints in their tournament date, becoming the only team besides RIT to get the better of St. Lawrence this spring.
NEW
Elizabethtown
They didn’t win their lone NCAA tournament contest, but the 14-4 Blue Jays played Franklin & Marshall tough in their 11-9 loss to earn a spot at the table.
OUT
Middlebury
A strong run through the NESCAC tournament earned the Panthers a week in the Top 20, but with no chance to add to their resume, they drop out once more as the season closes.