It seemed like Le Moyne was clinging on to the top spot in the Division II rankings for the past few weeks, surviving a few close calls to start the season. The Dolphins couldn’t find a way out of another tight one in the snow last weekend, falling to unranked Southern New Hampshire 10-9 on Saturday.
It’s the shocker of the season in the Division II world, and thus, we have a new No. 1 — but not a team that’s unfamiliar with the position. After a few close calls, Limestone has been turning in results reminiscent of the Saints of old, including a 12-7 win over then-No. 3 Lindenwood last weekend.
There was a lot of fluctuation from last week’s rankings, but no huge drops or rises. Still, it’s tough to tell who really has what it takes to make a run.
March 27, 2017 |
W/L |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Limestone | 8-0 | 2 | 3/29 vs. Belmont Abbey |
| 2 | Le Moyne | 6-1 | 1 | 3/28 vs. Saint Rose |
| 3 | Merrimack | 4-1 | 4 | 3/28 vs. Saint Michael's |
| 4 | Mercyhurst | 6-1 | 5 | 4/9 at Wingate |
| 5 | Lindenwood | 7-2 | 3 | 4/1 vs. Indianapolis |
| 6 | NYIT | 6-1 | 8 | 4/1 at LIU Post |
| 7 | Adelphi | 6-1 | 9 | 4/1 vs. Merrimack |
| 8 | Lenoir-Rhyne | 8-1 | 10 | 4/1 vs. Lenoir-Rhyne |
| 9 | Pace | 4-1 | 7 | 4/1 vs. Saint Anselm |
| 10 | Belmont Abbey | 7-2 | 6 | 3/29 at Limestone |
| 11 | Tampa | 8-3 | 13 | 4/1 vs. Lynn |
| 12 | Mount Olive | 6-2 | 14 | 3/29 vs. Chowan |
| 13 | Seton Hill | 3-3 | 11 | 3/28 at Davis & Elkins |
| 14 | Saint Leo | 8-2 | 12 | 4/1 at Rollins |
| 15 | Mercy | 6-2 | 17 | 3/29 at Chestnut Hill |
| 16 | Colorado Mesa | 8-2 | 15 | 3/31 at Adams State |
| 17 | Southern New Hampshire | 3-2 | N/A | 3/28 at Bentley |
| 18 | Saint Anselm | 3-1 | 19 | 3/29 at Franklin Pierce |
| 19 | Bentley | 3-1 | 20 | 3/28 vs. Southern New Hampshire |
| 20 | Wingate | 7-2 | N/A | 3/29 at Queens (N.C.) |
ALSO CONSIDERED: MOLLOY, QUEENS (N.C.), LYNN , LAKE ERIE, CHESTNUT HILL, FLORIDA SOUTHERN, LIU POST, ROLLINS, FLORIDA TECH
HOT
Adelphi (+2)
Adelphi started the season around where it stands today, but it took five straight wins to get back. After falling to Lynn last month, Adelphi put together a win streak that includes games over LIU Post (who is admittedly down this year) and a Southern New Hampshire team that looks much better than we thought.
Tampa (+2)
It was a rough start for Tampa this season, but it looks like the Spartans are slowly finding their way. Tampa has beaten quality teams like Westminster (Ut.), Colorado Mesa and Rollins in the past two weeks. If you factor in that all three of the Spartans’ losses came to top 10 teams, it doesn’t look all that bad.
NOT
Belmont Abbey (-4)
A week ago, Belmont Abbey was one of the hottest teams in the country, beating ranked teams left and right. However, a mid-week loss to Wingate put a halt to any momentum the Crusaders had. They’ll get Limestone and Lenoir-Rhyne this week, which could tell a lot about where this team really stands.
NEW
Southern New Hampshire
It’s hard not to take a good look at Southern New Hampshire after it took down No. 1 Le Moyne. The Penmen certainly made the jump because of the win, but the only two blemishes on this team’s record are losses to Merrimack and Adelphi. There’s still a lot we don’t know about Southern New Hampshire, but it has one huge win and two losses to top 10 teams.
Wingate
Wingate had been sitting in the “also considered” category for much of the season, but a win over Belmont Abbey vaults the Bulldogs into the top 20. They’re 7-2 win losses by a combined three goals.
OUT
Lynn
This might be a case of Lynn jumping too high in the rankings too early. A win over Adelphi was a highlight early in the season, but the Fighting Knights have lost four of five games, with the lone win coming to Walsh.
Queens (N.C.)
This team was in the same boat as Wingate, waiting for its time to jump into the rankings, but it never had a strong hold on a spot. A loss to Lincoln Memorial last weekend moves Queens out of the top 20 for now, but it gets Wingate this week.