Unbeaten teams reside in the first nine positions of this week's Nike/US Lacrosse Division III Women's Top 20, released today, as eight of those squads escaped last week unscathed to return to the Top 10.
No. 1 TCNJ, No. 2 Middlebury and No. 3 and defending national champion Gettysburg each had little trouble. Only then-No. 9 St. John Fisher, victim of a 12-11 loss to Montclair State in Colorado Springs, Colo., dropped out of the Top 10. Previous No. 4 York finally got beat by Messiah after having beaten the Falcons five straight times, including in last year's NCAA tournament.
Teams ranked 11-20 held onto some positions thanks in part to splitting games against ranked foes, while NESCAC squads Amherst and Wesleyan continue to play well early and ascend.
The week ahead includes several showdowns between nationally ranked teams, including those at neutral sites for spring break. Notably, No. 4 Trinity plays No. 8 Ithaca on Tuesday at US Lacrosse in Sparks, Md., and then visits No. 10 York two days later. Also at US Lacrosse, No. 11 Cortland and No. 12 Catholic face each other Wednesday.
March 12, 2018 |
W/L |
Prev |
Next |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TCNJ | 4-0 | 1 | 3/14 vs. No. 14 Wesleyan |
| 2 | Middlebury | 3-0 | 2 | 3/12 vs. St. Lawrence |
| 3 | Gettysburg | 4-0 | 3 | 3/15 at No. 7 Mary Washington |
| 4 | Trinity | 2-0 | 5 | 3/13 vs. No. 8 Ithaca |
| 5 | Salisbury | 5-0 | 6 | 3/16 vs. Brockport |
| 6 | Tufts | 2-0 | 7 | 3/14 vs. Wellesley |
| 7 | Mary Washington | 7-0 | 8 | 3/15 vs. No. 3 Gettysburg |
| 8 | Ithaca | 3-0 | 10 | 3/13 vs. No. 4 Trinity |
| 9 | Amherst | 3-0 | 15 | 3/13 vs. FDU-Florham |
| 10 | York | 2-1 | 4 | 3/15 vs. No. 4 Trinity |
| 11 | Cortland | 2-1 | 11 | 3/14 vs. No. 12 Catholic |
| 12 | Catholic | 3-2 | 12 | 3/14 vs. No. 11 Cortland |
| 13 | Hamilton | 1-2 | 13 | 3/13 vs. No. 16 Geneseo |
| 14 | Wesleyan | 3-0 | NR | 3/14 at No. 1 TCNJ |
| 15 | Colby | 1-2 | 16 | 3/17 vs. No. 6 Tufts |
| 16 | Geneseo | 2-0 | 18 | 3/13 vs. No. 13 Hamilton |
| 17 | St. John Fisher | 1-1 | 9 | 3/14 at Rochester |
| 18 | Franklin & Marshall | 3-2 | NR | 3/15 vs. St. Mary's |
| 19 | Claremont Mudd Scripps | 5-1 | 17 | 3/12 vs. Stevenson |
| 20 | William Smith | 2-2 | 19 | 3/16 vs. Bard |
Also considered (alphabetical order): Bridgewater, Capital Colorado College, Marymount, Messiah, Stevens, Washington College, Washington & Lee
Nike/US Lacrosse Rankings
Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women
HOT
Amherst (+6)
Amherst started its season with a March 3 win at then-No. 12 Colby, and since has handled with relative ease Keene State and fellow NESCAC rival Bowdoin to move quickly to 3-0. Amherst is averaging 15 goals per game and shouldn't slow down in Florida this week against FDU-Florham and Stevens.
Mary Washington (+1)
At 7-0, the Eagles already have proven to be the class of the commonwealth. Capital Athletic Conference foes linger on the horizon, but only after Thursday's non-league tilt against No. 3 Gettysburg in Fredericksburg.
NOT
St. John Fisher (-8)
Opening play in Colorado Springs, Colo., the Cardinals may have overstayed their welcome. After defeating host Colorado College, something got to Fisher in a 12-11 loss to unheralded Montclair State in what has proven to be the Hawks' lone win in four outings.
IN
Wesleyan
Think we said the same thing about Marymount in this position a week ago: perhaps high for a debut, but a 3-0 mark that includes two wins against NESCAC foes jumps the to No. 14. A borderline-insane road trip continues Wednesday at No. 1 TCNJ and Saturday at No. 2 Middlebury. You read that correctly.
Franklin & Marshall
The Diplomats may have righted their ship, scoring a 9-8 overtime win at No. 11 Cortland in what likely was a must-win game. After a 1-2 start, No. 18 F&M has won two straight and heads to Los Angeles for what appears to be manageable competition.
OUT
Marymount, Meredith
Neither could sustain surprising early success. A 14-5 home loss to Arcadia halted in stunning fashion the Saints' 4-0 start, while the Avenging Angels have dropped three straight following their 5-0 start.