It was a calm week of Division men’s lacrosse, with the top 11 teams holding the line and retaining their ranking in the Nike/USA Lacrosse Division III Men’s Top 20. There was some movement in the second half, though, as a NESCAC upset highlighted the last week as we move closer to the end of the regular season.
Christopher Newport, last week’s new No. 1, capped an undefeated regular season and will play in the Coast-to-Coast Conference championship game on May 7. RIT, Salisbury, Union and York round out the rest of the top five.
Last week’s action set up a big showdown in the NESCAC between No. 9 Tufts and No. 8 Bowdoin, as they’ll play for the top seed in the conference tournament. In his first year as the Polar Bears’ head coach, Bill Mason could finish the season unbeaten.
Cabrini was the highest ranked team to lose this week, but the Cavaliers nearly pulled off an upset win over Salisbury. The Cavs fell in double overtime but bounced back with a 23-4 win over Gwynedd Mercy the next day.
Gettysburg was one of the few ranked teams to stumble in the Top 20 after losing to Dickinson. The Bullets recovered with a low-scoring 5-3 victory over Muhlenberg on Sunday.
Just a few games remain for most teams as the focus shifts to the postseason. The first set of NCAA Regional Rankings came out last week, offering the first look at what the NCAA tournament field could look like.
NIKE/USA LACROSSE
DIVISION III MEN’S TOP 20
April 25, 2022 |
W/L |
Prev |
Next |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Christopher Newport |
16-0 |
1 |
4/7 vs. TBD |
|
2 |
RIT |
14-1 |
2 |
4/30 at No. 12 St. Lawrence |
|
3 |
Salisbury |
14-1 |
3 |
4/27 at Catholic |
|
4 |
Union |
13-1 |
4 |
4/30 vs. Vassar |
|
5 |
York |
14-2 |
5 |
4/27 vs. No. 14 Stevenson |
|
6 |
Dickinson |
15-0 |
6 |
4/30 at Washington |
|
7 |
St. John Fisher |
12-2 |
7 |
4/30 vs. Russell Sage |
|
8 |
Bowdoin |
14-0 |
8 |
4/27 at No. 9 Tufts |
|
9 |
Tufts |
12-2 |
9 |
4/27 vs. No. 8 Bowdoin |
|
10 |
Cabrini |
12-4 |
10 |
4/27 vs. Scranton |
|
11 |
Lynchburg |
11-4 |
11 |
4/27 vs. Bridgewater |
|
12 |
St. Lawrence |
12-2 |
13 |
4/30 vs. No. 2 RIT |
|
13 |
MIT |
13-0 |
14 |
4/30 vs. Babson |
|
14 |
Stevenson |
11-4 |
15 |
4/27 vs. No. 5 York |
|
15 |
Gettysburg |
10-6 |
12 |
4/30 at No. 20 Ursinus |
|
16 |
Franklin & Marshall |
11-4 |
16 |
4/30 vs. Haverford |
|
17 |
Amherst |
8-5 |
NR |
4/27 vs. Trinity |
|
18 |
Washington and Lee |
8-5 |
19 |
4/27 at Shenandoah |
|
19 |
RPI |
9-4 |
17 |
4/30 vs. Ithaca |
|
20 |
Urinus |
8-6 |
20 |
4/30 vs. No. 15 Gettysburg |
Also considered (alphabetical order): Catholic (10-3), Clarkson (10-5) Grove City (11-4), Denison (11-4), Illinois Wesleyan (10-4), Ithaca (10-5), John Carroll (13-2), Ohio Wesleyan (9-4)
Nike/USA Lacrosse Rankings
Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women
HOT
Bowdoin (no change)
Bill Mason’s success in his first year with Bowdoin has been impressive. A perfect 14-0 start and a chance to earn the top seed in the NESCAC tournament would be massive. The offense has been stellar in its last three games, scoring a combined 72 goals. The Polar Bears need that success to continue ahead of their matchup with Tufts.
NOT
Gettysburg (-3)
The Bullets nearly lost two straight games this week. A 15-9 loss to Dickinson almost turned into consecutive losses, but Gettysburg was able to put together a two-goal win against Muhlenberg. A pair of low-scoring games will make it hard to find momentum in the final push of the season.
IN
Amherst (No. 17)
Amherst jumps back into the Top 20 after winning four straight games in response to a loss to Wesleyan on April 6. The Mammoths have played six ranked teams this season and have one more game left against Trinity.
OUT
Wesleyan (was No. 18)
Wesleyan fell out of the Top 20 after losing to Williams 13-7. The Cardinals have lost two of their last three games with one regular-season game left against Connecticut at home.