RIT can once again call itself a national champion after winning its second title in as many years. It wasn’t quite the same nailbiter as the double-overtime win against Salisbury in 2021, but it was a hard-fought win against Liberty League rival Union.
Finishing with a program-record 22 wins, the Tigers become just the sixth Division II men’s team team to win consecutive titles, and they claim the No. 1 spot in the final Nike/USA Lacrosse Division II Men’s Top 20 of the year.
Union finishes as the runner up after losing by just two goals in the title game. Similar to RIT, Union set a program record with 18 wins. It was also the program’s first time advancing past the quarterfinal round.
York, Tufts and Salisbury, respectively, round out the top five.
The Spartans anchored down defensively in the postseason, upsetting Christopher Newport on their way to their first ever semifinal appearance.
Tufts was able to jump Salisbury in the Top 20 thanks to an eight-point performance from Mac Bredahl in the quarterfinals. The Jumbos beat the Seagulls 17-10 in the elite eight.
Christopher Newport dropped to No. 6 after going 2-2 in the last four games. An overtime loss to York was an early exit for the Captains, who spent a few weeks ranked No. 1.
Gettysburg moved into the top 10 after a late-season push. The Bullets handed Dickinson its first loss of the season and made it all the way to the elite eight.
Bowdoin and Cabrini also finished ranked inside the top 10. Both teams lost in the quarterfinals.
Lower in the Top 20, Lynchburg slipped because of a loss to Western New England. MIT, St. Lawrence, St. John Fisher and Wesleyan all managed top-15 finishes, while Dension moved up one spot to make room for Western New England.
Nike/USA Lacrosse Rankings
Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women
NIKE/USA LACROSSE
DIVISION III MEN’S TOP 20
June 8, 2022 |
W/L |
Prev |
Next |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
RIT |
22-1 |
1 |
Season complete |
|
2 |
Union |
18-3 |
7 |
Season complete |
|
3 |
York |
20-3 |
4 |
Season complete |
|
4 |
Tufts |
19-3 |
8 |
Season complete |
|
5 |
Salisbury |
20-2 |
2 |
Season complete |
|
6 |
Christopher Newport |
18-2 |
3 |
Season complete |
|
7 |
Bowdoin |
18-3 |
13 |
Season complete |
|
8 |
Cabrini |
16-5 |
9 |
Season complete |
|
9 |
Gettysburg |
14-8 |
14 |
Season complete |
|
10 |
Dickinson |
19-1 |
5 |
Season complete |
|
11 |
St. Lawrence |
14-5 |
13 |
Season complete |
|
12 |
St. John Fisher |
16-3 |
11 |
Season complete |
|
13 |
MIT |
17-1 |
12 |
Season complete |
|
14 |
Wesleyan |
13-6 |
17 |
Season complete |
|
15 |
Lynchburg |
15-5 |
10 |
Season complete |
|
16 |
Stevenson |
13-6 |
15 |
Season complete |
|
17 |
Franklin & Marshall |
12-4 |
16 |
Season complete |
|
18 |
Amherst |
10-7 |
18 |
Season complete |
|
19 |
Denison |
16-5 |
20 |
Season complete |
|
20 |
Western New England |
15-6 |
NR |
Season complete |