It was a week of carnage atop the Division III men’s lacrosse rankings, as the No. 1, 2, 4 and 5 teams in the Nike/US Lacrosse Top 20 all lost, creating turmoil throughout the table and elevating Bates — the lone remaining unbeaten team in the division — to the No. 1 spot for the first time in school history.
Salisbury had a tough slate this week, defeating then-No. 3 York handily, but then dropping its first of the season in OT to Cabrini. Tufts also suffered its first loss of the year, falling to NESCAC rival Amherst 21-15. Denison, the lone top-five team not to lose this week, survived a scare against Ohio Wesleyan, while Dickinson fell to Gettysburg.
The victory over Dickinson launched the Bullets back into the rankings one week after they dropped out, while Roanoke also returned to the table after improving to 10-3 on the year. They replaced Bowdoin and Vassar in the rankings.
The new No. 1, Bates actually didn’t play last week, carrying its 10-0 mark into a key Tuesday contest against Tufts. The Jumbos will play both the No. 1 Bobcats and No. 10 Wesleyan this week, while No. 7 RIT has a key matchup against No. 12 Ithaca and No. 8 Cabrini will see No. 12 Stevenson at home.
April 17, 2017 |
W/L |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bates | 10-0 | 6 | 4/18 at No. 3 Tufts |
| 2 | Salisbury | 15-1 | 1 | 4/22 vs. CAC Semifinal |
| 3 | Tufts | 11-1 | 2 | 4/18 vs. No. 1 Bates |
| 4 | Denison | 10-1 | 4 | 4/19 at Kenyon |
| 5 | York | 15-2 | 3 | 4/22 vs. CAC Semifinal |
| 6 | RIT | 10-2 | 7 | 4/18 at No. 12 Ithaca |
| 7 | Cortland | 10-1 | 8 | 4/19 at Clarkson |
| 8 | Cabrini | 9-3 | 13 | 4/18 vs. Marywood |
| 9 | St. Lawrence | 11-1 | 9 | 4/18 at Potsdam |
| 10 | Wesleyan | 11-1 | 11 | 4/22 vs. No. 3 Tufts |
| 11 | Amherst | 10-3 | 14 | 4/22 at Williams |
| 12 | Ithaca | 10-2 | 10 | 4/18 vs. No. 6 RIT |
| 13 | Dickinson | 10-2 | 5 | 4/22 at Muhlenberg |
| 14 | Stevenson | 9-3 | 12 | 4/19 vs. Albright |
| 15 | Franklin & Marshall | 10-2 | 15 | 4/22 at Washington College |
| 16 | Gettysburg | 8-5 | NR | 4/16 at McDaniel |
| 17 | Stevens | 10-3 | 17 | 4/19 vs. Utica |
| 18 | Ursinus | 8-3 | 16 | 4/22 vs. Haverford |
| 19 | Roanoke | 10-3 | NR | 4/19 at Bridgewater |
| 20 | Ohio Wesleyan | 8-5 | 20 | 4/18 at DePauw |
Also considered: Aurora, Bowdoin, Catholic, Keene State, Lynchburg, RPI, Vassar, Washington and Lee
Nike/US Lacrosse Rankings
Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women
HOT
Bates (+5)
A big jump for the Bobcats lands them atop the table this week, replacing Salisbury at No. 1 after the Sea Gulls’ loss to Cabrini. At 10-0, they are the lone remaining unbeaten team in Division III, though they face a stiff test on Tuesday against Tufts. Their signature wins to this point include close wins over Middleburg and Bowdoin in their last two games, a 23-17 victory over Amherst and a 15-14 win over Wesleyan, both in March.
Cabrini (+5)
Hand the No. 1 team in the country and defending NCAA champion its first loss of the season, you definitely earn a bump. The Cavaliers vaulted back into the top 10 with their OT victory over Salisbury, which saw them score five of the game’s last six goals, capped by Jake Klein’s game-winner in extra time.
Amherst (+3)
After needing two Its to get by Connecticut College in a midweek contest, Amherst notched its most significant victory of the season with a 21-15 home win over then-No. 2 Tufts on Saturday, rallying to the win by holding the Jumbos to just three second half goals. With Wesleyan moving into the Top 10 this week, that means the Mammoths three losses - to the Cardinals, Bates and RIT - have come against Top 10 teams as things stand today.
NOT
Dickinson (-8)
The Red Devils get the short end of the stick this week. A loss to an always tough Gettysburg team, combined with the shifting sands of Cabrini and Amherst’s big jumps after their wins over No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, cost Dickinson heavily.
Salisbury/Tufts (-1)
The No 1 and No. 2 teams each drop one spot after suffering their first losses. The Jumbos have some key regular season contests remaining given the later start of the NESCAC, while the Sea Gulls await their CAC semifinal opponent, which will be the winner of this week’s Frostburg State-Mary Washington tilt.
NEW
Gettysburg
It was a quick bounce to the hinterlands of the unranked for the Bullets, who jumped right back into the mix by defeating then-No. 5 Dickinson. They also played a close one last week against Haverford, which could have derailed their upward momentum had they not hung on for a 5-4 victory.
Roanoke
Deep into ODAC play at this point, the Maroons make their way back into the rankings at 10-3, having won three straight in convincing fashion since back-to-back losses to Salisbury and Lynchburg knocked them out of the rankings in early April.
OUT
Bowdoin
A pair of losses this week — to good teams (Keene State and Wesleyan), it should be pointed out — leave the Polar Bears on the outside looking in. At 7-5, their best wins are Middlebury, Connecticut College and Williams, but they have fallen to all four currently ranked teams they’ve faced thus far.
Vassar
A brief visit to the rankings ends with a loss to St. Lawrence. Things get no easier this coming week with a trip to Rochester to take on RIT on Saturday, but a win there would obviously go a long way toward moving Vassar right back into the mix.