The Division III lacrosse community received great news last week, when it was announced that NESCAC teams would return to action.
But not everyone’s dipping their toe into the water, as the conference left it up to individual teams to decide whether or not they will play, so that’s created some reshuffling in this week’s Nike/US Lacrosse D-III Men’s Top 20 rankings.
Most notably, Christopher Newport is knocking on the door of the top 10. Senior attackman Dylan Rice is a gamer, and the Captains have steadily climbed under head coach Mikey Thompson’s guidance.
There’s also a top-five clash around the corner, as Salisbury hosts Cabrini this coming Friday. That’ll draw plenty of eyeballs, pitting the 2019 national champions against a national powerhouse that’s hoping to shake off an early-season setback against Lynchburg. Another marquee matchup is RIT hosting St. John Fisher on Wednesday.
Nike/US Lacrosse
Division III Men’s Top 20
March 15, 2021 |
W/L |
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Next |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tufts | 0-0 | 1 | TBD |
| 2 | RIT | 1-0 | 2 | 3/17 vs. No. 13 St. John Fisher |
| 3 | Lynchburg | 5-0 | 3 | 3/20 at No. 12 Christopher Newport |
| 4 | Salisbury | 1-1 | 4 | 3/16 vs. Mary Washington |
| 5 | Cabrini | 2-0 | 6 | 3/19 at No. 4 Salisbury |
| 6 | Wesleyan | 0-0 | 5 | TBD |
| 7 | Ursinus | 0-0 | 7 | 3/20 at Muhlenberg |
| 8 | Williams | 0-0 | 8 | TBD |
| 9 | York | 2-0 | 9 | 3/17 at Widener |
| 10 | Denison | 0-0 | 10 | 3/20 vs. The College of Wooster |
| 11 | Gettysburg | 0-0 | 11 | 3/20 at Washington (Md.) |
| 12 | Christopher Newport | 4-0 | 16 | 3/17 at Randolph-Macon |
| 13 | St. John Fisher | 3-0 | 15 | 3/17 at No. 2 RIT |
| 14 | Union | 0-0 | 12 | 3/27 at Skidmore |
| 15 | Franklin & Marshall | 0-0 | 14 | 3/27 at No. 7 Ursinus |
| 16 | Stevenson | 2-0 | 20 | 3/17 at Alvernia |
| 17 | Washington and Lee | 1-0 | 19 | 3/17 at Southern Virginia |
| 18 | RPI | 0-0 | 17 | TBD |
| 19 | Cortland | 0-0 | NR | 3/16 at Potsdam |
| 20 | Ithaca | 0-0 | NR | 3/20 vs. SUNY Geneseo |
Also considered (alphabetical order: Bates, Colorado College, Dickinson, Hampden-Sydney, Illinois-Wesleyan, Roanoke, Stevens, Widener, Western New England
HOT
Christopher Newport (+4)
The Captains have blown past teams early on, scoring nearly 17 goals per game and allowing just 6.5. An upcoming top-20 test against Lynchburg should provide a better answer behind how high CNU’s ceiling is. Their star? It’s do-everything attackman Dylan Rice.
Stevenson (+4)
Home cooking last weekend served up a 19-3 win over Arcadia, building off a season-opening 13-8 win over Stevens. They’re two stake-in-the-ground results from Stevenson, offering a reminder of what the program’s high end is. Alongside York, they’re expected to vie for a MAC Commonwealth title.
IN
Cortland (No. 19)
With some NESCAC teams out, this SUNYAC powerhouse slots into the top 20. The New York-based conference has been divided into West and East brackets this spring, so the Red Dragons also scheduled local non-conference games against Ithaca, RIT and St. John Fisher.
Ithaca (No. 20)
The Bombers don’t commence Liberty League games until late March, so we’ll see if they pick up where they left off. Head coach Jeff Long’s team is always within the top-20 conversation, with defenseman Jake Hall-Goldman looking like their star player.
OUT
Amherst (was No. 13)
The Mammoths’ first season under new head coach Rashad Devoe will have to wait, as they’re confronting a lack of numbers. "Given the option for students to study on-campus or remotely this semester, at this point we do not have enough student-athletes on campus to participate in NESCAC lacrosse competition," Amherst Athletics told US Lacrosse Magazine.
Middlebury (was No. 18)
A Middlebury spokesperson confirmed that Middlebury won’t be competing this spring due to a lack of numbers, so it’s two missed seasons for this NESCAC side.