Professional PLL
06:00 PM
Jul 19
Phi
Den
The Division III men’s regular season concluded this week, and now the focus shifts to conference tournaments and the regional rankings. Christopher Newport was off this week, but it holds its No. 1 spot as the top half of the rankings held steady.
All eyes were focused on the NESCAC Wednesday when Tufts claimed the regular season conference title with a win over Bowdoin. The Polar Bears were one game away from finishing the season undefeated, but the loss knocked them outside the top 10.
York and Stevenson were also locked in a tight game Wednesday, but York pulled away late to stay locked in the top five. Despite losing, Stevenson played a competitive game and only fell one spot.
Wins for RIT and RPI set up a rematch of one of the biggest upsets of the season. RPI — which handed RIT its only loss of the season — will try to beat the Tigers again in a Liberty League semifinal on Wednesday.
The calendar officially moved to May on Sunday, which means the pressure builds from here on out. Conference tournaments make way to the NCAA tournament as teams make their final pushes to move up in the regional rankings.
NIKE/USA LACROSSE
DIVISION III MEN’S TOP 20
May 2, 2022 |
W/L |
Prev |
Next |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Christopher Newport |
16-0 |
1 |
5/7 vs. TBD (C2C championship) |
|
2 |
RIT |
15-1 |
2 |
5/4 vs. No. 19 RPI (Liberty League semi) |
|
3 |
Salisbury |
16-1 |
3 |
5/3 vs. Mary Washington (C2C semi) |
|
4 |
Union |
14-1 |
4 |
5/4 vs. No. 13 St. Lawrence (Liberty League semi) |
|
5 |
York |
15-2 |
5 |
5/5 vs. TBD (MAC Commonwealth semi) |
|
6 |
Dickinson |
16-0 |
6 |
5/4 vs. Ursinus (Centennial semi) |
|
7 |
St. John Fisher |
13-2 |
7 |
5/4 vs. Hartwick (Empire 8 semi) |
|
8 |
Tufts |
14-2 |
9 |
5/7 vs. No. 20 Wesleyan (NESCAC semi) |
|
9 |
Cabrini |
13-4 |
10 |
5/4 vs. Gwynedd Mercy (Atlantic East semi) |
|
10 |
Lynchburg |
13-4 |
11 |
5/6 vs. TBD (ODAC semi) |
|
11 |
Bowdoin |
15-1 |
8 |
5/7 vs. No. 17 Amherst (NESCAC semi) |
|
12 |
MIT |
14-0 |
13 |
5/4 vs. TBD (NEWMAC semi) |
|
13 |
St. Lawrence |
12-3 |
12 |
5/4 vs. No. 4 Union (Liberty League semi) |
|
14 |
Gettysburg |
11-6 |
15 |
5/4 vs. Muhlenberg (Centennial semi) |
|
15 |
Stevenson |
12-5 |
14 |
5/5 vs. Eastern (MAC Commonwealth semi) |
|
16 |
Franklin & Marshall |
12-4 |
16 |
Regular season complete |
|
17 |
Amherst |
10-5 |
17 |
5/7 vs. No. 11 Bowdoin (NESCAC semi) |
|
18 |
Washington and Lee |
12-5 |
18 |
5/6 vs. TBD (ODAC semi) |
|
19 |
RPI |
10-4 |
19 |
5/4 at No. 2 RIT (Liberty League semi) |
|
20 |
Wesleyan |
12-4 |
NR |
5/7 at No. 8 Tufts (NESCAC semi) |
Also considered (alphabetical order): Catholic (11-3), Clarkson (11-5) Grove City (13-4), Denison (13-4), Illinois Wesleyan (11-4), Ithaca (10-6), John Carroll (14-2), Ohio Wesleyan (10-5), Ursinus (8-7)
Nike/USA Lacrosse Rankings
Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women
HOT
MIT (+1)
For the first time in program history, the Engineers were undefeated in the regular season. It’s also the first time they’ve been awarded the top seed in the NEWMAC tournament and just the third time since 1955 they’ve had a perfect conference season. Led by the nation's leading goal scorer, Ryan Gebhardt, MIT is brimming with confidence heading into the postseason.
NOT
St. Lawrence (-1)
Adding St. Lawrence to the “Not” section isn’t exactly a representation of the whole season. To be fair, it was a solid week for just about every team inside the Top 20. The Saints lost by eight goals to the defending champs in their third loss of the season, but ending the regular season with a loss can hurt their momentum heading into the Liberty League tournament. They’ll need to beat No. 4 Union in the semifinals to avoid consecutive losses.
IN
Wesleyan (No. 20)
The Cardinals are back inside the Top 20 after beating Connecticut and Middlebury. They have a rematch with Tufts in the NESCAC semifinals up next. Wesleyan lost by four goals when the teams played earlier this season.
OUT
Ursinus (Was No. 20)
After picking up its first ranked win of the season, Ursinus fell to Gettysburg on Saturday, knocking them out of the Top 20 this week. Ursinus faces undefeated Dickinson in the Centennial Conference semifinals on May 4 as it tries to keep its season alive.