Big Changes in Top 10 of USA Lacrosse Division III Men's Top 20

Conference championship weekend was a lot of fun for some teams, but for others, it was the end.

The fireworks started to go off in Middleton, Conn., early Saturday and concluded the next day, as the Thunderdome that was the NESCAC tournament finally saw a victor. A quarterfinal upset of the heavy favorite, Tufts, made it anyone’s title. After an intense week, Wesleyan is the last team standing in the northeast.

The Cardinals held off a feisty Middlebury team that struggled to be consistent this year but played its best ball when it counted. Four goals from CK Giancola and three assists from Jack Raba paced the Cardinal offense, but it was netminder Conor Selfridge who stole the show in the title game. He made 17 saves (71 percent), which held Middlebury to just seven goals.

Dickinson, Endicott and Stevens concluded their dominant regular seasons by raising championship banners in their respective conferences. Gettysburg shook off some rough form at the end of the regular season and put together a solid run through the Centennial, knocking off Swarthmore 13-12 in the semifinals. But Dickinson claimed the conference crown with a 13-8 victory over the Bullets. Endicott has been rolling, having not lost since February, and the CCC tournament was no exception. Stevens also romped through its conference tournament.

On Sunday, several familiar faces near the top of the Top 20 went to battle.

RIT and RPI battled for the Liberty League crown. It took overtime to settle things between these two in the regular season, and we nearly got extra time again. It was high-scoring and high-flying early, as they traded goals for the first four minutes before RIT grabbed some momentum. Clifford Gaston scored with six seconds left in the second quarter, and at halftime, the Tigers led 10-6. The second half belonged to RPI, as it went on a 6-0 run that spanned the third and fourth quarters, taking a 13-11 lead with just over 12 minutes to play. 

RIT rattled off a three-goal run of its own to go up 14-13. The late heroics came from Anthony Mazzella, who scored for RPI to tie it with just over a minute to go. And then, as time wound down, Tyler Ruffini dodged from the left wing, firing a shot to the back of the net with just three seconds left, that secured the win and RPI’s first Liberty League title since 2010.

Salisbury took on Christopher Newport in the Coastal final, and the Gulls were once again overpowering. They won 14-7, getting goals from six different players, including a four-goal day from Brice Bromwell. Jude Brown dished out six assists. Salisbury remains unbeaten, the last team in NCAA men’s lacrosse, across all divisions, with a perfect record.

Denison and Kenyon warred for the soul of Ohio on Sunday and were even for the majority of the first half. That is until junior midfielder Rollins Heath put the Owls ahead 9-8 going into the halftime break. The second half belonged to Denison. Kenyon scored early in the third to go up 10-8, and Denison put the clamps on from there. A 4-0 run in the third, highlighted by back-to-back unassisted goals from Nick Vance, put Denison in front 12-10. Chase Maccartee got Kenyon back within one, but a Tommy Quinson answer just 16 seconds later kept Denison firmly in control. Luke Fisher had seven points, four of which came in the second half.

This is the final in-season update to the Top 20. The last Top 20 of the spring will come in the days after the NCAA tournament concludes.

USA LACROSSE DIVISION III
MEN’S TOP 20

1. Salisbury, 19-0 (Prev: 1)
2. RPI, 16-2 (Prev: 5)
3. RIT, 17-2 (Prev: 2)
4. Dickinson, 16-2 (Prev: 9)
5. Wesleyan, 15-3 (Prev: 10)
6. Tufts, 13-3 (Prev: 7)
7. Swarthmore, 14-2 (Prev: 3)
8. St. Lawrence, 14-3 (Prev: 4)
9. Christopher Newport, 14-5 (Prev: 6)
10. Lynchburg, 14-5 (Prev: 12)
11. Babson, 15-3 (Prev: 13)
12. Middlebury, 10-8 (Prev: 15)
13. Stevens, 17-2 (Prev: 18)
14. Endicott, 16-1 (Prev: 17)
15. Bowdoin, 11-5 (Prev: 8)
16. Washington and Lee, 14-4 (Prev: 11)
17. Union, 12-5 (Prev: 14)
18. Amherst, 10-6 (Prev: 16)
19. Denison, 14-5 (Prev: NR)
20. Gettysburg, 10-8 (Prev: 19)

Also considered (alphabetical order): Cabrini (15-4), Hamilton (9-7), Grove City (15-4), Kenyon (13-6), Lake Forest (15-2), Muhlenberg (10-8), St. Joseph’s (16-3), Williams (9-7)

HOT

Grove City (also considered)

What’s hotter than hot? Burning? Scalding? En fuego? Whatever it is, that’s Grove City. They haven’t lost a game since March 2; that’s over two calendar months ago. Grove City extended its streak to 12 straight this weekend and put up 27 goals in the PAC title game to boot. Junior attackman Matt Blythe eclipsed the 50-goal mark for the third time in his career. Carrying this kind of heat into the NCAA tournament is what makes a team dangerous.

NOT

Bowdoin (-7)

The NESCAC script gets several massive rewrites on a weekly basis. After Tufts was knocked out in a quarterfinal upset, the script seemed to call for Bowdoin to be a prohibitive favorite for the conference crown. And then, rewrites. The Bears lost to Middlebury in a one-sided contest, 17-9, in the NESCAC semifinals. Bowdoin has now dropped three of its last four games.

IN

Denison (No. 19)

It’s been a long, strange journey. From preseason No. 13, to out of the Top 20 altogether, and now rejoining the ranks. Denison took home the NCAC championship in the last game of the weekend, defeating Kenyon 15-11. They were able to hold Kenyon’s elite faceoff specialist, Thomas Nelson, to under 60 percent, keeping possession close to even. They also capitalized on their chances. Luke Fisher had yet another high-scoring afternoon, putting up seven points in the game, and he is approaching the century mark on the season. The victory is the 10th in a row for Denison.

OUT

Hamilton (was No. 20)

The run was fun while it lasted, but upsets by nature are, unfortunately, singular most of the time. The Continentals ran into a white-hot Wesleyan squad in the NESCAC semifinals and were bested 12-6. However, there is a lot for this Hamilton team to be proud of this season. Beyond an upset win over Tufts in the NESCAC quarterfinals, Hamilton finished with a 9-7 record with wins over Lynchburg, Middlebury and Connecticut College.

Hamilton also placed junior goalie Jack Fried on the All-NESCAC first team. Sophomore attackman Thomas Healey and junior midfielders Will Heher and Justin Pearl made the all-NESCAC second team. There is a lot to build on for next season, as the Continentals are clearly on their way up in the NESCAC pecking order.