Cornell, Ohio State Lead the Way in Division I Men's Top 20

March 24, 2025

USA Lacrosse Magazine Staff

Rich Barnes

Two of the top three teams in the USA Lacrosse Division I Men's Top 20 lost last week, setting the stage for one of the most historic teams in NCAA lacrosse history to claim the No. 1 spot.

Cornell is the third team this season to spend time at No. 1, and the Big Red have done so on the strength of a 6-1 record and the Tewaaraton-level play of senior attackman CJ Kirst.

Kirst was a one-man wrecking crew against Yale scoring nine times with one assist in a 19-14 win.

Former No. 1 Maryland tumbles to No. 3 after a triple-overtime loss to Michigan, which has beaten the Terps four times in a row. With Cornell upgrading from No. 2 to No. 1 and Maryland making the short trip from No. 1 to No. 3, who has laid claim to No. 2?

That would be Ohio State, which has brushed off a season-opening loss to Utah to rip off nine straight wins — including a Sunday night primetime win over Penn State. The Buckeyes did their best work in the second half of the 13-9 win after going into the break tied at 5.

Elsewhere in the Top 20, Army, Duke and Johns Hopkins all suffered upset losses, too. Week seven, it seems, was for the hunter.

Continue below to see the entire Top 20, which is compiled by USA Lacrosse Magazine staff and contributors.

USA LACROSSE DIVISION I
MEN'S TOP 20

Rank	Team	W-L	Prev
1	Cornell	6-1	2
2	Ohio State	9-1	7
3	Maryland	7-1	1
4	Princeton	5-2	4
5	North Carolina	7-1	6
6	Penn State	6-2	3
7	Notre Dame	4-2	9
8	Syracuse	7-2	10
9	Richmond	6-3	14
10	Duke	8-2	8
11	Johns Hopkins	6-3	11
12	Army	7-1	5
13	Fairfield	9-0	15
14	Harvard	5-2	13
15	Boston U	7-1	19
16	Georgetown	5-3	12
17	Michigan	5-4	AC
18	Virginia	5-4	18
19	Saint Joseph's	7-2	20
20	Denver	5-4	AC
Also considered (alphabetical order)
AC	Colgate	5-4	AC
AC	Dartmouth	7-1	AC
AC	Penn	4-5	--
AC	Rutgers	5-5	--
AC	Towson	3-5	AC
AC	UMass	7-2	17

Written By

USA Lacrosse Magazine Staff

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