Dickinson Makes Moves in Nike/USA Lacrosse Division III Men's Top 20

We usually start Monday’s Nike/USA Lacrosse Division III Men’s Top 20 update with a breakdown of the biggest result of the weekend. Except there are too many to choose from this week. Sure, the top teams all performed admirably, but a few teams still managed some meaningful results that led to movement in the Top 20. 

We start with Gettysburg, as the Bullet Pride Game against Dickinson did not go as well as head coach Pete Toner would have hoped. Despite the game being close early, Gettysburg never had a lead. The Red Devils led 5-2 late in the second, but two quick goals from Kieran Ward and Kyle Howard had Gettysburg within one at the half, and it looked like the Bullets were seizing momentum. But Dickinson stifled that flame, scoring the only two goals in the third quarter, then adding five more in the fourth as they outscored Gettysburg 7-3 in the second half. Chris Brandau was masterful for Dickinson and a key to its success, as he made 17 saves and stopped over 70 percent of the shots he saw. 

Swarthmore continued to stay in the national conversation with a 15-10 win over Ursinus. This felt like a must-win for Ursinus, and while the Bearsr were able to keep it close for a while, Swarthmore just overwhelmed them. Possession advantage was the story, as Will Bernstein won 20 of 29 faceoffs and Swarthmore played a clean game, not fouling once. Von Mabbs’ outstanding season continued, as he was dominant with four goals and two assists, leading all scorers. Tyler Neal had five goals for Ursinus. Ursinus falls to 6-7 overall and 1-5 in the conference, meaning the Centennial tournament is out of reach. 

RPI is the latest team to take down St. Lawrence, 13-7. The last few games of the season in the Liberty League tend to be eventful, and this was no exception. The Engineers' defense was too much to overcome for a suddenly stalled-out Saints offense. 

In the NESCAC, things got testy for Williams, which stayed in the Top 20 thanks to a 10-9 road win over Wesleyan. This was a heated battle that saw both teams make timely runs to keep the score close. Ultimately, it was death by inopportune turnovers that saw the Ephs through in the birdcage. With the win, Williams now moves to the fourth spot in the NESCAC standings with one game to go — at home against Middlebury on Wednesday afternoon.

NIKE/USA LACROSSE
DIVISION III MEN’S TOP 20

Also considered (alphabetical order): Clarkson (11-3), Kenyon (14-1), Muhlenberg (10-5), RPI (8-6), Wesleyan (8-6)

UPCOMING GAMES

No. 1 Tufts 4/26 at No. 7 Bowdoin
No. 2 Salisbury 4/26 vs. Catholic
No. 3 RIT 4/29 vs. No. 18 St. Lawrence
No. 4 Christopher Newport 4/29 vs. Kean
No. 5 Middlebury 4/26 at No. 19 Williams

No. 6 Dickinson 4/29 vs. Ursinus
No. 7 Bowdoin 4/26 vs. No. 1 Tufts
No. 8 Gettysburg 4/29 vs. Washington (Md.)
No. 9 Amherst 4/26 at Trinity
No. 10 Swarthmore 4/29 at Haverford

No. 11 Denison 4/25 at Hiriam
No. 12 York 4/26 at Stevenson
No. 13 Stevens 4/26 vs. Delaware Valley
No. 14 Washington and Lee 4/26 vs. Shenandoah
No. 15 Cabrini 4/26 vs. Gwynedd Mercy

No. 16 Hampden-Sydney 4/29 at No. 20 Lynchburg
No. 17 Union 4/29 at Vassar
No. 18 St. Lawrence 4/29 at No. 3 RIT
No. 19 Williams 4/26 vs. No. 5 Middlebury
No. 20 Lynchburg 4/26 at Guilford

Nike/USA Lacrosse Rankings

Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women

HOT

Salisbury (no change)

The Gulls doubled up the Cavaliers thanks to a monster performance from Nicholas Ransom in cage. Ransom’s 14 saves were the difference on the defensive end for Salisbury. Nine of those saves came in the first half, as the Salisbury defense held Cabrini to just one goal at the break. Salisbury also had a significant faceoff edge in the first half, winning 10 of 14 draws, including 6 of 7 in the first quarter to fuel their fast start. Up 11-1 at the half, Salisbury was very much in control. A second-quarter goalie change to Chris Porzelt sparked Cabrini and stopped the Salisbury onslaught, but by then, given the play of Ransom and the Salisbury defense, the mountain to climb was just too high. The Gulls have a legitimate claim to the No. 1 spot, but so does RIT. The loss is what separates them from Tufts, but that might be the only thing. 

NOT

St. Lawrence (-12)

St Lawrence started the season 10-1, but a look at the schedule is getting more concerning. The win over Lynchburg might not be as good as we thought, and the loss to Union might be worse than we thought. The rest of the competition hasn’t exactly been a murderer's row. St. Lawrence has now lost three of its last four, including a Wednesday loss to Clarkson by five goals and a weekend loss to RPI. The Liberty League is deep and talented, so there are no games off. Every conference game is massive. St Lawrence must get the mojo back in a hurry because next weekend its takes on RIT to close the regular season.

ON THE BUBBLE

Muhlenberg, Clarkson, Kenyon

A win over Franklin & Marshall meant a spot in the playoffs for Muhlenberg, and the Mules played like it. They scored the game’s first five goals, part of a run that would chase F&M starting goalie Sage Garito. The Mules led 10-3 at halftime. F&M was able to battle back a bit in the second half, thanks largely to Adam Soper and Matt Freeman. The pair were responsible for winning every faceoff in the second half, limiting Muhlenberg's possession and keeping a comeback bid alive. It proved to be too little too late. Ethan Grossman scored six points, and Jack Kraemer had a hat trick for the Mules to lock up the win and a postseason berth. 

Clarkson’s season started out incredibly strong with a seven-game win streak. It has operated outside of the ranks, but it has beaten more state teams than the ACT. Clarkson is 3-3 in the Liberty League, but in its defense, who isn’t struggling in the Liberty League that doesn't have a Tiger mascot? A regular-season finale with Skidmore next Saturday is going to determine its postseason fate. 

Aside from its 14-1 record, Kenyon has been in the national spotlight for another reason — FOGO Thomas Nelson. He set the school record books on fire en route to a 74.4-percent win rate this season and eclipsed the 200-win mark this week with 20 against Wabash. The loss to Ohio Wesleyan has kept Kenyon out of the Top 20, but with one game left against Oberlin, Kenyon will still be the No. 1 seed in the NCAC. 

PREVIOUS RANKINGS

• Preseason

• Week 1: Feb. 13, 2023

• Week 2: Feb. 20, 2023

• Week 3: Feb. 27, 2023

• Week 4: March 6, 2023

• Week 5: March 13, 2023

• Week 6: March 20, 2023

• Week 7: March 27, 2023

• Week 8: April 3, 2023

• Week 9: April 10, 2023

• Week 10: April 17, 2023