Gettysburg Makes 5-Spot Climb in USA Lacrosse Division III Men's Top 20

This Top 20 is brought to you by consistency. We will consistently lament the immotility of NESCAC programs until they play, but we must persist in our efforts to laud the teams that deserve to be in the national conversation.

That said, the consensus No. 1 is once again Salisbury. The besweatered Gulls are No. 1 until they lose, which doesn’t seem likely this month. Come back in April and shake the magic eight ball if you want another answer.

RIT played its first game and dispatched Denison in a fashion not seen in the Top 20 so far this season. That is to say that it was a decisively one-sided contest in favor of the Tigers. Are we all just trying to convince ourselves that a team other than RIT and Salisbury will be taking the field on the season’s final day?

Denison’s loss is, unfortunately, a headline on the negative side of things. So, if you’re into schadenfreude or counting turnovers as a negative stat — we’ve got you covered as well.

Let’s take a closer look at this week’s USA Lacrosse Division III Men’s Top 20.

USA LACROSSE DIVISION I
MEN’S TOP 20

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

Also considered (alphabetical order): Babson, Cabrini, Clarkson, Grove City, Stevens, Ursinus, Western New England

HOT

Gettysburg (+5)

A 15-10 win over the previous No. 4 is a great way to start the season. Gettysburg blitzed Lynchburg in the second quarter then doubled them up in the fourth, creating enough separation to withsstand a talented preseason top-five team. A 7-0 run between the second and third quarters sealed the deal.

Salisbury (no change)

The Gulls came into the season as the consensus top team and have lived up to the billing. Through three games, they are outscoring opponents 58-22. Jude Brown is leading the nation in assists. Sophomore Riley Strub has looked great, notching nine goals already. Blake Malamphy is facing off at 73 percent. Salisbury is built like a V12 engine in an Aston Martin, and every one of those cylinders is clicking. All that power and the reliability of a Berkman transmission? What a machine.

NOT

Denison (-5)

Denison suffered a lopsided defeat against RIT on Saturday. It wasn’t all bad for the Big Red; they scored the first goal of the game. The problem was that RIT scored the next 10 and took a 13-2 lead into the half. Luke Fisher was a bright spot with three points, but the one-sided loss boots Denison down to the depths of the Top 20. Don’t worry, though — there is always time for a redemption arc if you’re in Ohio. Unless you’re the Cleveland Browns.

IN

Stevenson (No. 20)

Stevenson knocked off a ranked team, so it will slide into the Top 20 for the first time. Eleven players scored a goal for Stevenson in their win, led by a four-goal effort from Max Racich. Did everyone count out the Mustangs this year? Stevenson has an opportunity to rocket up the Top 20 this week with a visit to Christopher Newport. We’re also less than a month away from the Mustang Classic, which has become the must-see event in Division III other than the NCAA championship game.

OUT

Muhlenberg (was No. 19)

Muhlenberg drops out with a loss to Stevenson. (We’re sad, too.) The Mules got four goals from freshman Daniel Friedel and two goals from freshman Liam Wedwith. There’s a good balance of youth and experience on the Muhlenberg roster, so don’t just write them off. Muhlenberg takes on Scranton midweek.