Lewis' Turn at No. 20 in USA Lacrosse Division II Men's Top 20

The 4.8-magnitude earthquake that mildly jiggled the tri-state area on Friday was about as seismic as this week’s USA Lacrosse Division II Men’s Top 20 shuffling ‑ for the top of the ranking, anyway.

No team ranked in the top 10 tasted defeat. In fact, you have to go all the way down to No. 14 to find a team that lost - and that was a midweek 11-10 triple-OT defeat of Bentley at the hands of Pace.

Oh, and Mercyhurst turned traitor and took their train set to Division I. But that’s next year. We live in the moment. 

Teams in the lower section of the Top 20 saw a lot of results go against them. It’s the sort of thing that is bound to happen at this point in the season, as there is a lot of game film banked for in-conference opponents to watch and adjust. As those key games begin to ramp up in-conference, teams outside of the Top 20 have a chance to force their way into Top 20 consideration.

Ironically, right now, there are more teams worthy of Top 20 inclusion than there are spots.

So, unfortunately, cuts must be made and some deserving teams must be left out. One of those teams is Mount Olive, which had its biggest result of the year, a 12-11 overtime win over Belmont Abbey. Lewis kicked its way back into the Top 20 with its big 20-12 win over Maryville. Saint Leo’s drop continued, as they fell to conference foes. 

A lot of important conference showdowns will take place in the peninsula during the week, including Florida Tech vs. Florida Southern, Saint Leo vs. Tampa, and Rollins vs. Embry-Riddle. So, expect even more movement before next weekend’s slate even begins.

We’re in the thick of the action across the entire Division II landscape, but let’s get deeper into last week’s results.

USA LACROSSE DIVISION II
MEN’S TOP 20

1. Limestone, 13-0 (Prev: 1)
2. Lenoir-Rhyne, 11-1 (Prev: 2)
3. Tampa, 12-1 (Prev: 3)
4. Adelphi, 8-2 (Prev: 4)
5. Mercy, 9-1 (Prev: 5)
6. Rollins, 9-2 (Prev: 6)
7. Wingate, 9-3 (Prev: 7)
8. Saint Anselm, 5-1 (Prev: 8)
9. Pace, 8-1 (Prev: 10)
10. Newberry, 9-3 (Prev: 9)
11. UIndy, 9-3 (Prev: 11)
12. Mercyhurst, 8-3 (Prev: 12)
13. Seton Hill, 6-3 (Prev: 13)
14. Frostburg State, 9-2 (Prev: 15)
15. Florida Southern, 8-4 (Prev: 17)
16. Bentley, 4-4 (Prev: 14)
17. Colorado Mesa, 8-3 (Prev: 18)
18. Rockhurst, 8-2 (Prev: 20)
19. Saint Leo, 7-4 (Prev: 16)
20. Lewis, 8-3 (Prev: NR)

Also considered (alphabetical order): Embry-Riddle, Maryville, Mount Olive, Palm Beach Atlantic, Westminster

HOT

Mount Olive (also considered)

Mount Olive took down Belmont Abbey in overtime this weekend, 12-11. Aidan Lalonde scored the goal to tie it at 11 late in the fourth and the goal to win it in overtime, part of a hat trick for him. The win is Mount Olive’s sixth in a row.

Mount Olive now sits atop the Conference Carolinas with a 5-0 conference record. Its 8-3 record overall is also the best in the conference. This senior-heavy group is continuing to build toward its best lacrosse at the right time and is right on the cusp of being ranked. 

NOT

Saint Leo (-3)

A six-game winning streak that spanned the February and part of March vaulted Saint Leo up into the Top 20. But Saint Leo might have flown a little too close to the Florida sun, dropping three of their last four, all against conference opponents.

Last week, Saint Leo dropped games to Florida Tech, Florida Southern and Palm Beach Atlantic, dropping them down to sixth in the Sunshine State Conference. The remaining regular season conference slate still includes Tampa and Rollins. Saint Leo will need to right the ship in a hurry if it wants to contend for a spot in the playoffs.

IN

Lewis (No. 20)

Welcome back to the Top 20, Lewis. The Flyers got a much-needed conference win against Maryville and take the Saints’ spot in the ranking. Lewis won convincingly, 20-12, with multi-point games from eight different players. Senior attackmen Evan Clement and Baden Boyenko are the weapons for the Flyers, while Canadian freshman Malikye Good has looked excellent all year and is third on the team in points. 

OUT

Maryville (was No. 19)

Maryville saw its three-game winning streak snapped in a one-sided loss to Lewis. For the first time all year, Maryville surrendered 20 goals. A balanced attack of 13 different scorers, none with more than three goals, was too much to handle. There are a multitude of teams nipping at the heels of those near the bottom of the Top 20, and with that many teams vying for those few spots, any small slip is likely to drop you out. Maryville takes on William Jewell this week.