NESCAC Returns to Shake Up Nike/USA Lacrosse Division III Men's Top 20

Two of the biggest games in the country involved four of the top 10 teams in last week’s Nike/USA Lacrosse Division III Men’s Top 20.

Salisbury needed overtime to take down Lynchburg, but the game itself was truly engrossing. Lynchburg seemed to have an answer for everything Salisbury threw at it … right up until the final two minutes of regulation and the extra frame. The Sea Gulls got a little of their swagger back after losing to Gettysburg last week, and the Hornets will rue a missed opportunity to fell a traditional rival. 

The other marquee game of the weekend didn't require overtime, but it had the same sort of epic feel. RIT managed to stave off a furious comeback from York in the final quarter to get its fourth win in a row, 11-10. The Spartans had a chance to tie it in the final 30 seconds but turned the ball over behind the cage, opening up a chance for RIT to clear and win — which the Tigers did with a Gilman-style bomb pass to the opposite corner that saw Clifford Gaston snatch a ground ball and run past an unmanned net to close out the contest.  

There were some gaudy goal totals around NESCAC opening weekend, and Wesleyan was no exception. Wesleyan scored 24 goals, and nobody on the team had more than four tallies. The whole roster got in on the opening day.

Seventeen players registered a point, and Jack Raba led the way with five. Three goalies got some time in the net, with Colin Hanley saving 8 of the 11 shots he faced. Bates is still rebuilding with new coach Dan Annino, but Wesleyan looked like they were shot out of a cannon. 

NIKE/USA LACROSSE
DIVISION III MEN’S TOP 20

Also considered (alphabetical order): Cabrini, Hamilton, Hampden-Sydney, Ithaca, MIT, Muhlenberg, Roanoke, RPI, Western New England

Nike/USA Lacrosse Rankings

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

HOT

Dickinson (+3)

Out to a 4-0 start with wins over Stevens, Roanoke, and as of this weekend Cabrini, it’s officially time to move Red Devils up in the Top 20. James Isaacson and Will Ferrell (no, the other Will Ferrell) have combined for 12 points each to lead the team in scoring; however, it’s been a team effort to get Dickinson its last few wins. The Red Devils have outscored or matched their opposition’s second-half scoring in three of the four wins, with the lone exception being a 12-7 victory over Susquehanna in which the Red Devils were already up 11-4 before the fourth quarter. 

NOT

Bowdoin (-12)

If a Polar Bear sprouted wings and tried to fly too close to the sun, it would still fall with less velocity than Bowdoin’s metaphorical mascot did. Are they this season’s Icarus? Were the graduations too hefty? Was there too much pressure on the younger players to live up to last year’s standards? It’s one game. One bad game. For now. 

IN

Middlebury (No. 11)

You can’t look at the score against Bowdoin and not marvel at the goal total. Many will question the wisdom of immediately ranking a team after one game, especially on the periphery of the top 10. Well, we ranked a ton of teams that didn’t even play yet, and that didn’t do much for us either. It’s a no-win scenario — but beating a top 10 team in your first game? When you’re both in the NESCAC? That has weight.

OUT

Muhlenberg (was No. 20)

It was fun while it lasted. A loss to RPI unfortunately pushes everyone’s favorite almost-spoiler out of the Top 20. This is not to say that the Mules will be forever banished from the Top 20, but they will need to win a few more games to get back on the radar. Their next matchup of note is next weekend against St. John Fisher, which would have been a loser-leaves-town match had Muhlenberg managed to best RPI. Now it just holds that distinction for the Cardinals. 

PREVIOUS RANKINGS

• Preseason

• Week 1: Feb. 13, 2023

• Week 2: Feb. 20, 2023

• Week 3: Feb. 27, 2023