Rockhurst Clips UIndy, Joins USA Lacrosse Division II Men's Top 20

The top of the USA Lacrosse Division II Men’s Top 20 took care of business last week, but that doesn’t mean that the Division II landscape was bereft of upsets. Quite the contrary.

The Sunshine State Conference is, as it seems to be every year post-COVID, loaded with talent. Another team joined the upset party in the SSC, as Embry-Riddle beat Florida Southern in overtime, 15-14. Tampa and Rollins continue to look like the league heavyweights, while a newly galvanized Saint Leo team continues to win and impress. The cutoff line for the SSC tournament is four teams, so a very good squad may have to watch the tournament from afar.

Pace suffered its first defeat last week, losing to fellow NE10 power Adelphi 12-6. Netminder Dylan Renner stifled Pace, as he made a season-high 15 saves and stopped 71 percent of shots he faced.

In one of the biggest upsets of the weekend in all of college lacrosse, Rockhurst went to UIndy and won 9-8 in OT. Jonah McConnell scored the winner. It was the 27th goal of the year for the freshman, who is second on the team in points. Rockhurst has now won eight straight games and sits atop the GLVC. Three regular season games remain, and all three are against teams that have spent time in the Top 20 or have been considered for it.

USA LACROSSE DIVISION II
MEN’S TOP 20

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

Also considered (alphabetical order): Belmont Abbey, Embry-Riddle, Florida Tech, Lewis, Montevello, Westminster

HOT

Adelphi (+1)

Adelphi has shaken off two early losses to Lenoir-Rhyne and Rollins and has now rolled off four straight wins, with this latest victory placing the Panthers in the driver's seat in the NE10.

NOT

Florida Southern (-5)

What a difference a week makes. Last week at this time, Florida Southern was in the “Hot” category. Then the Mocs lost two games, first to Tampa and then to Embry-Riddle, dropping them to 1-2 in conference looking up at five other good teams. In a conference in which just the top four make the tournament, Florida Southern will need to get its mojo back in a hurry. The Mocs take on Saint Leo and Rollins this week in conference play and could climb their way back into tournament position with two wins there, but that’s a tough ask of any team.

IN

Rockhurst (No. 20)

The winner that raised the most eyebrows over the weekend was Rockhurst, which traveled to UIndy and took home an overtime victory. It’s been a long and steady ascent towards this big win for the Hawks. Rockhurst has now won eight in a row, though the lack of a win against a big-time opponent kept them out of the Top 20. No longer. This win over a top-five team vaults the Hawks into the rankings.

OUT

Belmont Abbey (was No. 20)

The Top 20 is cruel. Belmont Abbey won last week, beating Emmanuel for a fifth straight win. But the other results of the weekend were just so seismic that someone had to drop out to make room for Rockhurst, and unfortunately for the Crusaders, they were the team at No. 20 that got squeezed out. A win against Barton this week can help their cause, as would a win at Mount Olive next weekend.