Top 5 Rearranges in Nike/USA Lacrosse Division III Women's Top 20

March 27, 2023

Laurel Pfahler

Kevin P. Tucker

Two of the top four teams in the Nike/USA Lacrosse Division III Women’s Top 20 suffered their first losses last week, but that only created some shuffling among them in the rankings.

Washington and Lee suffered a stunning loss to York, forcing the Generals out of the No. 2 spot a week after throttling Tufts, but their strong resumé kept them from dropping too far. That upset loss allowed unbeaten and former No. 4 Willam Smith to swap places with them, while TCNJ stayed put at No. 3 despite a six-goal loss to No. 1 Middlebury.

The bottom half of the rankings continue to see change, with St. John Fisher and Kenyon joining the Top 20 to replace Cortland and St. Lawrence.

NIKE/USA LACROSSE
DIVISION III WOMEN’S TOP 20

	March 27, 2023	W/L	Prev	Next
1	Middlebury	8-0	1	4/1 vs. No. 5 Tufts
2	William Smith	7-0	4	3/29 at No. 16 St. John Fisher
3	TCNJ	7-1	3	3/29 at No. 9 Gettysburg
4	Washington and Lee	8-1	2	3/29 at Shenandoah
5	Tufts	5-1	5	3/28 vs. Endicott
6	Salisbury	6-3	6	4/2 at No. 7 Franklin & Marshall
7	Franklin & Marshall	5-2	7	3/29 at Catholic
8	Messiah	7-1	8	3/29 vs. Alvernia
9	Gettysburg	5-3	9	3/29 vs. No. 3 TCNJ
10	York	5-2	12	3/29 at Hood
11	Wesleyan	6-1	10	4/1 at Hamilton
12	Amherst	5-1	11	3/28 vs. Keene State
13	Colby	4-3	15	4/1 at Connecticut College
14	Ithaca	7-2	13	4/1 at Union
15	Roanoke	7-1	14	4/1 at Virginia Wesleyan
16	St. John Fisher	5-1	NR	3/29 vs. No. 2 William Smith
17	Stevens	7-1	17	3/29 vs. FDU-Florham
18	Kenyon	8-0	NR	4/1 vs. Allegheny
19	Pomona-Pitzer	9-1	19	3/27 at Redlands
20	Chicago	5-2	16	4/1 vs. Albion

Also considered (alphabetical order): Colorado College, Cortland, Hamilton, St. Lawrence, Trinity, Williams

Nike/US Lacrosse Rankings

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

HOT

William Smith (+2)

The Herons added their fifth win over a top-ranked opponent when they beat St. Lawrence 15-3 on Saturday. Katherine Murray scored four goals and Allie McGinty contributed a team-high five points on two goals and three assists, as William Smith improved to 7-0 as one of three unbeatens in the Top 20. The Herons’ most impressive result this season remains a three-goal victory over No. 6 Salisbury.

York (+2)

The Spartans probably deserve a bigger reward than a two-spot leap after upsetting W&L, but their earlier losses to Franklin & Marshall and Gettysburg created a bit of a roadblock. York built up a 10-5 lead in the third quarter against the Generals and held on for a 12-8 victory, as Logan Ward led with three goals and one assist, Kiersten Blanchard added three goals and Bella Garabo made nine saves.

The Spartans have won three straight since their loss to Gettysburg on March 11.

Colby (+2)

The Mules have won four straight since opening 0-3 with losses to Tufts, Salisbury and Williams, and that slow start isn’t looking so bad now. All three losses were by three goals or fewer, and falling to Williams doesn’t seem as much of an upset as it did at the time. Williams is 6-1 with a lone loss to Trinity (Conn.) and on the verge of entering the Top 20.

NOT

Washington and Lee (-2)

The Generals suffered a letdown after trampling Tufts last weekend. York snapped the eight-game winning streak with the help of an 8-1 run spanning through the second and third periods. That enabled the Spartans to build an 8-3 gap that W&L could not close. The game marked the Generals’ sixth against a ranked opponent.

IN

St. John Fisher (No. 16)

The Cardinals have won four straight since a two-goal loss to Messiah on March 8, and that includes Wednesday’s victory over former No. 18 Cortland. Sydney Carpenter scored the go-ahead goal with 6:45 left, and Cara Landry added insurance with the final tally four minutes later. Landry finished with two goals and one assist in the defensive battle led by Lilly Goodsell, who made nine saves.

Kenyon (No. 18)

The Owls haven’t faced the toughest of schedules during their 8-0 start, but they beat Chicago 8-7 on Sunday and that was enough to push them into the Top 20. They also have a notable win over Geneseo.

Chicago took a lead with 7:49 left, but Kate Lengel tied it a few minutes later, and Mallory Brophy’s goal with 2:12 proved to be the game winner. Caroline O’Neil led with three goals, and Lengel finished with two, but goalie Nola Garand was the star of the game with 17 saves.

OUT

Cortland (was No. 18)

The Red Dragons opened SUNYAC play with a win over Brockport, but their loss to St. John Fisher, coupled with a lopsided defeat at the hands of Colorado College two weeks ago, cost them their spot in the Top 20.

St. Lawrence (was No. 20)

The Saints had a tough week with back-to-back losses to ranked opponents in consecutive days, but it started with a narrow win over Stevenson on Tuesday. They then fell to Ithaca 14-12 on Friday and couldn’t keep up with William Smith in a 15-3 loss. St. Lawrence also has losses to No. 1 Middlebury and No. 17 Stevens, but the team’s best win was against now-unranked Geneseo.

PREVIOUS RANKINGS

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