Another year, another undefeated regular season for Limestone? The Saints returned to the top spot and were tested only a handful of times in 2019. A matchup with Indianapolis separates the Saints from an unbeaten slate. The difference between this squad and those of the past is that it wasn’t expected to win a national championship.
Limestone sat at No. 16 in the Division II preseason rankings, but has developed over the course of the season to become the championship favorite. Larson Sundown, the junior out of Onondaga Community College, has dropped 87 points to lead the nation’s top offense. Sundown had back-to-back hat tricks to lead Limestone to wins over North Greenville and Belmont Abbey and the Conference Carolinas championship.
The Saints lead the Nike/US Lacrosse Division II Men’s Top 20 once again, with Le Moyne and Adelphi following behind ahead of the NE10 tournament. Each of these teams has likely sealed a spot in the NCAA tournament, but the rest of the country is fighting to find a berth.
Take Seton Hill, which beat LIU Post 11-9 to rise to No. 8 in this week’s rankings. A strong showing in the GMAC tournament could be the ticket to the NCAA tournament. Wingate took home its third straight SAC championship and could be in line for a third NCAA berth in school history. And then there’s Tampa, which won 11 of 12 games to close the season with a Sunshine State Conference championship. Did the Spartans do enough to ignore the 3-4 start?
There are still plenty of spots in the air, so this next week should be fun in Division II.
Nike/US Lacrosse Rankings
Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women
April 29, 2019 |
W/L |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Limestone | 17-0 | 1 | 5/4 vs. No. 4 Indianapolis |
| 2 | Le Moyne | 13-2 | 2 | 5/1 vs. No. 7 Merrimack (NE10) |
| 3 | Adelphi | 15-1 | 3 | 5/1 vs. No. 10 Pace (NE10) |
| 4 | Indianapolis | 14-1 | 4 | 5/4 at No. 1 Limestone |
| 5 | Mercyhurst | 11-3 | 5 | 5/2 at GMAC Tournament |
| 6 | Mercy | 15-1 | 6 | 5/1 vs. Roberts Wesleyan (ECC) |
| 7 | Merrimack | 13-2 | 7 | 5/1 vs. No. 2 Le Moyne (NE10) |
| 8 | Seton Hill | 11-3 | 10 | 5/2 at GMAC Tournament |
| 9 | Belmont Abbey | 14-3 | 8 | Regular season over |
| 10 | Pace | 13-3 | 11 | 5/1 vs. No. 3 Adelphi (NE10) |
| 11 | Wingate | 13-3 | 12 | SAC Champions |
| 12 | Tampa | 14-5 | 16 | SSC Champions |
| 13 | LIU Post | 10-4 | 9 | 5/1 vs. NYIT (ECC) |
| 14 | Lynn | 11-4 | 13 | Regular season over |
| 15 | Queens (N.C.) | 13-4 | 14 | Regular season over |
| 16 | Mount Olive | 12-4 | 15 | Regular season over |
| 17 | Rockhurst | 12-4 | 18 | Regular season over |
| 18 | Lindenwood | 10-5 | 20 | Regular season over |
| 19 | Saint Leo | 10-7 | N/A | Regular season over |
| 20 | Rollins | 10-5 | 17 | Regular season over |
Also Considered: Assumption, Catawba, Colorado Mesa, Florida Southern, Florida Tech, Maryville, Saint Anselm
HOT
Tampa (+4)
The Spartans started the season slowly, but have found their groove as May approaches. Tampa tore through the Sunshine State regular season schedule — with a lone loss coming to Lynn — and then took the conference crown over Saint Leo on Sunday. This could be a team peaking at the right time.
Seton Hill (+2)
Seton Hill has been consistent all year, and hung around the top 10 each week. A win over LIU Post might be the best yet for a team that hopes to take the GMAC title come this weekend. The lone losses were to Limestone, Le Moyne and Indianapolis.
NOT
LIU Post (-4)
LIU Post ended its regular season with losses to Mercy and Seton Hill — not the momentum it was looking for heading into the ECC tournament. A big opportunity is ahead of the Pioneers if they can get by NYIT and, maybe, Mercy to with the ECC title.
IN
Saint Leo
A run to the Sunshine State Conference final is good enough to get the Lions back into the top 20 for this week. Saint Leo took down a strong Lynn team to make the championship game.
OUT
Catawba
Catawba ran off eight straight wins mid-season, but have fallen off since. A 12-goal loss to Queens (N.C.) in the SAC tournament was the fourth in five games, and it likely ends its season — however impressive it might have been.