Middlebury and Bowdoin dropped out of consideration in the Nike / US Lacrosse Division III Women’s Top 20 because of the impact of COVID-19 on rosters and competition schedules.
That means there was more shuffling in the rankings this week, and most notably, a new No. 1. After opening with a decisive 16-5 win over McDaniel on Saturday, Franklin & Marshall (1-0) climbed over Tufts, which hasn’t yet played, for the top spot.
Defending national champion Middlebury, who had been listed at No. 1 since the preseason, fell out after appearing unlikely to compete this season with just four players currently on campus. Bowdoin, previously No. 9, recently announced it won’t be competing in the NESCAC this spring because of scheduling limitations.
Three new teams enter the rankings this week.
Nike/US Lacrosse
Division III Women’s Top 20
March 22, 2021 |
W/L |
Prev |
Next |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Franklin & Marshall | 1-0 | 3 | 3/27 vs. Ursinus |
| 2 | Salisbury | 6-0 | 5 | 3/24 vs. Rowan |
| 3 | Tufts | 0-0 | 2 | 4/3 at Connecticut College |
| 4 | Washington and Lee | 4-0 | 7 | 3/24 vs. Randolph-Macon |
| 5 | Gettysburg | 1-0 | 4 | 3/27 vs. Muhlenberg |
| 6 | Amherst | 0-0 | 6 | TBD |
| 7 | York | 4-0 | 8 | 3/24 vs. Stevenson |
| 8 | St. John Fisher | 4-0 | 12 | 3/27 at Utica |
| 9 | Wesleyan | 0-0 | 10 | 4/3 vs. Trinity |
| 10 | Ithaca | 2-0 | 15 | 3/26 at RIT |
| 11 | Catholic | 0-0 | 13 | 3/27 vs. Drew |
| 12 | Colby | 0-0 | 14 | 3/26 vs. Bates |
| 13 | TCNJ | 1-1 | 11 | 3/23 vs. Stockton |
| 14 | Denison | 2-0 | 16 | 3/25 at Wittenburg |
| 15 | Messiah | 5-0 | NR | 3/24 vs. Hood |
| 16 | St. Mary's (Md.) | 2-1 | 17 | 3/28 vs. Randolph-Macon |
| 17 | Lynchburg | 3-1 | 18 | 3/24 at Christopher Newport |
| 18 | John Carroll | 8-0 | NR | 3/27 vs. Ohio Northern |
| 19 | Geneseo | 0-0 | NR | 3/24 vs. Brockport |
| 20 | Brockport | 0-1 | 20 | 3/24 at Geneseo |
Also considered: Claremont-Mudd Scripps (0-0), Merchant Marine (0-0), Pomona Pitzer (0-0), Cortland (1-1), Trinity (0-0), William Smith (0-1)
Nike/US Lacrosse Rankings
Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women
HOT
Salisbury (+3)
The Sea Gulls picked up their second and third wins against a ranked opponent this week and moved up three spots to No. 3. First, they beat former No. 19 Mary Washington 13-7 on Wednesday behind Erin Scannell’s six goals on nine shots and Mary Claire Hisle’s seven saves. Then, Salisbury added a 14-8 win over No. 11 TCNJ. Scannell also tallied six goals to lead the Gulls in that game, while Alexis Strobel added two goals and eight assists.
Salisbury had beaten No. 17 St. Mary’s the week prior.
Washington & Lee (+3)
The Generals move up three spots from No. 7 after putting together a pair of big wins last week.
Washington & Lee opened the week with a dominant 27-3 victory over Southern Virginia University, then topped No. 19-ranked Mary Washington 8-3 to make a push for a place in the top 3. Christina Cavallo totaled three goals, and first-year goalkeeper Caroline Kranich made four saves.
Ithaca (+5)
The Bombers are off to a strong start with a pair of wins against teams ranked in the coaches’ poll, including Brockport, who is ranked 20th in this Top 20.
Following an 18-11 win over Cortland in the opener, Ithaca got on the board first against Brockport and never trailed in the 9-7 defensive battle. Brockport goalkeeper Morgan Elmer stopped 16 shots, but seniors Rachel Rosenberg and Molly Nodiff each caused three turnovers to lead Ithaca’s defense.
NOT
TCNJ (-2)
The Lions fell short in their first big test with a 14-8 loss to Salisbury, ending a five-game winning streak dating back to the shortened 2020 season.
Salisbury took control of the game early, jumping out to a 9-5 lead at halftime. TCNJ, which had opened with an 18-4 win over Cabrini on March 9, turned the ball over 18 times and was outshot 29-18. The Lions have a chance to bounce back Tuesday against Stockton.
IN
Messiah (No. 15)
Messiah, which had been in consideration last week, climbed in with a 5-0 start, including three wins last week. The Falcons opened their Commonwealth slate with a 19-6 win over Albright on Wednesday, as Amanda Wadsworth and Hope Flack each scored five goals in the team’s first conference game since 2019.
They added wins over DeSales and Alvernia over the next three days.
John Carroll (No. 18)
The Blue and Gold earned some consideration with a recent win over Mount Union, but now move into the rankings after a hot 8-0 start that included outscoring a pair of opponents 46-4 last week.
John Carroll shut out Muskingum 28-0 on Saturday following an 18-4 win over Marietta. Colleen Grombala totaled 11 goals over the two wins.
OUT
Mary Washington (was No. 19)
A pair of losses in the last week dropped the Eagles to 0-3 and out of the rankings for now, although all three defeats have come at the hand of ranked opponents.
Mary Washington had started out at No. 13 in the preseason rankings, but a 13-12 loss in double-overtime to then-unranked Lynchburg caused the Eagles to fall six spots, and now they are out after a 13-7 loss to Salisbury and an 8-3 loss to Washington & Lee.