All eyes in the Division III lacrosse world were on the fifth installment of the Mustang Classic at Stevenson University this past weekend, and the slate of top-end games certainly didn’t disappoint.

Top-ranked RIT, courtesy of wins over Lynchburg and Amherst, held serve at No. 1 in the Nike/US Lacrosse Division III Men’s Top 20 at 6-0, besting the Tigers’ 5-0 start from a 2017 campaign which included a trip to the NCAA title game.

On the contrary, Denison fell hard from the No. 2 spot with convincing losses to Amherst and Dickinson.

The tournament also afforded York the chance to surge back up the rankings, with 10-plus goal wins over Stevenson and Nazareth. Across the two games, the Spartans’ junior attack trio of Brendan McGrath, Hunter Davis and Thomas Pfeiffer combined for 22 goals and nine assists.

The Mustang Classic also treated Dickinson particularly well, as the Red Devils recorded season-defining wins over Stevenson and Denison. After consecutive setbacks in early March to Cabrini and Roanoke, Dickinson seems to have found its groove ahead of Centennial Conference play.

Each result, though, shows how no team is safe in Division III lacrosse this year. Especially as conference play soon hits second gear, anybody is capable of winning, reinforced by the shifting tides of the these rankings five weeks into the 2018 season.

Nike/US Lacrosse
Division III Men’s Top 20

Also considered: Bates, Connecticut College, Coast Guard, Springfield, Swarthmore, Union

Nike/US Lacrosse Rankings

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

Hot

Ithaca (+4)

The Bombers knocked off Coast Guard and Geneseo by a combined score of 31-10 last week. It’s their 15-5 win over Coast Guard that stands out, though, as the Bears upset early-season No. 1 Wesleyan just a week prior.

Across the two contests, sophomore goalkeeper Robby Atwood stood out with 17 stops on 26 shots, pushing himself to a 5.41 goals against average on the year. Sophomore attackman Ryan Ozsvath, meanwhile, reached the 18-goal mark through five games, tying him for the Liberty League’s lead in goals per game.

Another standout performer was senior faceoff specialist Steven Landspurg, who went 32-of 47 from the X. He’s operating at a 65.8-percent success rate in 2018.

Roanoke (+6)

After an early-season setback at Denison, the Maroons have stormed back to notch three straight wins, the latest a 21-5 triumph over Shenandoah. Roanoke’s attack trio of Owen Curry, Garritt Schwartz and Jason Sarro combined for 12 goals and four assists against Shenandoah. They’ve combined for 79 points through seven games, which is nearly 45 percent of the Maroons’ offense. Roanoke is now 2-0 in conference play, pacing themselves before a brutal upcoming stretch against the likes of Wesleyan, Washington and Lee and Christopher Newport.

Tufts (+3)

The Jumbos resoundingly moved to 2-0 in NESCAC play on Saturday, knocking off Colby 20-6 at home. Fourteen different players scored in the win over the Mules, Tufts’ third game with at least 20 goals. Danny Murphy led the way with three goals and three assists.

Not

Denison (-10)

The Big Red’s trip to the Mustang Classic went about as poorly as it could have, with consecutive losses to Amherst (19-13) and Dickinson (15-8). Sophomore goalkeeper Cole Poyfair’s absence looms large, as he didn’t feature in the setbacks after putting up a 6.95 goals against average in five straight starts to kick off the 2018 season. Without Poyfair, Reeves McKenney and Stephen Paras combined to make just 21 saves on 55 shots.

St. Lawrence (-5)

Last week offered a mixed big for the Saints, who beat Vassar 9-2 on Saturday. Last Monday’s 12-11 loss to Middlebury spells some worry though, as they let the Bombers explode to a 12-3 lead midway through the third quarter. St. Lawrence showed some fight by rattling off the game’s final eight goals and falling just short of a complete comeback. To truly get a read on St. Lawrence, keep an eye out for its Liberty League matchups on March 28 and April 21 against Ithaca and RIT, respectively.

Cortland (-6)

The Red Dragons beat Morrisville State 19-9 on Saturday to halt a two-game losing streak. During their skid, thet fell 10-9 in overtime to Gettysburg and then were upset 15-11 by Springfield. Cortland lost the faceoff battle in both games, combined for 18 turnovers and went 2-of-7 on man-up opportunities.

In

Muhlenberg

Heading into last week, the Mules had the chance to reach the six-win mark for the first time since 2013. They accomplished that on Wednesday by knocking off Drew 8-4, and then one-upped themselves on Saturday by beating Moravian 16-2. The Mules’ defense, which currently allows 5.29 goals per game, is led by sophomore goalkeeper Garrett Pope. Their offense, meanwhile, is paced by freshman attack Ethan Grossman’s team-leading 27 points (18 goals, nine assists). Muhlenberg’s 7-0 start is its best in program history.

Washington and Lee

There’s arguably no hotter team in D-III lacrosse than the Generals, who have rattled off six straight wins after dropping their first three contests of the year. They beat Randolph-Macon 12-6 on Saturday, but most impressively swept aside Gettysburg 13-8 on Wednesday. Washington and Lee’s go-to player all year has been junior attackman A.J. Witherell, who now has 23 goals and 19 assists, the most points of any player in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.

Out

Connecticut College

After a commanding 20-5 win over Transylvania, the Camels dropped their first NESCAC game of the year, falling 11-9 to Williams. A late fourth-quarter flurry wasn’t enough to catch the Ephs, who led 11-7 until 5:27 remained in the contest. Junior goalkeeper Jameson Hill was uncharacteristically poor against Williams, stopping just eight of 19 shots. At 4-1, the Camels aren’t off to a poor start by any means and could easily work their way back into the Top 20 with three winnable games ahead.

Coast Guard

Perhaps the Bears basked in their March 6 upset of Wesleyan for too long, as they fell 15-5 to Ithaca on Tuesday. In that loss, Coast Guard was outshout 63-25, lost the ground-ball battle 46-31 and turned the ball over 29 times.