There’s a new No. 1 and a new No. 2 in the Nike/US Lacrosse Division III Men’s Top 20, with Salisbury and RIT, respectively, taking over those spots.

With a combined five wins early on, the national title contenders have bumped Williams down two rungs on the ladder until the NESCAC program opens at Trinity next weekend.

That’s the biggest takeaway when assessing the Division III landscape after this weekend, one in which York’s loss against Stevenson also stood out. But it’s still early, as seven teams in the rankings haven’t even played a game yet. Thus is life in D-III, where the season sometimes seems to go by in a flash.

Here’s how everything is stacking up, with several top-20 sides still figuring things out ahead of conference play.

Nike/US Lacrosse
Division III Men’s Top 20

Also considered (alphabetical order): Bates, Elizabethtown, Illinois Wesleyan, Middlebury, Rhodes, RPI, Springfield, Stevens, Washington and Lee

Nike/US Lacrosse Rankings

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

Hot

Salisbury (+1)

The Sea Gulls had one of the earliest starts in D-III this year, and they now own three convincing wins through the season’s first four weekends. The latest notch in their belt was an 11-5 victory over Centennial Conference contender Gettysburg, and strong performances can be found across the field. Griffin Moroney and Cross Ferrara have already combined for 24 points on attack, Brett Malamphy is 47-for-58 from the faceoff X and Brad Apgar is back to help lead the defense.

RIT (+1)

The Tigers are typically in the national title conversation, and they look to have again reloaded after early-season wins over Ohio Wesleyan (17-4) and Bates (15-9). Those are two solid programs, but they could do little to stop the one-two punch of Dawson Tait and Ryan Barnable. Only one non-conference game remains for RIT on Feb. 26 against Nazareth, and then they’ll tackle Liberty League play in early March as eight-time defending conference champions.

Stevenson (+2)

A 12-11 win over York was a head-turner, and it was again Jacob Tatum and Ethan Christensen leading the charge with a combined 10 points. The Mustangs also went 5-for-6 on man-up opportunities and were powered by an 8-1 run across three quarters. But the win also hid some inefficiencies, as York dominated the ground-ball battle 45-24 and Stevenson cleared just 18 of 28 attempts. Then again, a win over a top-10 team provides plenty of inspiration.

St. John Fisher (+2)

Great anticipation followed the Cardinals heading into this spring, especially after last year’s first-ever Empire 8 title and brief NCAA tournament run. SJF has already built off those successes, turning an eight-goal first quarter into an 18-13 win over Liberty League foe Ithaca last weekend. Ian Evans had a career-high six goals and Joe Post went 27-for-33 on faceoffs, setting up a huge home game Tuesday against Dickinson.

Not

Lynchburg (-6)

The Hornets dropped to 1-2 over the weekend, with their second setback of the season a 17-15 loss at Cabrini. The defending NCAA champion Cavaliers scored twice in the final three minutes to pull away, souring a seven-point and six-ground ball performance from All-American midfielder Kevin Rogers. Early-season defeats against high-caliber opponents such as Cabrini and Salisbury shouldn’t cause Lynchburg to hang its head too much, especially since the ODAC is where the Hornets typically thrive.

Gettysburg (-2)

The Bullets ran into the Salisbury buzzsaw and fell 11-5. The Sea Gulls led 8-1 at halftime. Gettysburg is still one of the top Centennial Conference programs, and it will have every chance to climb the rankings during this upcoming two-game stretch against Stevenson and York. It should be noted, too, that the Bullets boast arguably the nation’s top defenseman in senior Mitch Wykoff.

In

Dickinson

Most coaches had Dickinson narrowly shy of the Centennial Conference’s top tier this year, but don’t sleep on these Red Devils. They gutted out a 13-12 overtime win over Stevens, with senior goalkeeper Cole Pellicano posting 18 saves and senior attackmen Nick Goles and Ben Levin combining for seven goals. Dickinson’s schedule doesn’t lighten up until late March after the Mustang Classic, but the early returns are encouraging.

Out

Rhodes

Strength of schedule is a major factor when assembling these top-20 rankings, and the Lynx don’t truly encounter a difficult team until their March 9 meeting with Salisbury. They’re 3-0 to start the year and have won two straight Southern Athletic Association titles.