The Nike/USA Lacrosse Division III Women’s Top 20 remains unchanged after a perfect week for the ranked teams, but upcoming conference championships could lead to some changes.
Middlebury and Pomona-Pitzer finished their regular seasons unbeaten, the lone ranked teams to do so. They will be among the favorites to win their conference’s titles.
NIKE/USA LACROSSE
DIVISION III WOMEN’S TOP 20
May 2, 2022 |
W/L |
Prev |
Next |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
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1 |
Middlebury |
16-0 |
1 |
5/7 vs. Wesleyan (NESCAC semi) |
|
2 |
Salisbury |
14-2 |
2 |
5/7 vs. TBD (C2C championship) |
|
3 |
Washington and Lee |
15-2 |
3 |
5/7 vs. TBD (ODAC semi) |
|
4 |
TCNJ |
13-2 |
4 |
5/4 vs. Kean (NJAC tournament) |
|
5 |
Gettysburg |
14-3 |
5 |
5/7 vs. TBD (Centennial tournament) |
|
6 |
Franklin & Marshall |
15-2 |
6 |
5/7 vs. Haverford (Centennial semi) |
|
7 |
William Smith |
15-1 |
7 |
5/7 vs. TBD (Liberty League semi) |
|
8 |
Colby |
14-2 |
8 |
5/7 vs. No. 9 Tufts (NESCAC semi) |
|
9 |
Tufts |
13-3 |
9 |
5/7 vs. No. 8 Colby (NESCAC semi) |
|
10 |
St. Lawrence |
16-1 |
10 |
5/7 vs. TBD (Liberty League semi) |
|
11 |
Ithaca |
14-2 |
11 |
5/3 vs. Clarkson (Liberty League quarter) |
|
12 |
York |
12-5 |
12 |
5/4 vs. TBD (MAC Commonwealth semi) |
|
13 |
Wesleyan |
13-3 |
13 |
5/7 vs. No. 1 Middlebury (NESCAC semi) |
|
14 |
Messiah |
13-4 |
14 |
5/4 vs. Stevenson (MAC Commonwealth semi) |
|
15 |
SUNY Cortland |
13-4 |
15 |
5/6 vs. TBD (SUNYAC semi) |
|
16 |
SUNY Geneseo |
13-2 |
16 |
5/6 vs. TBD (SUNYAC semi) |
|
17 |
Catholic |
11-4 |
17 |
5/4 vs. Drew (Landmark semi) |
|
18 |
Roanoke |
14-3 |
18 |
5/7 vs. TBD (ODAC semi) |
|
19 |
Pomona-Pitzer |
15-0 |
19 |
5/4 vs. Occidental (SCIAC semi) |
|
20 |
Roger Williams |
14-1 |
20 |
5/4 vs. TBD (CCC semi) |
Also considered (alphabetical order): Amherst (9-7), SUNY Brockport (10-5), Chicago (15-1), Denison (10-5), FDU-Florham (15-2), Haverford (12-4)
Nike/USA Lacrosse Rankings
Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women
HOT
Middlebury (no change)
The 2019 national champions didn’t get a chance to defend their title after the NCAA canceled the 2020 season and continued COVID-19 restrictions in New England prevented them from participating last year. They don’t seem to have missed a beat, though.
Jane Earley has been everything the Panthers thought she could be last year when she was selected as the USA Lacrosse Magazine Preseason Player of the Year before it was known Middlebury wouldn’t be able to field a team. And she’s just one of many on a talented roster.
Middlebury won its NESCAC tournament quarterfinal against Amherst 20-2 and will host the semifinals and final this weekend. The Panthers won three of the last four NESCAC tournaments in which they competed.
William Smith (no change)
The Herons clinched their eighth Liberty League regular-season title with a 24-3 win over Vassar College in the finale, and they head into the conference tournament on an 11-game winning streak.
William Smith was 10-0 in league play, and its only loss was to current No. 2 Salisbury on March 22.
The team’s 24-goal explosion was a season-high, sparked by Allie McGinty’s eight points on four goals and four assists. Molly Davis added four goals, and Maddie Montgomery contributed six points on three goals and three assists.
TCNJ (no changes)
The Lions concluded their regular season with a 21-1 rout of Ramapo on Saturday, giving them seven wins in their last eight games.
Jenny LaRocca enjoyed a memorable Senior Day, tying the program record with 10 assists while reaching 100 points for the season. She also had two goals. Ally Tobler scored a team-high four goals and added an assist.
TCNJ is 13-2 with its two losses coming by four goals or less against the top two ranked teams in Division III — Middlebury and Salisbury.
NOT SO HOT
Wesleyan (no change)
The Cardinals had to make a fourth-quarter comeback to extend their NESCAC tournament stay, scoring four goals and shutting out Hamilton for the period to win their quarterfinals matchup 10-8 on Saturday.
Wesleyan has played well this season but had a hard time in April. The Cardinals beat Trinity by just one goal April 13 in between a 12-11 loss to No. 1 Middlebury and 16-11 loss to No. 8 Tufts. They had bounced back to earn three lopsided wins to close the regular season but couldn’t repeat the dominant performance they had against Hamilton in that stretch come tournament time.
Now, Wesleyan has the tall task of trying to knock off the hottest team in Division III when it meets Middlebury in the NESCAC semifinals Saturday.
Franklin & Marshall (no change)
The Diplomats have something to prove this week, as they look for a chance to potentially match up with Gettysburg in the Centennial Conference championship game.
F&M was sitting in second in the rankings when Gettysburg handed the team a 13-7 loss — its first defeat since the opener against Washington & Lee, which was a one-goal game. The Diplomats had five wins against ranked opponents between their two losses, including against No. 2 Salisbury, and they have won three straight since losing to the Bullets on April 20.
Their last two wins weren’t as decisive as they could have been, including just a four-goal victory over unranked Dickinson on Wednesday, but F&M can’t afford to look past Haverford in a second straight meeting Saturday in the Centennial Conference semifinals. In all reality, F&M should be better than a No. 6 ranking, but the teams ahead of it caught fire at the right time.