The 2020 NCAA Division III men’s lacrosse season is still in first gear, but there’s plenty to sort through with the midway point of February in the rearview mirror.
The top dogs of Salisbury, RIT and Cabrini all started with big wins. There’s also plenty of shuffling in the Centennial Conference, with defending champion Ursinus keeping the Gary Mercadante era trending in an upward trajectory and Franklin & Marshall hitting a speed bump.
Most NESCAC programs are still two weekends away from firing out of the blocks. There’s a similar pause for most Liberty League, NEWMAC and Empire 8 teams, as is life for wintertime lacrosse in the northern part of the country.
While there’s not a ton of shuffling in the latest Nike/US Lacrosse Top 20 rankings, let’s take a look at how the D-III men’s lacrosse world is shaping up early on.
Nike/US Lacrosse
Division III Men’s Top 20
Feb. 17, 2020 |
W/L |
Prev |
Next |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Williams | 0-0 | 1 | 2/29 at Trinity |
| 2 | Salisbury | 2-0 | 2 | 2/22 at No. 9 Gettysburg |
| 3 | RIT | 1-0 | 3 | 2/22 vs. Bates |
| 4 | Amherst | 0-0 | 4 | 2/29 vs. Hamilton |
| 5 | Tufts | 0-0 | 5 | 2/29 vs. Colby |
| 6 | Cabrini | 1-0 | 6 | 2/22 vs. No. 11 Lynchburg |
| 7 | Denison | 1-0 | 8 | 2/25 at No. 15 St. John Fisher |
| 8 | York | 2-0 | 9 | 2/22 vs. No. 17 Stevenson |
| 9 | Gettysburg | 1-0 | 11 | 2/19 at Goucher |
| 10 | Union | 0-0 | 10 | 2/26 vs. Endicott |
| 11 | Lynchburg | 1-1 | 13 | 2/22 at No. 6 Cabrini |
| 12 | Wesleyan | 0-0 | 12 | 2/29 vs. Bates |
| 13 | Ursinus | 1-0 | 17 | 2/22 vs. Mary Washington |
| 14 | Franklin & Marshall | 0-1 | 7 | 2/26 at Susquehanna |
| 15 | St. John Fisher | 0-0 | 15 | 2/22 vs. Ithaca |
| 16 | Saint Lawrence | 0-0 | 16 | 2/29 vs. SUNY Potsdam |
| 17 | Stevenson | 0-1 | 14 | 2/22 at No. 8 York |
| 18 | Rhodes | 2-0 | 20 | 2/22 vs. Transylvania |
| 19 | Cortland | 0-0 | 19 | 2/29 vs. SUNY Maritime |
| 20 | Christopher Newport | 1-0 | NR | 2/19 at Roanoke |
Also considered (alphabetical order): Bates, DeSales, Dickinson, Hampden-Sydney, Ithaca, Middlebury, RPI, Springfield, Stevens
Nike/US Lacrosse Rankings
Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women
Hot
Ursinus (+4)
The reigning Centennial Conference champion started its season with a statement win over Stevenson for the second straight year, and this time junior midfielder Aaron Grill played the hero. He scored a man-up goal with 12.8 seconds remaining to seal the 13-12 win, ending a back-and-forth thriller at home. The Bears won three one-goal games last year, so they’re developing a penchant for emerging positively from nail-biters under head coach Gary Mercadante.
Here it is, Aaron Grill's game-winner with 12.8 seconds remaining that gave @UrsinusMLAX a wild 13-12 win over No. 20 Stevenson in today's opener!#CentConf #d3lax #upthebears pic.twitter.com/2j8Xgbrs69
— Ursinus Athletics (@ucathletics) February 15, 2020
Lynchburg (+2)
The Hornets rebounded from a 16-10 loss to Salisbury with a convincing 19-10 win over Franklin & Marshall, sparked by monster showings from Trammel Robinson, Colin Dean and Kevin Rogers. They combined for 13 goals and seven assists, giving Lynchburg a much-needed boost before an upcoming two-game swing against Cabrini and York.
Gettysburg (+2)
The Bullets ended their season opener on a 7-0 run, which was the difference-maker at home in a 16-10 win over Messiah. Two-time All-American attackman Brian Kolen led the way with six points. Mitch Wykoff, arguably the top defenseman in Division III, scooped nine ground balls. Alex Ulrich went 20-for-26 facing off.
Not
Franklin & Marshall (-7)
It’s not so much that the Diplomats dropped their first game of 2020, it’s that they were nearly doubled-up in a 19-10 loss at Lynchburg. The game was nearly decided by halftime. Lynchburg opened a 12-3 lead and never looked back. The 11-day break before next week’s game against Susquehanna allows F&M to reset. Senior attackman Kevin Mollihan set a new program record for career goals (194) with a hat trick in defeat.
Stevenson (-3)
Few teams play a harder schedule than Stevenson, and the Mustangs dropped their first major test in heartbreaking fashion against Ursinus. It overshadowed a five-point afternoon from junior midfielder Jacob Tatum. This was the second straight year Stevenson opened with a loss to Ursinus. The Mustangs’ next seven games are all against nationally ranked teams.
In
Christopher Newport
The Captains were a bubble team in preseason, and then they strengthened their case with an opening 15-6 win over Washington College (Md.). They’re still relatively young, as shown by freshman attackman Alex Brendes posting a team-leading four points and goalkeeper Scott McAneney being the only high-impact senior thus far. This upcoming three-game stretch against Roanoke, Hampden-Sydney and Ursinus will be revealing, but Christopher Newport again looks to be trending up.
Out
Washington and Lee
Life after A.J. Witherell, the Generals’ all-time leading scorer, is off to a rough start. They dropped home games against York (13-9) and Denison (17-11) on back-to-back weekends, putting them behind the eight ball before ODAC play begins in early March against Guilford. Then again, Washington and Lee started the 2018 season with three straight losses before finishing 15-5 and losing in the NCAA tournament’s third round.