Washington and Lee is still a shade off cracking the top 10 of the Nike/US Lacrosse Division III Men’s Top 20, but the Generals deserve recognition as one of the hottest teams in the country.
W&L holds a plus-49 goal differential over their past four games, racing up the ODAC standings with four conference wins. While five regular-season games remain for Washington and Lee, their bid for a first ODAC title since 2016 is shaping up strong.
There are plenty of other comings and goings throughout the D-III landscape, though there’s a watchful eye on Wednesday night in NESCAC country. That’s when fans will be treated to two top-15 matchups in Amherst vs. Wesleyan and Tufts vs. Williams. Those games are sure to have profound implications on how next week’s rankings shape up.
Nike/US Lacrosse
Division III Men’s Top 20
April 1, 2019 |
W/L |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Salisbury | 11-0 | 1 | 4/6 at Frostburg State |
| 2 | Amherst | 9-0 | 2 | 4/3 vs. No. 6 Wesleyan |
| 3 | Tufts | 9-0 | 3 | 4/3 vs. No. 11 Williams |
| 4 | RIT | 9-1 | 5 | 4/3 at Cortland |
| 5 | York | 10-1 | 4 | 4/6 at St. Mary's |
| 6 | Wesleyan | 7-1 | 8 | 4/3 at No. 2 Amherst |
| 7 | Dickinson | 8-2 | 9 | 4/6 vs. Haverford |
| 8 | Cabrini | 8-2 | 6 | 4/3 at Marywood |
| 9 | Gettysburg | 8-3 | 7 | 4/6 vs. Swarthmore |
| 10 | Denison | 6-2 | 11 | 4/3 vs. Oberlin |
| 11 | Williams | 7-1 | 10 | 4/3 at No. 3 Tufts |
| 12 | Ursinus | 8-1 | 12 | 4/6 vs. McDaniel |
| 13 | Washington and Lee | 8-4 | 15 | 4/13 at Ferrum |
| 14 | Stevens | 8-2 | 14 | 4/6 at Alfred |
| 15 | Bates | 7-2 | 13 | 4/3 at Bowdoin |
| 16 | Franklin & Marshall | 7-3 | 18 | 4/5 vs. Elizabethtown |
| 17 | Lynchburg | 6-4 | 17 | 4/2 vs. Ferrum |
| 18 | RPI | 9-1 | 19 | 4/6 at No. 4 RIT |
| 19 | Christopher Newport | 8-4 | 16 | 4/3 vs. Stevenson |
| 20 | Union | 7-1 | NR | 4/3 vs. Montclair State |
Also considered (alphabetical order): Bowdoin, Coast Guard, Colorado College, Ithaca, Muhlenberg, St. Lawrence, Stevenson, Whittier
Nike/US Lacrosse Rankings
Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women
Hot
Washington and Lee (+2)
The Generals’ 8-4 record might not seem too intimidating on face value, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a D-III program that would confidently toss them aside.
Case in point: The ODAC program has now won four straight games, tacking on victories over Guilford (23-4) and Roanoke (13-8) last week to move to first in the conference. Senior attackman A.J. Witherell has been his normally dominant self across this stretch, recording 27 points across his last four games.
Also of note: Three of the Generals’ four losses came by one goal against top-15 opponents, further showing how their overall record can be a bit deceiving.
Franklin & Marshall (+2)
The Centennial Conference is as grueling as they come, and so far the Diplomats have passed every test it has posed in 2019. F&M moved to 3-0 in conference play last week, beating both Gettysburg (13-8) and Haverford (18-12).
It’s the former result which really jumps off the page, as only York has held the Bullets to fewer goals scored. Meanwhile, reigning CC Rookie of the Year Luke Keating is blossoming into a true dual-threat. He has a team-leading 57 points after putting up seven goals and three assists vs. Haverford.
Not
Christopher Newport (-3)
At 8-4, life could be much worse for CNU. But with recent losses to York and Stevens, the Captains have now dropped all four of their games against teams currently in the top 20.
Matters won’t get any easier when traveling to face Stevenson on Wednesday, a program that’s much better than its 3-6 record suggests. The Mustangs have won two straight, thriving with the return of MAC Commonwealth play.
Gettysburg (-3)
Last week brought about a mixed bag for the Bullets in Centennial Conference play. They fell 13-8 to Franklin & Marshall on Wednesday, only to then squeak out an 11-10 win at Muhlenberg on Saturday.
Don’t worry too much about Gettysburg, especially with 32nd-year head coach Hank Janczyk at the helm. But it’s worth starting to ask if this program can replicate last year’s CC regular-season title. They went 8-0 in such games in 2018, losing to Dickinson in the conference title match.
IN
Union
There’s often a rotating cast at the bottom of the top 20, and this week sees another Liberty League squad snag the last spot. The Dutchmen earned it, too, after wins last week over NESCAC foe Middlebury (14-10) and Clarkson (14-6) in conference play.
Union has now scored 14 goals in three straight games, and the only blemish on their schedule is a mid-March loss to Williams. Senior goalie Jack Santilli, in his first year as a starter, has one of the country’s top save percentages at 65.7.
Out
St. Lawrence
The Saints’ bid for an undefeated season ended last Wednesday in a 12-11 overtime loss to Ithaca, as they fell to 1-1 in Liberty League play. St. Lawrence then quickly rebounded with a 15-4 win Saturday over Oswego State, so they’re just on the bubble this week.
Good news up in Canton, N.Y., is that preseason All-American attackman Conor Caffrey seems to be finding his groove, as he has 10 goals and two assists over his last three games.