Hamilton Upsets Tufts, Joins USA Lacrosse Division III Men's Top 20

It’s conference tournament time across all divisions of college lacrosse, and Division III refused to be outdone by its over-hyped and under-hyped siblings.

The NESCAC is regarded as one of the deeper conferences in Division III, and the tournament quarterfinals delivered. Wesleyan beat Trinity 18-10; Bowdoin beat Williams 14-4; and Middlebury beat Amherst 9-6.

Everything was going according to the script with the higher seeds winning. Hamilton, however, did not receive that script. Hamilton traveled to Tufts and beat the top overall seed 14-13 in an overtime thriller punctuated by a chaotic ground ball sequence during which both teams had a chance to win possession. It all led to the ball finding Jesse Delinsky in front of the goal, where he spun away from a back check and scored to take the win.

Outside of the NESCAC, St. Lawrence got its groove back in the Liberty League, notching a 15-10 win over RPI. The win puts the Saints in a three-way tie atop the conference, as RIT and RPI are also 6-1. Tiebreakers make RIT the top overall seed in the conference tournament, and the Tigers face the winner of Clarkson and Union’s matchup on Tuesday. St. Lawrence and RPI get to go at it again on Friday in the semifinals.

A major upset last week was Gettysburg losing to Washington College 18-14. The Centennial Conference tournament gets underway this week. With the win, Washington drew even at 4-4 in conference play, the same record as Gettysburg. The two will have a rematch as the four and five seeds this week, with the winner advancing to take on Swarthmore.

The intensity gets turned up around the country with conference tournaments for everyone else getting started as early as Tuesday. Win and you’re in. Lose and it’s over.

USA LACROSSE DIVISION III
MEN’S TOP 20

1. Salisbury, 17-0 (Prev: 1)
2. RIT, 16-1 (Prev: 2)
3. Swarthmore, 14-1 (Prev: 4)
4. St. Lawrence, 14-2 (Prev: 8)
5. RPI, 14-2 (Prev: 5)
6. Christopher Newport, 13-4 (Prev: 6)
7. Tufts, 13-3 (Prev: 3)
8. Bowdoin, 11-4 (Prev: 9)
9. Dickinson, 14-2 (Prev: 7)
10. Wesleyan, 13-3 (Prev: 10)
11. Washington and Lee, 13-4 (Prev: 11)
12. Lynchburg, 12-5 (Prev: 13)
13. Babson, 13-3 (Prev: 15)
14. Union, 11-4 (Prev: 14)
15. Middlebury, 9-7 (Prev: 19)
16. Amherst, 10-6 (Prev: 12)
17. Endicott, 14-1 (Prev: 17)
18. Stevens, 15-2 (Prev: 18)
19. Gettysburg, 8-7 (Prev: 16)
20. Hamilton, 9-6 (Prev: NR)

Also considered (alphabetical order): Denison, Grove City, Lake Forest, Muhlenberg, Williams, York

HOT

Denison (also considered)

It may feel like ages ago, but Denison appeared in the USA Lacrosse Division III Men’s Preseason Top 20. After a rough 2-4 start, Denison fell out of the ranking. Over the last six weeks, Denison has been charging back by winning 10 of the last 11 games and eight straight.

Last week, Denison beat Ohio Wesleyan 10-8. Undefeated in NCAC play, Denison will enter the conference tournament, with the semifinals happening Thursday, as a heavy favorite to take the crown. Luke Fisher and Tommy Quinson have been outstanding, as both have eclipsed the 50-goal mark. Fisher is closing in on his first career 100-point season.

NOT

Amherst (-4)

Amherst has struggled to be consistent from week to week all the way through NESCAC play, and it has caught up to them. Amherst hasn’t won, or lost, two games in a row in the last six. One week Amherst is blown out by Bowdoin, the next Amherst is beating RPI. Last week, they fell to Middlebury in the NESCAC quarters.

IN

Hamilton (No. 20)

Hamilton delivered the moment of the week — perhaps the moment of the year — in Division III. After a shot from Justin Pearl hit the side netting in OT, all ground ball hell broke loose. The scrum included four players from both teams, including Tufts goalie Conner Garzone, who was trying to clamp and drag the ball into his crease. The ball was eventually dug out and won by Tufts, but Hamilton knocked down a clearing pass, creating further ground ball madness.

This time, Hamilton won the ball off the ground, and a flip to the front of the goal put the ball in the stick of Jesse Delinksy. He faked, spun around a charging defender, and put the ball home, delivering an OT win for Hamilton against top-seeded Tufts in the NESCAC quarters. A stunner, and everything we love about lacrosse, all at once.

OUT

Cabrini (was No. 20)

Cabrini’s old nemesis, Salisbury, handed the Cavaliers a lopsided loss. It snapped an eight-game winning streak for Cabrini, and it’s still just its second loss in the last two months, but it’s enough to drop the Cavaliers back out of the Top 20. Dillon McManus was electric in defeat, scoring five points, but Cabrini just couldn’t handle the top-end weapons for Salisbury. The Cavalieres are still undefeated in conference play and have demolished conference opponents all spring. Burn the boats.