Hopkins Up to No. 7 in USA Lacrosse Division I Men's Top 20

Things were shockingly quiet near the top of the USA Lacrosse Division I Men's Top 20, as the top five teams from last week stayed in their respective positions.

To their credit, though, the top three teams survived notable challenges. Notre Dame had to fend off Duke to keep the top spot. Princeton played a thriller against Harvard that Colin Burns ended after a bonkers fourth quarter. North Carolina and Virginia traded blows, but James Matan made sure the Tar Heels avoided an upset.

Johns Hopkins is a key mover at No. 7. The Blue Jays beat Maryland in one of the game's most historic rivalries, and their ascent up five places to be the top-ranked Big Ten team is indicative of their No. 1 seeding in the Big Ten tournament. Despite the four-way for the regular season conference title between Hopkins, Maryland, Ohio State and Penn State, Hopkins earned the top seed.

USA LACROSSE DIVISION I
MEN’S TOP 20

1. Notre Dame
2. Princeton
3. North Carolina
4. Richmond
5. Syracuse
6. Cornell
7. Johns Hopkins
8. Ohio State
9. Harvard
10. Maryland
11. Georgetown
12. Virginia
13. Penn State
14. Towson
15. Yale
16. Army
17. Duke
18. Loyola
19. Penn
20. Boston

Also considered (alphabetical order): Rutgers, Siena, UAlbany

USA LACROSSE DIVISION II
MEN’S TOP 20

As conference play begins to even out the field, Division II’s top contenders are emerging. Yes, the top three teams are the favorites for top seeds in an advanced prediction of the NCAA tournament, but with conference playoffs on the docket, anything can happen.

Notable wins this week include Saint Anselm coming back from a 10-7 halftime deficit against Pace to gut out a 14-12 win at home. The other top teams also took care of business. 

Undefeated Adelphi stayed that way with a 25-7 win over Franklin Pierce, while Tampa finished its regular season earlier this week with a 6-4 win over Florida Tech. On Wednesday, it will begin its quest to repeat as Sunshine State champion when it takes on Florida Southern in the first round of the conference tournament.

1. Adelphi
2. Tampa
3. Saint Anselm
4. Wingate
5. Lenoir-Rhyne
6. Newberry
7. Anderson
8. Seton Hill
9. Catawba
10. Lewis
11. Maryville
12. Florida Tech
13. Molloy
14. Rockhurst
15. Pace
16. Saint Leo
17. Mercy
18. Assumption
19. Belmont Abbey
20. Flagler

Also considered (alphabetical order): Colorado Mesa, Lees-McRae, UIndy

USA LACROSSE DIVISION III
MEN’S TOP 20

A wild weekend across the Division III landscape saw a dominant goalie performance from Christopher Newport’s Mason Bellinger in a 12-9 win over Salisbury, stealing the headlines from earlier Saturday results. 

As the NESCAC continues to commit in-conference violence against itself, the top two teams in New England and the nation are clear: it’s Tufts, Bowdoin, and everyone else. That duel will take place Wednesday, but until then, both teams remain the only undefeated squads in the country.

1. Tufts
2. Bowdoin
3. Lynchburg
4. Christopher Newport
5. York
6. Salisbury
7. Wesleyan
8. Gettysburg
9. Babson
10. Stevens
11. Dickinson
12. RIT
13. Bates
14. Middlebury
15. Amherst
16. Cortland
17. Hamilton
18. St. Lawrence
19. Ithaca
20. Washington and Lee

Also considered (alphabetical order): Endicott, Roanoke, Skidmore, Washington College