Just one look at the schedule last week made it clear that a tumultuous ride for the USA Lacrosse Division III Men’s Top 20 was coming.
And while many of the heavyweights near the top came away victorious, there was a bevy of upsets that shook the rest of Top 20. Trap weekend? Trap weekend.
Christopher Newport started things off by suffering a midweek defeat to Williams, 18-12. The loss drops the Captains out of the top 10 for now, even though they did get back to their winning ways with a victory over Montclair State. CNU has not won, or lost, two games in a row since back-to-back wins against Ohio Wesleyan and Grove City nearly a month ago.
Babson has moved up the rankings in recent weeks and added another impressive win to the resume by defeating Bowdoin 13-6 last Tuesday. The Beavers have two losses this year by a combined two goals, both against ranked opponents, and they have now won seven straight.
The NESCAC, as it seems to do quite frequently of late, had an up-and-down week. Highs include the aforementioned win for Williams over CNU, as well as Middlebury returning to the Top 20 with a convincing win over Wesleyan. Tufts continued to roll and shook off a rough start against a feisty Colby team to win their third straight. On the downside, Amherst fell to Lynchburg, and Bowdoin lost to Babson.
Union had a rough week, losing a one-sided game to Tufts and then losing again over the weekend against St. Lawrence. The Liberty League is a juggernaut this year. The top three teams in the league (RPI, St. Lawrence, RIT), have combined to lose just one game. Skidmore and Union are right behind them. There might not be a more competitive conference in Division III this year.
Hampden-Sydney had a big opportunity to get back into the Top 20 with a trip to Washington and Lee but came up just short in OT. The ODAC is up for grabs, and Washington and Lee, Hampden-Sydney, Roanoke and Lynchburg all look like they want a crack at the conference championship.
April is here, which means we are well past the midway point. Teams don't have much time to turn things around and the pressure will continue to mount on the squads that are emerging as NCAA title contenders.
USA LACROSSE DIVISION III
MEN’S TOP 20
1. Salisbury, 10-0 (Prev: 1)
2. RPI, 11-0 (Prev: 2)
3. St. Lawrence, 10-0 (Prev: 3)
4. RIT, 10-1 (Prev: 4)
5. Tufts, 7-1 (Prev: 5)
6. Dickinson, 9-1 (Prev: 8)
7. Swarthmore, 8-1 (Prev: 12)
8. Gettysburg, 5-3 (Prev: 13)
9. Babson, 8-2 (Prev: 16)
10. Union, 7-2 (Prev: 7)
11. Christopher Newport, 8-3 (Prev: 6)
12. Washington and Lee, 7-3 (Prev: 14)
13. Lynchburg, 5-4 (Prev: 15)
14. Bowdoin, 6-2 (Prev: 9)
15. Williams, 5-3 (Prev: 17)
16. Amherst, 5-2 (Prev: 10)
17. Endicott, 8-1 (Prev: 19)
18. Middlebury, 5-4 (Prev: NR)
19. Wesleyan, 6-2 (Prev: 11)
20. Stevens, 8-2 (Prev: 20)
Also considered (alphabetical order): Cabrini, Grove City, Hampden-Sydney, Roanoke, Skidmore