Penn State Sweeps Ivy Slate, Jumps Up USA Lacrosse Top 20

For the first time all season, it was mostly quiet in the top half of the USA Lacrosse Division I Men’s Top 20, presented by CWENCH Hydration.

The top four teams remained steady, North Carolina and Duke flip-flopped at Nos. 5 and 6, and Ohio State stays put at No. 7 after its tightly contested loss to No. 1 Notre Dame. And Syracuse is up two spots to No. 8.

Penn State is perhaps the biggest riser this week after thoroughly dismantling defending NCAA champion Cornell. The Nittany Lions go from No. 15 all the way to No. 9 — and they have now swept their Ivy League slate of Princeton, Yale and Cornell.

In the bottom of the Top 20, Penn and Loyola are newcomers this week.

USA LACROSSE DIVISION I
MEN’S TOP 20

1. Notre Dame
2. Richmond
3. Princeton
4. Harvard
5. North Carolina
6. Duke
7. Ohio State
8. Syracuse
9. Penn State
10. Maryland
11. Cornell
12. Denver
13. Johns Hopkins
14. Georgetown
15. Army
16. UMass
17. Saint Joseph’s
18. Penn
19. Loyola
20. Rutgers

Also considered (alphabetical order): Boston U, Lafayette, Sacred Heart, Towson, Virginia, Yale

USA LACROSSE DIVISION II
MEN’S TOP 20

A week after Tampa looked indestructible, the Spartans suffered their first loss. Such is D-II ball. 

Anderson hosted Tampa, and it took more than regulation to settle things. Radyn Badraun had a hat trick, but Brayden Bushnoe was the hero, hitting the game-winner in OT. It’s the first loss of the year for Tampa, sending them down the Top 20 — though not too far.

Outside of that game, if you were ranked last week, you probably had a pretty good week.

Adelphi used an early start to race in front of Seton Hill, then it slammed the door with defense and secured a 10-3 victory. Adelphi’s goalie questions are no longer looking for answers, as Christian Tomei made 13 saves and finished 81 percent in net.

The bottom of the Top 20 is a game of slap tag among a host of teams. There is, of course, plenty of time to sort things out.

1. Adelphi
2. Saint Anselm
3. Anderson
4. Tampa
5. Maryville 
6. Seton Hill 
7. Lewis 
8. Wingate
9. Newberry 
10. Lenoir-Rhyne
11. Mercy
12. Bentley 
13. Colorado Mesa
14. Pace 
15. Saint Leo 
16. Southern New Hampshire 
17. Molloy
18. Catawba 
19. Flagler 
20. St. Michael’s 

Also considered (alphabetical order): Assumption, Florida Tech, Rockhurst, Rollins, UIndy

USA LACROSSE DIVISION III
MEN’S TOP 20

Not a week goes by without major surprises in Division III. While the top five all held serve, there were some stunners. While the old saying is that Tuesday is for the hunter, it was Wednesday that the underdogs flexed their muscles.

Middlebury took it to RPI. Stockton crushed Swarthmore. Skidmore upset Cortland. Wesleyan beat RPI.

In one of the more intriguing matchups, Gettysburg won a tight battle against Washington and Lee thanks to a stellar game from Charlie Johnson, who finished with four goals. Are the Bullets the most underrated team in Division III?

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

Also considered (alphabetical order): Cortland, Endicott, Franklin & Marshall, Roanoke, Trinity, Williams