Princeton Reasserts Top 3 Status in USA Lacrosse D-I Men's Top 20

For the first time in what seems like forever, the No. 1 team in the country this week is the same as it was last week. Notre Dame beat Maryland to hang on to the spot it earned a week ago.

But if you want more stability, we suggest stopping your scroll here. The rest of the USA Lacrosse Division I Men's Top 20, presented by CWENCH Hydration, sees movement everywhere — impacted largely by the ACC-Ivy Challenge.

Princeton is the big mover in this Top 20 update, going from No. 10 to No. 3 after downing both Syracuse (No. 10) and North Carolina (No. 6) in a three-day span. 

Richmond rose a spot to No. 2 after dispatching the former No. 2, Cornell, in an 8-7 win. Johns Hopkins earned a modest climb to No. 11 after a stellar comeback win over Virginia. Newcomers to the Top 20 this week are UMass (No. 19) and Villanova (No. 20).

USA LACROSSE DIVISION I
MEN’S TOP 20

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

Also considered (alphabetical order): Boston U, Penn, Sacred Heart, Towson

USA LACROSSE DIVISION II
MEN’S TOP 20

Once again, Mother Nature rained, or rather snowed, on our parade and robbed fans of two top-tier games. Adelphi had to cancel contests with Wingate and Lenoir-Rhyne due to a blizzard. Fortunately, the rest of the Division II slate delivered plenty of high-level action.

Tampa flexed its muscles in a top-five matchup, jumping all over Maryville and sending a statement across the nation with a 14-3 win. Are the Spartans the rightful No. 1 team? Adelphi will have to slip in order for that to happen, but given the proclivity of the NE-10 teams to create and suffer upsets, that could still be on the cards.

Seton Hill and Anderson remained undefeated this weekend, as the Griffons downed UIndy 10-9 and Anderson won a shootout with Montevallo, 22-16. The real upset of the weekend came at the expense of Saint Leo, which suffered its first loss, 11-10 in overtime to Catawba. 

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

Also considered (alphabetical order): Assumption, Embry-Riddle, Florida Tech, Palm Beach Atlantic, UIndy

USA LACROSSE DIVISION III
MEN’S TOP 20

To paraphrase John Matrix: “Come on, NESCAC — let’s party.” The top conference in Division III joined the fray this weekend and chaos ensued. March Madness arrived a day early.

A series of results Saturday has this week’s Top 20 bearing little resemblance to the preseason ranking. St. Lawrence won a delayed (but still excellent) game against Cortland. Bates knocked off Wesleyan in Middletown. Babson took down RIT behind a massive eight-point outing from Joey Allen. Eric Allen made 15 stops to lead Lynchburg’s upset over second-ranked Salisbury. St. John Fisher used a five-goal third quarter to pull away from St. Lawrence (fresh off its win over Cortland).

Tufts took care of business and won its two games, while Christopher Newport and Bowdoin both held serve against tough opponents to keep their spots near the top. After that, the Division III landscape is a wasteland of formerly undefeated teams. 

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

Also considered (alphabetical order): Elmhurst, Endicott, Middlebury, Roanoke, Trinity