Record-Setting Tufts Proves No. 1 Standing in Final D-III Men's Top 20

Tufts put a Jum-bow on an undefeated season with a record-setting win in the NCAA Division III men’s title game. It set new marks for the most goals in an NCAA championship game across all divisions, and the widest margin of victory ever in a D-III title game with a 25-8 win over Dickinson. 

After the game, head coach Casey D’Annolfo said the coaches never asked their players to be perfect, just to be tough. In the end, he got both.

Dickinson’s Cinderella run to the NCAA title game was one of the best lacrosse stories of the year. The Red Devils went on the road and beat Salisbury, RPI and RIT in a span of seven days to reach the final. All three of those teams were considered heavy favorites not just in the respective games, but as contenders for the national championship. 

Dickinson’s breakthrough brought out supporters from across decades, as the Red Devils had one of the biggest and loudest cheering sections of any game all weekend. Dave Webster said arriving at the stadium and seeing the giant sea of red had him fighting back tears. He’s been at the helm at Dickinson since 2001 and is a 1988 graduate of the school.

Tufts might have finished 23-0, but the road wasn’t easy. The Jumbos survived overtime games against Christopher Newport, Wesleyan and Bowdoin. They won a 9-6 rock fight with Stevens early in the year. They had to come from behind multiple times after they started slow. Tufts had six players with 50-plus points, led by Jack Regnery, who went over the century mark with 103.

There were plenty other success stories across the Division III landscape worth highlighting. Salisbury lost to Dickinson in the third round of the NCAA tournament, but that game did go to overtime, and the Gulls were 20-0 prior to that loss. John DeFazio was one of the best, if not the best, defenseman in all of Division III in his final year in yellow and maroon. He caused 45 turnovers and had career highs in points (15) and ground balls (110). 

His career numbers are absurd — 107 games played, 41 points, 455 ground balls and 212 caused turnovers and just nine penalty minutes. In 2025, he had just 30 seconds of time in the sin bin. What an incredible career. He’ll move on to the pro ranks, where he made the roster for the PLL’s Maryland Whipsnakes.

RIT also had an excellent run. Though the Tigers were not as dominant as years past, they were still undefeated in conference play and won the Liberty League tournament with an 11-10 victory over St. Lawrence. The team went on to beat Cortland, St. John Fisher and Cortland before losing to Dickinson in the semifinals. Though the top end of the scoring chart will need to be re-naturalized with Canadians, the Tigers are not a team built to taper off; they’re a Fortune 500 D-III program that has plenty of investment for 2026.

There is one last thing to highlight before we close the door on this season. Division III is home to some of the best rivalries and passion in all of lacrosse. Despite Tufts’ absolute demolition show of force in the title game, there were many times when teams held the Jumbos to the sword of defeat. 

Dickinson was not able to do that in the championship game, but the Red Devils did it three times before that to teams who everyone thought were just going to battle each other for the chance to down Tufts at Gillette Stadium. So the story of the season isn’t necessarily the record-breaking run from the Jumbos as much as it is a treatise on hope for teams that haven’t slayed many demons in their existence. 

In the NCAA playoffs, it’s not always the devil you know; it’s the Red Devils you underestimate that can still get to Memorial Day weekend.

Continue below to see the final Top 20 of 2025, which is compiled by USA Lacrosse Magazine staff and contributors.

USA LACROSSE DIVISION III
MEN'S TOP 20

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

Also considered (alphabetical order): Babson, Endicott, Grove City, Ohio Wesleyan, Trinity