Tar Heels Take Top Spot in USA Lacrosse Division I Men's Top 20

Backed by an offense as potent as any and the most dangerous faceoff ace in the country, North Carolina is the new No. 1 team in the USA Lacrosse Division I Men's Top 20, presented by CWENCH Hydration.

The Tar Heels' latest triumph over Syracuse, coupled with former No. 1 Richmond's loss to Notre Dame, opened the door for UNC to move up to top billing.

While North Carolina grabbed the headline, another ACC team is surging in a big way. One week after knocking off Notre Dame when the Irish had their turn at No. 1, Virginia clipped Duke in the regular season for the first time in 22 years and is back in the top 10 after a topsy-turvy spring season.

USA LACROSSE DIVISION I
MEN’S TOP 20

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

Also considered (alphabetical order): Boston U, LIU, Navy, Sacred Heart, Siena, UAlbany, Utah

USA LACROSSE DIVISION II
MEN’S TOP 20

Without a doubt, the biggest game on the calendar was the battle at the top. No. 1 Adelphi took on then-No. 2 Saint Anselm in an NE-10 showdown and delivered a game for the ages. 

The Panthers raced out to a 4-0 lead, but Saint Anselm settled in and battled back, and the first quarter ended tied at 5. The rest of the way was a slugfest. 

There were additional ties at 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13 and 14 before Braden Donnellan won it in overtime to keep the Panthers perfect. The best thing about this matchup? Lacrosse fans likely get to watch it at least one more time.

The rest of the Top 20 went relatively undisturbed. The exception is Anderson shaking off some recent struggles with a big win against SAC foe Newberry. Newberry had a halftime lead, but Anderson exploded with seven third-quarter goals to break it open. Cole Sparks, Brodie Deustch and Matt Rodgers had hat tricks, while Ryan Bitterman tallied four goals. 

Conference play is only raising the stakes as teams start to set their sights on postseason runs.

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

Also considered (alphabetical order): Assumption, Belmont Abbey, Bentley, Colorado Mesa, Embry-Riddle, UIndy

USA LACROSSE DIVISION III
MEN’S TOP 20

While the top 11 teams in the Top 20 held strong, there was some more of that Division III chaos we’ve come to know and love further down the table. 

Williams, fresh off a big win over Salisbury, lost big to the top team, Tufts. Two NESCAC challengers fell to Bowdoin this week, although new Top 20 team Trinity was tied with the Polar Bears in the fourth quarter. 

Lynchburg had its contest with Stevenson cancelled, so it had a weekend off and remained in the three spot. 

A clearer separation is beginning to emerge. Cracking that top 10 involves rising above a host of challengers, but the teams that have made it that high have found a way to stay there.

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

Also considered (alphabetical order): Ithaca, Randolph-Macon, Roanoke, Skidmore, Washington and Lee