Not too many surprises in the final Nike / USA Lacrosse Division III Men’s Top 20, but the last ranking of 2021 encapsulates all the excitement from a season that varied by conference but was an overall success given the circumstances.
It’s not surprising for RIT to finish on top and for Salisbury to be not far behind. Each of the top five teams gave fans exciting action this postseason, culminating with the Tigers’ thrilling championship game victory over the Seagulls a week ago.
Before that, Tufts — the top team in the last update to the Top 20 on May 10 — put up a battle with RIT in the national semifinal. Christopher Newport skyrocketed up the ranking following a stellar postseason run, while Colorado College also cemented a place in the top 10 with its postseason showing.
Stevenson dropped following a disappointing end to its postseason run, while Centre enters the mix and Illinois Wesleyan boosted itself four spots thanks to a strong run.
Nike/US Lacrosse Rankings
Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women
Final 2021 | W/L | Prev | Next | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RIT | 14-0 | 2 | Season complete |
| 2 | Tufts | 9-1 | 1 | Season complete |
| 3 | Salisbury | 17-2 | 3 | Season complete |
| 4 | Christopher Newport | 13-6 | 13 | Season complete |
| 5 | York | 16-2 | 4 | Season complete |
| 6 | Lynchburg | 18-3 | 5 | Season complete |
| 7 | Colorado College | 17-4 | 11 | Season complete |
| 8 | Cabrini | 11-3 | 6 | Season complete |
| 9 | Franklin & Marshall | 8-1 | 7 | Season complete |
| 10 | St. John Fisher | 12-4 | 9 | Season complete |
| 11 | Stevens | 14-3 | 14 | Season complete |
| 12 | Illinois Wesleyan | 15-2 | 16 | Season complete |
| 13 | Centre | 12-2 | NR | Season complete |
| 14 | SUNY Cortland | 11-4 | 10 | Season complete |
| 15 | Denison | 8-2 | 17 | Season complete |
| 16 | Stevenson | 9-2 | 12 | Season complete |
| 17 | Williams | 4-1 | 17 | Season complete |
| 18 | John Carroll | 14-2 | 18 | Season complete |
| 19 | Saint Lawrence | 8-3 | 15 | Season complete |
| 20 | Washington and Lee | 11-5 | 19 | Season complete |