FanLax Forum Poll

[Matnum PI]

Not sure if someone already posted this so... Lax Mag D3 Rankings.

NCAA DIVISION III MEN'S LACROSSE TOP 20 SEASON PREVIEW

1. WILLIAMS EPHS
X-Factor: Rock Stewart, D, Sr.

There’s buzz about Williams’ high-powered offense, but don’t forget about the other side of the ball. Stewart, who like Hoffman is from Darien, Conn., can dominate in transition. He’s coming off an all-around season that included 95 ground balls, 37 caused turnovers and 10 assists.

Player to Watch: Brendan Hoffman, M, Sr.

The US Lacrosse Magazine Preseason Player of the Year is a bulldozing midfielder who even the best NESCAC defenders struggle with, and he’s coming off a 74-point year that helped the Ephs reach the national semifinals. All told, 99 percent of the offense returns from a team that was one subpar quarter against Amherst away from playing for the championship.

2. SALISBURY SEA GULLS
Salisbury needs little introduction, having won 12 NCAA titles and 22 CAC crowns under Jim Berkman, the owner of 566 career wins. Returning All-Americans are faceoff man Brett Malamphy, defenseman Brad Apgar and attackman Josh Melton. Salisbury also expects a step forward from juinor attackman Cross Ferrara.

3. RIT TIGERS
For all its success, including eight straight Liberty League championships, the Tigers have yet to win an NCAA title. They made championship game appearances in 2013 and 2017. All-American goalie Walker Hare will lead this year’s run.

4. AMHERST MAMMOTHS
The national runner-up must reconstruct an offense without Evan Wolf, the USILA Division III Player of the Year. High-end talent remains. Short-stick middie Jimmy McAfee, midfielder Matt Solberg and defenseman Tamer Sullivan all come to mind.

5. TUFTS JUMBOS
Tufts had a program-record 10 All-Americans and won its ninth NESCAC title of the decade, but it fell to Amherst in the NCAA quarterfinals. Tufts had heavy losses, including Arend Broekmate and Stewart Stockdale on defense and Danny Murphy and Brendan Connelly on attack. Nick Shanks is among the returning All-Americans.

6. CABRINI CAVALIERS
Cabrini lived by a 1-0 mantra last year, earning the only Pole B spot in the NCAA tournament as they transitioned into the Atlantic East Conference. That paid off with the school’s first-ever NCAA title in any sport. It was a perfect storm, but attackman Jordan Krug is a big loss. Defenseman Tommy DeLuca returns.

7. FRANKLIN & MARSHALL DIPLOMATS
The Dips have reached double-digit wins in seven of the past eight seasons and will be looking to make back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances for the first time in program history. Dynamic attack duo Kevin Mollihan and Luke Keating combined for 183 points.

8. DENISON BIG RED
The Big Red made the NCAA quarterfinals last year but were eliminated by Salisbury for the fourth time since 2014. They’ve wrestled NCAC supremacy away from Ohio Wesleyan, but they have to fill the gaps left behind by midfielder Jake Waxter and attackman Spencer Butler. The latter loss will be lessened by the return of All-American attackman Peter Pittroff, who has 218 combined points across the last two seasons.

9. YORK SPARTANS
York has become a perennial top-five team, but the graduations of defenseman Kevin Witchey and the attack trio of Hunter Davis, Brendan McGrath and Thomas Pfeiffer have left gaping holes in the lineup.

10. UNION DUTCHMEN
Hall of Fame coach Paul Wehrum retired with more than 500 career wins in his 37-year coaching career, including 13 seasons in Schenectady. New coach Derek Witheford will look to guide Union to its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2015.

11. GETTYSBURG BULLETS
Gettysburg last won the Centennial Conference in 2016 and made the NCAA semifinals in three of four seasons from 2015-18. Defenseman Mitch Wykoff and middie Michael McCormick are leaders. Last year’s double-overtime loss to St. John Fisher in the NCAA tourney still stings.

12. WESLEYAN CARDINALS
Wesleyan must replace Carter Hawthorne and Christian Barker on offense, one year removed from graduating Harry Stanton. The Cardinals might have one of the country’s best defenses, though, with every starting piece and goalkeeper Otto Bohan back.

13. LYNCHBURG HORNETS
Lynchburg dropped a heartbreaker to Washington and Lee in the ODAC final but still advanced to its ninth straight NCAA tournament. Senior Kevin Rogers is one of the country’s best all-around midfielders.

14. STEVENSON MUSTANGS
The hosts of the annual Mustang Classic again have a ruthless front half of their schedule. Stevenson will be favored to win an eighth straight MAC Commonwealth title and make an NCAA tournament run. Senior attackman Ethan Christensen is just shy of 200 career points.

15. ST. JOHN FISHER CARDINALS
St. John Fisher captured its first-ever Empire 8 title and upset Gettysburg in double overtime in the NCAA tournament. There’s something special brewing in Rochester, N.Y.

16. SAINT LAWRENCE SAINTS
The Liberty League is a logjam, but three returning All-Americans — attackman Mike Donnelly, defenseman Tyler Burns and goalkeeper Alex Terry — are back for their senior years.

17. URSINUS BEARS
Under the guidance of new coach Gary Mercadante, Ursinus came out of nowhere to win their first Centennial championship and host an NCAA tournament game. Flash in the pan or a new standard?

18. WASHINGTON AND LEE GENERALS
W&L must navigate life without A.J. Witherell, the school’s all-time leading scorer (317 points and 191 goals), as it defends the ODAC championship.

19. CORTLAND RED DRAGONS
Cortland’s 19 straight NCAA tournament appearances indicate its reign atop the SUNYAC won’t slow down. Still, the Red Dragons have fallen somewhat from the 2006-09 stretch, when they won two NCAA titles and made four championship game appearances.

20. RHODES LYNX
Rhodes has won two straight SAA titles and advanced to the sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament in back-to-back years. Freshmen and sophomores played prominent roles in 2019.

[SixBySix]

Huge fan of the forum poll. Really enjoy these as everyone brings different opinions to the finished puzzle.

Same! My immediate thought perusing the ballots was that I need to make sure to watch a Williams game soon. Can't wait for the season to really get started this weekend.

[Matnum PI]

Not so sure this weekend is the season really starting:

2/8/2020 Albion v. Wooster
2/8/2020 Albright v. Delaware Valley
2/8/2020 Guilford v. Sewanee
2/8/2020 Hampden-Sydney v. Mary Washington
2/8/2020 Hendrix v. Southwestern (TX)
2/8/2020 Huntingdon v. Dallas
2/8/2020 Lynchburg v. Salisbury
2/8/2020 Methodist v. Randolph-Macon
2/8/2020 Pfeiffer v. Emmanuel (GA)
2/8/2020 Randolph v. St. Mary's (MD)
2/8/2020 York (PA) v. Wash. & Lee
2/9/2020 Huntingdon v. Centenary (LA)

Next weekend, the 15th, is more interesting:

2/15/2020 Augustana (IL) v. Albion
2/15/2020 Birmingham-So. v. Southwestern (TX)
2/15/2020 Cabrini v. Haverford
2/15/2020 Capital v. Southern Va.
2/15/2020 Carthage v. Alma
2/15/2020 Cazenovia v. Marywood
2/15/2020 Centre v. Wittenberg
2/15/2020 Chris. Newport v. Washington Col.
2/15/2020 Coast Guard v. Elizabethtown
2/15/2020 Delaware Valley v. McDaniel
2/15/2020 Dickinson v. St. Mary's (MD)
2/15/2020 Drew v. Albright
2/15/2020 Elmhurst v. Ohio Northern
2/15/2020 Ferrum v. Methodist
2/15/2020 Franklin & Marshall v. Lynchburg
2/15/2020 Guilford v. Piedmont
2/15/2020 Hanover v. Westminster (PA)
2/15/2020 Kenyon v. Wash. & Jeff.
2/15/2020 Marietta v. Transylvania
2/15/2020 Marymount (VA) v. William Peace
2/15/2020 Messiah v. Gettysburg
2/15/2020 Mount Union v. Thiel
2/15/2020 MSOE v. Carroll (WI)
2/15/2020 Muhlenberg v. FDU-Florham
2/15/2020 Northland v. Concordia Wisconsin
2/15/2020 Ohio Wesleyan v. RIT
2/15/2020 Randolph-Macon v. Catholic
2/15/2020 Rhodes v. DePauw
2/15/2020 Saint Vincent v. Arcadia
2/15/2020 Salve Regina v. Clark (MA)
2/15/2020 Scranton v. Rensselaer
2/15/2020 Shenandoah v. Mary Washington
2/15/2020 Stevenson v. Ursinus
2/15/2020 Susquehanna v. Lycoming
2/15/2020 Swarthmore v. Stevens
2/15/2020 Va. Wesleyan v. Greensboro
2/15/2020 Widener v. Gwynedd Mercy
2/15/2020 York (PA) v. Eastern
2/16/2020 Centenary (LA) v. Oglethorpe
2/16/2020 Colorado Col. v. Berry
2/16/2020 Denison v. Wash. & Lee
2/16/2020 Elmhurst v. Capital
2/16/2020 Rhodes v. Ill. Wesleyan

[Zonesurgeon]

Don't have too many qualms with that poll. Off the top of my head I think that both Ursinus and W&L should be bumped up a few spots, and that Cabrini, Lynchburg, and Stevenson should be bumped down a few spots. Love the respect F&M is starting to get, let's see if they can back it up. Also think it's an insult to Bates, Middlebury, and potentially even Colby to have Rhodes in the top 20. They're a solid team (and the best team in a bad conference) but have not done anything to warrant being placed in this group.

On the topic of big games this weekend, it will be interesting to see how the matchups between York vs W&L and Salisbury vs Lynchburg play out. York, W&L, and Lynchburg are amongst the most changed rosters (as it appears) for starters this year. Will be fun to see who steps up for all these teams respectively, and how Lynchburg does against Salisbury.

Predictions:

W&L 10-York 9
Salisbury 13-Lynchburg 9

[Zonesurgeon]

Don't have too many qualms with that poll. Off the top of my head I think that both Ursinus and W&L should be bumped up a few spots, and that Cabrini, Lynchburg, and Stevenson should be bumped down a few spots. Love the respect F&M is starting to get, let's see if they can back it up. Also think it's an insult to Bates, Middlebury, and potentially even Colby to have Rhodes in the top 20. They're a solid team (and the best team in a bad conference) but have not done anything to warrant being placed in this group.

On the topic of big games this weekend, it will be interesting to see how the matchups between York vs W&L and Salisbury vs Lynchburg play out. York, W&L, and Lynchburg are amongst the most changed rosters (as it appears) for starters this year. Will be fun to see who steps up for all these teams respectively, and how Lynchburg does against Salisbury.

Predictions:

W&L 10-York 9
Salisbury 13-Lynchburg 9

When I say poll I am referring to the USLaxMagazine rankings.

[dingdongdman]

Not going to disagree with that post, Rhodes in the top-20 is not realistic. Most teams in the 20-30 range would beat Rhodes very easily; I see why they did it, just to get some bottom feeders some press and recognition but lets be honest, this is a team with a soft schedule and losses last year to multiple unranked teams in CC and IWU (both not that great). Union seems a little high at #10 as do some of the other teams in the 10-20 range but that will all shake out in the first two weeks.

Top 20 Predictions for Week 1:
W&L 12- York 10
Salisbury 14 - Lynchburg 8

Looks like these are the only two heavy-hitter games Week 1. Looking forward to it.

[Matnum PI]

Last season, Rhodes' best W was against Illinois Wesleyan. next best W was against Muhlenburg. also, they lost to Colorado College and Illinois Wesleyan. Not overly impressive. But my major questions would be: Cortland is top 20? F&M at #7? and why's York so low?

[dingdongdman]

Im excited to see F&M at #7, I think they actually have the potential given their trio of good attackmen. Cortland is questionable as well. Regarding York, York lost a trio of attackmen that were incredible together. Those three tormented defenses and without them and their consistently strong FOGO they lose a lot. They likely have to reinvent the offense slightly given that Pfeiffer, Davis, and McGrath were so dynamic together.

[Dehuntshigwa’es]

Last season, Rhodes' best W was against Illinois Wesleyan. next best W was against Muhlenburg. also, they lost to Colorado College and Illinois Wesleyan. Not overly impressive. But my major questions would be: Cortland is top 20? F&M at #7? and why's York so low?

Between possessions due to Sasso, fogo, and one of the most efficient attack groups in D3 having ALL left, there’s more than a few question marks at York. Can’t comment on the others but once you get past 15,you could throw a hat over the next 10-15 very hard to differentiate. F&M returns a lot and has had multiple 10 plus win seasons in a row

[Matnum PI]

F&M had some good Ws (though not quite #7 type wins) but they also had some rough losses. Including to Ursinus twice. I dunno. I don't see it. The Forum Poll has them at #12. I think that's also high.

Teams dropping, like York for the reasons you're describing, makes sense to me. Teams jumping up by so many notches is uncommon. Or, at least, rationally, should be.

[richard]

Last season, Rhodes' best W was against Illinois Wesleyan. next best W was against Muhlenburg. also, they lost to Colorado College and Illinois Wesleyan. Not overly impressive. But my major questions would be: Cortland is top 20? F&M at #7? and why's York so low?

York lost their entire attack. Are they a team that can reload? They have not been in this position before. We will see.

F&M at 7 is a question mark. Nice attack but they always seem to fall flat. There is a hump that they need to get over.

Cortland being a question mark for top twenty is new for them. I'm not sure if someone might be falling down on the job up there. If they have another mediocre year people might get restless.

All in all the top six seem entrenched. From there on its anybodies ball game.

[DeepPocket]

We have short memories don’t we.

Coming into last year alone, York lost 1st team AA Dman Joey Fiorino (drafted pro), 1st team AA Mid Matt Whitcher (drafted pro), 2nd team AA Mid Dillon Hannah and HM AA goalie Landry Marshall.

The same conversations were had (biggest being in net)
York reloaded at defense, midfield, and a freshman starting in net, going 19-3 in 2019.

2016 saw York beat Salisbury for the CAC championship game. After that year they lost the programs winningest goalie in 3rd team AA Caleb Abney, and HM AA Attack Andrew Gamble who's name litters the program’s record books. They wound up replacing Gamble’s offense and Abney’s goal coverage with the Attackmen we speak of today and the aforementioned AA goalie Marshall, going 17-4 in 2017 and 19-3 in 2018.

At the close of the 2015 season they lost 3x AA Attackman Tyler Hutson who still holds the program’s goals and career points records (over the 3 great Attackmen just lost mind you), and followed it up with 2016 winning the CAC over the Gulls.

We could keep going back throughout coach Childs’ tenure.
Each year somebody is “not convinced” on York, or “needs to see the on field product,” and each year coach Childs comes through. I for one AM convinced, and I fully expect to be in the same conversation next year...

Get used to hearing the name Chandler Schmidt who comes to York from Harford CC where he sits second all time on career goals and points. He will be filling in at attack, and he isn’t a Senoir either.

[MrLax2U]

2016 saw York beat Salisbury for the CAC championship game. After that year they lost the programs winningest goalie in 3rd team AA Caleb Abney,

Abney was a great goalie. After the game Berkman spent a few moments one on one with him in one of those moments which make D 3 Lax special.

[richard]

I,m not giving York a hard time. But their history at the top of D3 is short. 2013 was a good year, 2015 not so much. From 2015 through 2019 was great. But the history is too short a period of time for me to say that they are a team that just reloads. Stevenson had a championship several years ago and has had a difficult time since trying to replicate that. They have had some good teams but nothing even close to that year and the couple of years leading up to that. Reloading is not an easy thing

[Nothing But Net]

Huge fan of the forum poll. Really enjoy these as everyone brings different opinions to the finished puzzle.

Same! My immediate thought perusing the ballots was that I need to make sure to watch a Williams game soon. Can't wait for the season to really get started this weekend.

Williams was my Dark Horse last year, but it will be interesting how they play this year with Bulls Eyes on them now. In looking at the schedule this year,…not a lot of days off.

Even in the first game of the year with Trinity, I pick the Ephs,… but this most likely be a nail biter.

I got them coming out of the North this year to be there on Memorial Weekend, Brendan Hoffman - my pick for “ Player of the Year”; that 1st game of the year should be a good one to watch via the internet.

[Matnum PI]

Deep Pocket, the Forum Poll has York at #8, you have York at #10. It seems that you're less optimistic about York than the forum-at-large. Based on your picks, who you are more optimistic about are Ithaca, Bates, and, though only by a little, Springfield.

[Matnum PI]

Based on Individual Polls vs. the Forum Poll, the most optimistic picks were:

17 Point Delta - Harco2019 with St. Mary's at #10.

16 - Followed closely behind by...
Dr. Pretorious with OWU at #14 and
MrLax2U with SUNY Maritime at #15 and Western New England at #13.

15 - Followed closely behind by...
Overandback with Colorado College at #22.

14 - Followed closely behind by...
DeepPocket with Ithaca at #20.

13 - Followed closely behind by...
Dehuntshigwa’es with Hampden-Sydeney at #20 and
lax rules with Coast Guard at #22.

[DeepPocket]

Magnum,
I’m very optimistic about Bates, as are the admin apparently. and following the same logic that many are less optimistic about York, they should all be high on Bates. Bates returns all of their top 5 scorers.

I think the big hang up people have with Bates (and I could be wrong) is how can a team that isn’t in the top 3 in its own conference, be ranked?

Time will tell but I see them as a Dark Horse candidate.



Richard,
Saying York’s history is short is accurate.

Saying they’ve never reloaded is not.

I put them at #10 but they could EASILY drop out of the top twenty with any early growing pains.

I’m realistic about the negatives.

However, to keep things in perspective, kids looking at colleges today were likely born during or after 2002. I would reckon a team having not played Hopkins in the 1980’s plays little to no role in today’s DIII commitments. Less drastically, the same could PROBABLY be said about most success’ prior to 2010.

Some programs, dominant 10 years ago, aren’t even in the conversation. So being relevant for the last 5 years or so could also be seen through a positive lens for “reloading” purposes. (Better still would be being always relevant- which includes maybe 10 programs by my estimations).

[Matnum PI]

The most pessimistic picks were:

6 Point Differential:
Dehuntshigwa’es with W&L at #16
laxrules with Gettysburg at #15
overandback with Denison at #13
Zonesurgeon with Cabrini at #11

[DeepPocket]

The most pessimistic picks were:

6 Point Differential:
Dehuntshigwa’es with W&L at #16
laxrules with Gettysburg at #15
overandback with Denison at #13
Zonesurgeon with Cabrini at #11

Dehunt has York unranked. I would say that’s more pessimistic given the #8 poll