Teams on the verge of something....

[VTLaxGuy]

A lot of talk on here about the teams already in position to contend. I'm hoping to get some chatter going about the next teams to breakthrough and make themselves known. Not so much in the national contender mix, but the programs who going to become perennial NCAA teams who become a scary May matchup? Grove City, and Illinois Wesleyan come to mind as teams who have really cemented themselves the past few years. Babson is another one.

Who are the next few teams to emerge?

[aroundtheoutside]

Williams could be dangerous. They remind me a bit of Richmond in D1. Not a consistent competitor in the top tier but could pop off and upset a whale on any given week.

Randolph Macon as well. They used to be a doormat but they've been slowly getting more and more respectable in the ODAC.

[Hacker]

Williams is always strong, not anything new. Babson and MIT have been on the rise recently MIT has a terrific Coach. They lost some firepower last year but will be interesting to see how they bounce back.

[JustOneTime]

Kenyon has been on the rise the last few years. I agree with you about Randolph Macon.

[smoova]

Agree re Babson. Also, Swat did this pretty well last year and I think that continues ... great example of what happens when a highly-selective school finally gives the lacrosse coach a little juice with admissions. If O'Keefe ever gets the same admissions pull that Gress recently received, MIT will be in the top 10 every year.

[richard]

Skidmore and Vassar.
Skidmore OOC games are nothing to write home about, They could enter conference games maybe undefeated then we will see. They have always been well coached. Depth could be a problem.
If the Vassar administration wants it mens lacrosse could rise. Look at Swarthmore. And , Vassar handled Swat last year. This year they might surprise some Liberty teams.

Other teams would include Baldwin Wallace, John Carroll and Allegheny.

[Laxaholic123]

Agree re Babson. Also, Swat did this pretty well last year and I think that continues ... great example of what happens when a highly-selective school finally gives the lacrosse coach a little juice with admissions. If O'Keefe ever gets the same admissions pull that Gress recently received, MIT will be in the top 10 every year.

I think you hit the nail on the head with Swathmore and MIT. Both have become very competitive in their conferences and nationally. I would add Union to the list as well.
As for RMC, I think they took a step backwards last year, so I personally wouldn't put them in this conversation.
I feel like there is always a team from the NESCAC that falls into this category because they pick off a win or two against the top dogs.
Also, I feel like the Landmark always puts one or two of these teams out as well.

[shorelax12]

Agree re Babson. Also, Swat did this pretty well last year and I think that continues ... great example of what happens when a highly-selective school finally gives the lacrosse coach a little juice with admissions. If O'Keefe ever gets the same admissions pull that Gress recently received, MIT will be in the top 10 every year.

I think that MIT's strength the last few years will be hard to replicate, just a brutal admissions process. Seems like they hit the lottery with some very talented and very smart player at the right time. I do not know much about Swat admissions and the leeway with recruiting, but the other place that gets slammed is Haverford. They have a great new coach, excellent location for school and recruiting, and they could be a solid program, but that admissions process is simply locked down, I would love to see what the coach do with a little breathing room.

[Laxattackjack]

St Mary College of Md. they have a soft conference. they play some good out of conference games. almost upset a top 10 middlebury in the tournament last year.

[RE6ULATOR]

St Mary College of Md. they have a soft conference. they play some good out of conference games. almost upset a top 10 middlebury in the tournament last year.

Not sayin much. I’d like to see Middlebury take on an OOC of St Mary’s, Grove City, Stockton and MIT. I bet those teams would even make the trip and spare Mid the travel issues, for a chance to knock off a top 10 team.

[SixBySix]

I do not know much about Swat admissions and the leeway with recruiting, but the other place that gets slammed is Haverford. They have a great new coach, excellent location for school and recruiting, and they could be a solid program, but that admissions process is simply locked down, I would love to see what the coach do with a little breathing room.

I mean, they are starting with an admit rate almost double Swat's...

[Yeti_33]

Maybe I'm a bit of a homer here, but always thought Mary Washington could make some serious noise if they had the right pieces in place. Thought the program turned the corner in 2014 when they made the tourney and nearly upset Cabrini, but it's been mediocrity and below ever since.

In the early 2010s, UMW and CNU were neck and neck battling it out for Virginia D3 state school supremacy. Then CNU hires Mikey Thompson and the rest is history. Comparable academics, facilities, cost, recruiting pool, etc. Seems to just come down to elite coaching.

[shorelax12]

I do not know much about Swat admissions and the leeway with recruiting, but the other place that gets slammed is Haverford. They have a great new coach, excellent location for school and recruiting, and they could be a solid program, but that admissions process is simply locked down, I would love to see what the coach do with a little breathing room.

I mean, they are starting with an admit rate almost double Swat's...

I mean, it might have something to do with the fact that Swat gets more than double the amount of applications, almost 8,000 more in 22/23 for a similarly sized school. Swat is a great school, but it is easy to skew the acceptance rate by simply driving application numbers.

[GoTerriers8]

Skidmore and Vassar.
Skidmore OOC games are nothing to write home about, They could enter conference games maybe undefeated then we will see. They have always been well coached. Depth could be a problem.
If the Vassar administration wants it mens lacrosse could rise. Look at Swarthmore. And , Vassar handled Swat last year. This year they might surprise some Liberty teams.

Other teams would include Baldwin Wallace, John Carroll and Allegheny.

good heck lord vassar sucks what marijuana are you smoking

[GoTerriers8]

I do not know much about Swat admissions and the leeway with recruiting, but the other place that gets slammed is Haverford. They have a great new coach, excellent location for school and recruiting, and they could be a solid program, but that admissions process is simply locked down, I would love to see what the coach do with a little breathing room.

I mean, they are starting with an admit rate almost double Swat's...

I mean, it might have something to do with the fact that Swat gets more than double the amount of applications, almost 8,000 more in 22/23 for a similarly sized school. Swat is a great school, but it is easy to skew the acceptance rate by simply driving application numbers.

Why would a school get more applications thought? More people want to go there? Can't use that metric to defend a school less people want to attend

[shorelax12]

I do not know much about Swat admissions and the leeway with recruiting, but the other place that gets slammed is Haverford. They have a great new coach, excellent location for school and recruiting, and they could be a solid program, but that admissions process is simply locked down, I would love to see what the coach do with a little breathing room.

I mean, they are starting with an admit rate almost double Swat's...

I mean, it might have something to do with the fact that Swat gets more than double the amount of applications, almost 8,000 more in 22/23 for a similarly sized school. Swat is a great school, but it is easy to skew the acceptance rate by simply driving application numbers.

Why would a school get more applications thought? More people want to go there? Can't use that metric to defend a school less people want to attend

In all fairness, this was a discussion about teams on the verge (or that could be on the verge), and I simply offered my opinion. For some reason it evolved into a discussion about admissions, to which I again offered my thoughts based upon simple facts. Frankly, I could care less about SWAT or Haverford, but I do have some experience with recruiting at Haverford and their current coach (for unrelated reasons), so just thought I would offer my thoughts.

[Laxforeveryone]

Just to respond to why would a school have more applications. A current strategy among schools, especially more selective schools, is to actively drive up applications by aggressively marketing to and soliciting applications from students who have no chance of getting in. Often the application fee is waived. Kids get emails everyday and mailers every week telling them what a good fit they would be when they absolutely do not meet the criteria. It is all done so they can reject more applicants and increase their selectivity, which makes them appear to be a better school and I believe affects their media rankings.

[shorelax12]

Just to respond to why would a school have more applications. A current strategy among schools, especially more selective schools, is to actively drive up applications by aggressively marketing to and soliciting applications from students who have no chance of getting in. Often the application fee is waived. Kids get emails everyday and mailers every week telling them what a good fit they would be when they absolutely do not meet the criteria. It is all done so they can reject more applicants and increase their selectivity, which makes them appear to be a better school and I believe affects their media rankings.

Exactly my point. My comment was not meant as an indictment of Swat, it is one of the best LACs in the country. However, if you simply look at the common data set for Swat from 2015 vs. 2023, they doubled their amount of application, thereby going from roughly a 13% admit rate to their current admit rate. Again, it has no impact on academics, and perhaps the prior poster is correct that it may be a more desirable destination than Haverford, but the numbers are what they are. Just look at how the admission rates have dropped at the southern university, do you think that Clemson, USC, Tennessee and the like have gotten so much better academically, no, its that every kid from the Northeast now want to go to school down South, more applications, lower admit rate.

[BallHunt]

Kenyon is on the rise with young talent, and could be a problem for Denison this season and the next several. I would love to see this game in person. Both could upset some traditional powers if the opportunities come.

RPI is once again strong, but I haven't seen them win consistently. If they finally beat Union and Williams maybe they turn the corner.

Babson is great to have in the conversation, definitely on the rise the last few seasons. However, I wonder if they plateau this season having lost their big shooters (Price and Span). I have heard they have some solid transfers, so maybe they keep building.

MIT? Gebhart is gone, and with him goes a lot of offense. Not as on the verge now I believe. I hope I am proved wrong as having MIT and its level of academics also putting out a high caliber lax team is just great.

Swarthmore will be fun to watch this season and the next few to see if they become more predictable in W column. Can they win the Centennial? Obviously there are a few teams in the way.

[ChopMan23]

Once they get facilities, I would be on the lookout for Stockton. Great school, relatively cheap for in state athletes. The players absolutely love their coach. With Cabrini closing its doors, I would not be surprised if some of their talent makes its way to the Jersey shore. It is a bigger school than most D3's as well, good lookin women. Who wouldn't love striper fishing on an april morning followed up by a d3 lax game that afternoon, then beers at Maynards after a win! Definitely keep an eye out for the Ospreys. Once they get a lockeroom I think recruiting will come easier for them.