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2015 D3 Lacrosse ferrum vs huntingdon lax d3 report
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The D3 Report: 2015 D3 Lacrosse Preview

Only one Top 20 team has a game under their belt, so it’s the final opportunity for the D3 Report to offer up a 2015 D3 Lacrosse Preview! I’ll hit you with polls, video, team reports, and more in this post. It’s everything you need to get ready for 2015 D3 Lacrosse!

2015 D3 Lacrosse Polls!

Unlike the NJCAA, D3 gets a lot of poll love in the preseason and early season. Seeing as D3 is the biggest division of college lacrosse (it’s almost twice as large as D1 and D2, combined) this is fair. Ingest the many polls below but know one thing: your top three are Tufts, RIT, and Salisbury.

The Coaches Poll

The LaxPower Forum Poll

Nike/Lacrosse Magazine Poll

Teams To Watch

Clearly, everyone likes Tufts, RIT, Salisbury, Stevenson, and Cortland… but each of those teams are perennial top 10 programs at this point, and it’s no shocker that they at, or near, the top. So who are some bubble teams who could make a run? Are there any bubbles teams? Or is 2015 another year of the elite simply being elite?

Cabrini – I almost always say that Cabrini is a team to watch, and it’s because I want to see them break through and reach the next level. I loved seeing Stevenson climb the ladder and another contender down south never hurts! Being a top 15 team is good, but can Cabrini be a top 5 team consistently? Not a lot of distance, but a lot of work to get there.

The NESCAC – Has the mightiest conference in D3 fallen by the roadside? Tufts is at #1 and Amherst is somewhere between 10 and 15 for most people, and then the conference disappears from the Top 20. Wesleyan and Williams got some votes, but for a conference that used to see 4-5 teams in the Top 20 on a regular basis, only two teams is a drop off. Look out for some NESCAC squad to be a riser this year. I like Wesleyan, but I’m incredibly biased.

Denison – Denison went 19-3 last year, and from the looks of their schedule, they should be able to rack up a lot more wins in 2015. IF Denison can win the big contests on their slate (there are only about 4), they would finish up with a crazy 15-0 season. Would that be enough for a #1 seed? This is far from a lock, but it’s possible, and worth giving some attention.

York – The secret is out, and York is now universally respected as a Top 20 team. How will they deal with the pressure, and knowing that everyone is gunning for them? It can be a different game when you’re the opponent everyone is looking forward to playing. If York is winning close games, they’re responding well.

How Many D3 Teams This Year?

This year there are 223 teams in Division 3. That is an increase of 8 since the 2014 season when there were 215 teams in D3. In 2005, there were 130 teams. 223 teams in 2015. Simply outstanding growth at this level!

Boston Teams Snowed In

Sure, many teams up north are digging out of the snow, but is anyone snowed in like they are in Boston? Or should I say Medford, MA? Tufts coach Mike Daly has had enough. That seems more than fair.

Games Already? Games Already

Salisbury is the only top 20 team to play a game and they crushed Greensboro 24-1. I remember when Greensboro was on the rise and hoping to compete with SU someday, but those were the days when they had a legitimate shot at a Pool B bid to the NCAAs. Did Greensboro lose their edge when the teams bid structure changed? What explains the drop off?

Of the other teams that have played a game already, the majority are down south quite a ways. To me, this is crazy, but that’s because I played in the NESCAC and we didn’t start practice until Feb. 15th because of league rules. I really can’t imagine playing D3 lacrosse games this early. Oh well, the times they are a-changing.

Ferrum took down Huntingdon 10-5 in the season opener for both teams, and Kim Black was nice enough to send over a couple of photos!

2015 D3 Lacrosse Videos

This was one fun game to watch from 2014!

Playing for RIT is playing like D1!

Super short form documentary on Ithaca’s fall:

Stevenson’s Preseason video: