Irish Next at No. 1 in USA Lacrosse Division I Men's Top 20

Division III rankings were shaken up by upsets galore, while Division II remained relatively steady.

Published on Feb. 24, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

There hasn't been much movement at the top of the USA Lacrosse Division I Men's Top 20 rankings, as several teams took a little weekend staycation to sharpen up before the end of the month. However, Division II saw some major upsets, including a thrilling overtime victory for Molloy over Pace in the NE-10 conference.

Why it matters

The rankings shake-ups in Division III and the close battle between Pace and Molloy in Division II highlight the competitive nature of men's NCAA lacrosse, with teams jockeying for position as the season winds down and conference tournaments approach.

The details

The biggest upset of the week came in the NE-10 conference, where Pace and Molloy went back-and-forth before Molloy rallied in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 12-12. In overtime, a penalty on Pace's Anthony Esposito led to the game-winning goal from Molloy's Zach Kroog.

  • The game between Pace and Molloy took place on February 22, 2026.

The players

Jaden Simick

A player for Molloy who scored the go-ahead goal with 5:52 left in the fourth quarter.

Will Danowski

A player for Pace who scored the game-tying goal less than two minutes after Simick's goal.

Anthony Esposito

A defenseman for Pace who was penalized for unnecessary roughness in overtime, leading to Molloy's game-winning goal.

Zach Kroog

A player for Molloy who scored the game-winning goal in overtime after Esposito's penalty.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

The takeaway

The close battle between Pace and Molloy in the NE-10 conference highlights the competitive nature of Division II men's lacrosse, where any team can pull off an upset on a given day. This unpredictability will make the upcoming conference tournaments and NCAA championship race all the more exciting to follow.