October 28, 2013 by Jesse Moskowitz in Analysis with 62 comments
These are Ultiworld’s 2014 College Division III Open Division preseason Power Rankings. You can always check the latest rankings by clicking on the tab in the navigation bar.
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1. Amherst: Amherst Army of Darkness was a young team that made it to the semis of 2013 Nationals before fatigue caught up with them. With another year of their vertical stack system under their belts, their younger players should flourish. They’ve played close with Vermont and a good UMass team this fall.
2. Puget Sound
3. St. John’s: St. John’s returns playmakers Dan Cahill, Charlie Enders, and Nihal Bhakta. Earning Nationals bids will be a priority in the tough North Central region.
4. Wake Forest
5. Carleton GOP: Carleton GOP loses Rhys Lindmark, Scott Graber, Pete Rogers and Niko Duffy, but this is a team that always has a strong program. Sophomore Jake Yanoviak can build off of a strong freshman year to help them win games this season.
6. Middlebury: The reigning champions Middlebury Pranksters lose key players in Davis Whitehead, Nathan Arnosti, and Stephen Lammers, but they should still be considered at the top of the pack if they choose the DIII route.
7. North Park: North Park is always a decent bet in the Great Lakes. They brought one senior to Nationals where Tom Williams ranked 3rd in assists as a sophomore. The region is weak as well.
8. John Brown: John Brown may turn some heads this season. This is a young team that didn’t bring a senior to Nationals last year. Senior Andrew Goode is a quality player in the South Central.
9. Kenyon
10. Stevens Tech
11. Claremont
12. Bentley
13. Harding: Harding loses Taren Goins, Nick Doores, and Tucker Bankston- three great players. They should still be a strong face in the DIII scene.
14. Lehigh: 2013 surprise Lehigh returns big-man Nicolas “Falcore” Mathison. They can give Kenyon some tough games in the Ohio Valley.
15. Rice
16. St. Olaf
17. Brandeis
18. Wesleyan
19. Knox: Don’t sleep on Knox this season. Sophomore Harper Garvey (Sub Zero) is one of the better DIII players in the nation. If anyone can take down North Park, it will be Knox.
20. Truman State
21. SUNY Fredonia
22. SUNY Geneseo
23. Xavier
24. Navy
25. Bowdoin
