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1. Valparaiso
Their performance at Midwest Throwdown only attests to their strength in the Division-III field. They worked the disc effortlessly, and easily won their games on Saturday, proving that their disc skills and tactical abilities are on par with some of the top tier teams in the Midwest in both divisions. If they are able to hone in on their man-to-man sets on O and D, they will be THE team to beat in Appleton come May.
4. Whitman
Strong semi-final performance at Stanford Open verifies that the Lady Sweets are the top out of the Northwest. The only problem: they have not committed to going D-I or D-III. If they commit to D-III, they will surely be towards the top of the field in Appleton. We’ll see more out of them at the PLU BBQ in two weeks, the same time as most of the rest of the field hits up Layouts.
5. Grinnell
It’s not a secret anymore: Grinnell is really talented. The Stickies showcased their depth, athleticism, and solid disc skills in conditions that other teams were crumbling in. They were able to secure somecome-from-behind wins on Saturday thanks to their fresh legs and confidence in the wind, that was really unrivaled in their pool. They opened their lines up on Sunday to develop the lower end of their roster, which may pay off in the later part of the season.
7. Drake
Ibex played an impressive, high-powered, fast-paced offense, rivaling that of the top teams on Sunday of Throwdown when the wind died down a bit. Their ability to move the disc quickly and call plays off of a transition plays to their height, speed, and athleticism. If they are able to develop their confidence in the wind, they will be able to match with the top teams in the North Central in Grinnell come April.
8. Pacific Lutheran
They finished towards the middle of the pack at Stanford Open, but still have good results. The fact that they play the top teams in the nation can only help them to develop as the season goes on.
10. Carleton-B
Though Eclipse typically performs well in all conditions, they struggled a bit last weekend. They still performed well at Big D in Little D. Underwhelming performance at Throwdown may work to their advantage with out of region teams–but the North Central teams are still gunning for the reigning Division-III National Champions.
On the Radar:
Occidental (Southwest)– Their strong performance at Trouble in Vegas indicates that they are improving on their early season performances. The Women’s Air Corps just might have what it takes.
Bowdoin (New England)–Chaos Theory won huge over Colby and Bates in a one-day round-robin tournament. Let’s see how they match up against the usual suspects like Williams, Smith, and Wellesley.
Luther (North Central)–Very young team underperformed at Throwdown. Freya is struggling to fill the roles that were vacated by their starting line at the end of last season. Missing key players and leaders is giving them some trouble now, but they have some real potential. Their zone looked good on Saturday and there are very some skilled players among the inexperienced ones. Expect them to pull it together as the season moves on.
Looking Ahead:
Next up, we have Music City Mashup, Virginia is for Layouts, as well as several regional tournaments like Pigglyfest and PLU BBQ. We are going to see some teams log scores for the first time, and see how D-III teams match up against each other for the first time this season. Things could get crazy for Women’s D-III by the time the next rankings come out!
The Division-III Women’s Rankings are compiled by a panel consisting of players, coaches, and Skyd Magazine contributors. If you are interested in participating, please contact Robyn at robyn@skydmagazine.com.
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