MILWAUKEE, Wis. (naccsports.org) --- Defending champion Lake Forest College received 18 of 20 first-place votes and has been named the favorite to capture the 2026 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) women's lacrosse title, according to the annual preseason poll released Thursday.
The Foresters accumulated 198 points to finish well clear of runner-up Aurora University. The Spartans scored 178 points and received one first-place vote. Edgewood University finished third with 159 points and the final first-place vote, while Cornell College edged Milwaukee School of Engineering, 129-122, for fourth place. Concordia University Wisconsin (98) took sixth, followed by Beloit College (87), Marian University (65), Illinois Institute of Technology (37), and Lawrence University (27).
2025 Recap
In its first season as a member of the NACC, Lake Forest posted a perfect 9-0 mark in league play and advanced to the 2025 NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Championship after defeating third-seeded Edgewood, 21-7, for the NACC tournament title. Edgewood had topped defending tournament champion Aurora, 14-13, in overtime to advance.
In the first round of the NCAA Tournament,
Ashley Carr's goal with 11 seconds to play lifted the Foresters to a 13-12 win over Carroll (Wis.). Lake Forest was unable to carry that momentum into its second round match, falling 23-4 to regional host Denison.
Lake Forest's
Jenna Doctor,
Savannah Frauhiger, and
Emma Sharp received all-region accolades from the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA). Doctor and Frauhiger were first-team picks, while Sharp was named to the second team. Additionally, Doctor and Frauhiger were selected to play in the IWLCA Senior All-Star Game.
New Coaches
There will be one new head coach in the NACC this season as
Melissa Cartagena takes over the program at Lawrence. Cartagena arrives in Appleton after spending the last two seasons as an assistant at Edgewood. During Cartagena's time at Edgewood, the Eagles posted an 18-17 record overall and went 11-4 in league play, posting a pair of top-three finishes.
2026 Schedule
The 2026 season kicks off Saturday (Feb. 21) with four matches - Illinois Tech travels to Illinois Wesleyan, Marian ventures to Elmhurst, Edgewood is at Carroll (Wis.), and MSOE visits Adrian.
Aurora, Beloit, Cornell, and Lake Forest get underway in the following week as Cornell travels to Augustana (Ill.) on Tuesday, Feb. 24 and Beloit is at Elmhurst on Wednesday, Feb. 25, while Aurora (vs. Carroll) and Lake Forest (vs. Illinois Wesleyan) open with home matches on Saturday, Feb. 28.
Concordia Wisconsin will wait until Thursday, March 5, when it kicks off a trip to Georgetown, Texas, with a neutral site match against Wentworth Institute of Technology.
Lawrence will be the final NACC program to open its season. The Vikings travel to Hanover for their lid-lifter on Saturday, March 7.
The first conference match is slated for Wednesday, March 18, when Lawrence hosts Beloit. The remainder of the conference gets league play underway the following week. Illinois Tech hosts Edgewood on Tuesday, March 24, while the following day features Aurora hosting Concordia Wisconsin, Cornell traveling to Marian, and Lake Forest entertaining MSOE. League play concludes with four matches on Wednesday, April 22.
2026 Tournament
The top six teams in the final regular-season standings will advance to the 2026 NACC Women's Lacrosse Tournament.
First-round games are slated for Saturday, April 25, with the top two seeds hosting semifinal matches on Wednesday, April 29. The two semifinal winners will face off for the tournament crown on Saturday, May 2, with the winner also earning the NACC's automatic berth in the 2026 NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Championship.
All games will be played at campus sites.
2026 NACC Women's Lacrosse Tournament
First Round ~ Saturday, April 25
No. 5 seed at No. 4 seed
No. 6 seed at No. 3 seed
Semifinals ~ Wednesday, April 29
No. 4/5 winner at No. 1 seed
No. 3/6 winner at No. 2 seed
Final ~ Saturday, May 2
Semifinal winners
| Women's Lacrosse |
Points |
| Lake Forest College (18) |
198 |
| Aurora University (1) |
178 |
| Edgewood University (1) |
159 |
| Cornell College |
129 |
| Milwaukee School of Engineering |
122 |
| Concordia University Wisconsin |
98 |
| Beloit College |
87 |
| Marian University |
65 |
| Illinois Institute of Technology |
37 |
| Lawrence University |
27 |