Middlebury Holds No. 1 as Conference Tournaments Get Underway

IWLCA Admin, 4/27/26, 11:00am ET

Photo by Will C Images, courtesy of Middlebury Athletics.

Middlebury Holds No. 1 as Conference Tournaments Get Underway

NORTHBOROUGH, Mass.— Middlebury remains the No. 1 team in Division III after advancing in the NESCAC Tournament with a quarterfinal win over Bates on Saturday. The Panthers will face No. 11 Trinity (CT) in the semifinals this weekend.
Tufts secures the No. 2 spot following a dominant 20–7 victory over No. 15 Colby in its NESCAC quarterfinal matchup. The Jumbos will take on No. 4 Wesleyan in the semifinals.

Salisbury moves to No. 3 after clinching the No. 1 seed in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Championship with a 15–9 win over Christopher Newport. The Sea Gulls will face the winner of Christopher Newport and Mary Washington in the C2C final on May 2.

Wesleyan checks in at No. 4 after advancing to the NESCAC semifinals, while William Smith rounds out the Top 5.

William Smith will be in action Friday as it hosts a Liberty League semifinal. The Herons earned a first-round bye and will face the winner of Tuesday’s opening-round games.

In total, 25 teams are represented in the poll, with voters—college coaches from across the nation—reflecting the latest results across women’s lacrosse. The rankings are based on weekly performances, with the poll set to be released each Monday throughout the season.

Rank Institution Last Poll
1 Middlebury  1
2 Tufts  2
3 Salisbury  4
4 Wesleyan  3
5 William Smith 7
6 Denison  9
7 Amherst  5
8 York (PA) 8
9 Pomona-Pitzer  10
10 Washington and Lee  6
11 Trinity (CT) 14
12 Gettysburg  11
13 Scranton 12
14 Stevens  13
15 Messiah  16
16 TCNJ 18
17 Colby  15
18 Rowan  17
19 Williams  19
20 Franklin & Marshall  20
21 Christopher Newport  21
22 Chicago 22
23 Haverford  23
24 MIT 24
25 Colorado College 25