We are now fully into the year 2026 and just about into the spring semester at most colleges. Depending on where you live, it might not feel especially like spring yet, but several of the designated “spring
sports” will get their seasons going in the coming weeks and months.
One of those sports is lacrosse, with the North Carolina Tar Heels’ men opening their season on February 1st, and the reigning national champion women getting going a few days later on the 7th. In the case of both teams, they’ll go into the 2026 seasons with high expectations, as both will be in their respective preseason top fives.
Earlier this week, USA Lacrosse released their preseason rankings for 2026. For the 2025 champ Tar Heels, the expectations remain the same, as they’ll go into 2026 as the #1 team in the nation.
The 2026 Tar Heels will return several key players from last year’s national champions, including Chloe Humphrey, who won the Tewaaraton Award as the nation’s best player. Also not shockingly, considering how often Jenny Levy’s team has contended in recent years, they’ll also enroll the top-ranked recruiting class.
Coming in second in the women’s poll was Northwestern, whom UNC beat in the championship game last year. Fellow ACC teams Boston College, Stanford, Virginia, Clemson, Syracuse, and Duke also appear in the rankings.
Over on the men’s side of things, UNC will begin the year at #5. Unlike the women, the Carolina men aren’t coming off a championship or an especially dominant season. While they received the #8 seed in last year’s NCAA Tournament, they exited with a first round loss to Richmond.
The 2026 squad is clearly expected to take a step forward. Including 2025 first team-er Brady Wambach, Carolina has four 2025 All-Americans back, and also will enroll a highly ranked recruiting class. Despite the early exit last year, the Heels went 10-5 and returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in a couple years. With the amount of talent back and incoming, it’s expected for them to take a jump up in the ACC.
The #1 team in the men’s preseason poll is Maryland, followed by Syracuse, who are the ACC’s top team in the preseason. Joining the Orange and the Tar Heels in USA Lacrosse’s Top 20 are ACC foes Notre Dame, Duke, and Virginia.
While the women have been especially dominant in recent years, the men also have a national championship in recent memory. Here’s to one — or ideally, both — adding to the university’s national title tally in 2026.
