They say home is where the heart is, and Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium certainly fits that billing.
On Sunday night, the official bracket for the 2026 NCAA Division I women’s lacrosse tournament was revealed live on ESPNU. Northwestern (15-3, 7-1 B1G) was awarded the No. 1 overall seed for the third time in four seasons, earning a first-round bye as the top team in the bracket. The Wildcats will face the winner of James Madison and Notre Dame on Sunday, May 10 at their home stadium
in Evanston.
The ‘Cats boast the nation’s No. 1 RPI ranking and the strongest strength of schedule, factors that likely solidified their case to the selection committee after securing an automatic bid by capturing the Big Ten Tournament championship. According to the NCAA’s official release, Northwestern has a national-best 11 RPI top-20 wins this season and owns seven top-10 RPI victories. The program has advanced beyond the tournament’s opening weekend every year since 2018.
But the real prize for the No. 1 seed is this: Northwestern’s path will not have to leave Evanston at any point during the NCAA tournament. Because the Wildcats are hosting the entire 2026 NCAA Division I Women’s Lacrosse Championship from May 22 to May 24 at Martin Stadium, and because they earned the top overall seed, their path to a national title runs exclusively through their lakefront home. Every single game this postseason, from the second round to the semifinals to a potential championship, will be played on the field where they have not lost in nearly seven years.
Northwestern has won 25 consecutive games at Martin Stadium dating back to April 18, 2019. That streak alone is daunting. But consider this: all three of Northwestern’s losses this season came inside their indoor practice facility, not outdoors at Martin Stadium. The Wildcats are undefeated on their true home turf in 2026. No team has figured out how to beat them on that field, and now the entire NCAA tournament will have to try.
Northwestern claimed the Big Ten’s regular season and tournament championships for the fourth consecutive year. The ‘Cats enter the NCAA tournament riding a 10-game win streak, having defeated eight ranked opponents in their last nine games. During that stretch, Northwestern became the first team since Florida in 2012 to knock off multiple No. 1 ranked squads in the IWLCA poll in a single season.
The semifinals will air live on ESPNU at 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Eastern time on May 22, and the championship game will air on ESPN on Sunday, May 24 at noon.
Northwestern has earned a top-four NCAA tournament seed for seven consecutive seasons, dating back to 2019. The program currently holds eight national championships, with its most recent title coming in 2023. After consecutive runner-up finishes the past two seasons, the ’Cats will be eager to end the streak and keep the championship trophy in Evanston following a potential final game at home. With North Carolina being named as the No. 2 seed behind NU, a rematch from last season’s championship is possible.
Head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller is the all-time leader in NCAA Tournament history in both winning percentage (.824) and tournament wins (56). The ‘Cats have made 25 NCAA Tournament appearances overall, including five straight championships from 2005 to 2009.
The full NCAA tournament bracket includes 29 teams, with the top eight seeds hosting first- and second-round competition on campus sites beginning Friday, May 8. The Atlantic Coast and Big Ten each have six teams in the field, as seen below:
But only one team gets to play every single round at home. That team is Northwestern.
