The IWLCA released the preseason top 25 poll for the 2026 women’s lacrosse season on Monday , and when paired with the Big East preseason poll on Wednesday, there’s no surprise that Marquette is nowhere
in sight. It’s hard to be in the national top 25 when you’re #5 in your own conference…. although it seems Clemson, Syracuse, Duke, and Notre Dame have managed that.
ANYWAY
The point is that we’re not focused on where the Golden Eagles are in the national rankings, merely where their opponents in 2026 are. Turns out, we don’t have to look too hard or too far.
Marquette will play just two teams in the preseason top 25 this season. They have a non-conference road game against #2 Northwestern scheduled for Friday, February 20th for the only non-league game against a team in the IWLCA poll. The other game against a team with a preseason number next to their name comes on April 1st when Marquette heads out to the Rocky Mountains to face #20 (and Big East favorite) Denver for a matinee clash on a Wednesday.
And that’s it.
There’s a chance that Marquette could go into the Northwestern game 3-0, I haven’t exactly done the breakdown on Eastern Michigan, Cincinnati, or Central Michigan yet but MU’s record against them across history is favorable. I suppose it’s possible that the Golden Eagles could be on a bit of a heater by the time they visit the Pioneers to open April, but we’ll have to wait and see. In any case, the Denver game is Marquette’s third league game, which means it comes right at the midpoint of their six game Big East slate. Relative to fighting for seeding in the conference tournament, that’s a pretty solid spot to put it.
That opener against Eastern Michigan is set for Noon Central time at Valley Fields on Friday, February 6th. It’ll be the same start time two days later for Cincinnati, so make your plans now.
You can check out the entire preseason top 25 right here.
