Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 2/1/26
From Press Release
Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Commissioner Dan Mara has announced the results of the balloting of the 2026 CACC Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Coaches’ Poll. Dominican University has been chosen for first place.
Dominican (19-2, 9-0 CACC in 2025) has won the last three CACC championships and is 27-1 in conference regular-season play during that time. Last year, the Chargers became the first CACC women’s lacrosse team to ever play in the NCAA Division II Championship tournament. DUNY is ranked No. 15 in the 2026 national D-II preseason coaches’ poll.
Dominican received eight of 10 first-place votes and 80 total points in the CACC poll. The Chargers were followed by Thomas Jefferson University, in second place with 72 points, and third-place Wilmington University, which collected 66 points. Jefferson and Wilmington each garnered one first-place vote. Georgian Court University finished fourth in the balloting with 56 points.
The final two projected playoff spots went to Holy Family University and the University of Bridgeport. Holy Family was picked to finish fifth, earning 48 points, followed by Bridgeport in sixth with 43. Rounding out the coaches’ choices were Chestnut Hill College (7th, 29 points), Caldwell University (8th, 24), Felician University (9th, 17) and Post University (10th, 15).
The regular season begins on February 15, when Felician faces the University of Lynchburg in Sparks, Md. Most league teams are scheduled to open their season by March 9, with conference action slated to begin on Saturday, March 21.
At season’s end, the top six teams in the standings will qualify for the CACC Championship tournament. The opening round and the semifinals will take place on April 28 and April 30, respectively, at campus sites. Wilmington will host the championship final on Saturday, May 2, at its athletics complex in Newark, Del. The CACC champion will automatically qualify for the 2026 NCAA Division II Women’s Lacrosse Championship tournament.
2026 CACC WOMEN’S LACROSSE PRESEASON COACHES POLL
(First-Place Votes in Parentheses)
Rank School Points
1. Dominican University New York (8) 80
2. Thomas Jefferson University (1) 72
3. Wilmington University (1) 66
4. Georgian Court University 56
5. Holy Family University 48
6. University of Bridgeport 43
7. Chestnut Hill College 29
8. Caldwell University 24
9. Felician University 17
10. Post University 15
