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FEBRUARY 27, 2026
composed by STEVE ULRICH
We cover DIII lacrosse like no other publication. #d3lax #whyD3
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TOP STORY
1. Hello, NESCAC
Welcome to the 2026 season, members of the New England Small College Athletic Conference.
NESCAC men’s and women’s teams will join the fray for the first time this season, opening with conference opponents. And do they have some plum games for us.
The women’s game of the week takes place in Waterville, Maine, as preseason No. 2 Tufts travels to take on preseason No. 3 Colby. Defending national champion Middlebury opens at home against Bowdoin.
On the men’s side, #5 Bowdoin hits the road to take on #19 Middlebury, while two-time defending national champion Tufts raises the lid on its season at home against Colby.
MEN’S LACROSSE
2. Polar Vortex: Is Bowdoin On A Path To Memorial Day?
"“The climate in Brunswick, Maine, lends itself to a certain type of mentality.
“The type of culture that we have, it attracts a certain type of student that has to work really hard in the classroom to get here. Then you pair it with our location, it requires a bit of grit just to practice,” Bowdoin coach Bill Mason says. “These guys practicing in 1-degree weather. We're the Polar Bears, so we're not going to go hide indoors when it comes to practice. We go outside regardless of conditions. So I think the elements add for us to be a pretty gritty team.
Bowdoin has been to back-to-back NCAA Semifinals and, in Mason’s fifth year at the helm, is on the cusp of reaching lacrosse’s grand stage. The next step is the biggest, but a back-to-basics approach, an emphasis on development and some of that cold weather grit has them consistently a force in DIII’s top conference.”
» Field Awareness. “The Polar Bears lost some production, and most importantly lost a four-year starting goalie, but they return a stalwart presence on each end of the field with steady, unassuming talent light on flash but heavy on substance. But as Mason notes, their colors are Black and White — nothing flashy about that.”
» The Big Picture. “Mason came in after the 2021 season. They went 18-3 his first year. An 11-5 finish in 2023 was a slight regression, but they likely would have been in the NCAA Tournament under the current NPI selection. The next two years put them into the NCAA Semifinals, but the penultimate game of the lacrosse season has been difficult for them in the back-to-back format.”
» What They’re Saying. “The reason we've gotten here is we've taken it one step at a time. We know the recipe of having a growth mindset, which really helps our development. We are about the individual growth and that leads to the team growth, and each year is a new year.”
3. Roundup | Weekend Preview
Rory Scanlon, Springfield | photo by Ella Travaglino
Scores
Mount Vernon Naz. 19, Brevard 6
Dean 16, Thomas 7
Hanover 12, Huntingdon 11
Husson 12, Southern Maine 8
Keuka 26, Thiel 4
Moravian 11, McDaniel 3
Springfield 9, Union 8
W. New England 10, Keene St 7
Springfield (1-1) edged Union, 9-8, giving head coach Sean Quirk his first win with the Pride and his 244th overall. Jake Degnan scored with 3:18 remaining to break an 8-all tie. Emmett Lyne had a hat trick for the Garnet Chargers with fell to 0-3 | Recap
Western New England outscored Keene State, 7-4, in the second half to record a 10-7 victory. Logan Proctor scored four times for the Bears | Box
» Weekend Top Games. FRI-Ohio Wesleyan (1-1) vs. F&M (2-1);
SAT-Haverford (4-0) at Stockton (2-0); RIT (3-0) vs. #20 Babson (2-0); #15 Lynchburg (2-0) at #2 Salisbury (4-0); Roanoke (2-0) at #12 Dickinson (1-1); #19 Middlebury at #5 Bowdoin; Trine (4-0) at Oberlin (2-0); Bates at #6 Wesleyan; Washington College (2-0) at Randolph-Macon (4-1); #11 St. Lawrence (2-0) at #18 St. John Fisher (2-0);
SUN-Kenyon (3-1) at #7 York (2-0) (USILA rank)
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
4. Roundup | Weekend Preview
Grace deBenedictis, Skidmore | photo by Matt Milless
Scores
Mt. Aloysius 13, Thiel 5
OWU 11, Westminster 6
Skidmore 11, Springfield 10 OT
Smith 16, Emmanuel 7
Va. Wesleyan 19, Southern Va. 5
Washington Coll 19, Stockton 11
Wilkes 10, Gwynedd Mercy 6
Worcester St 14, WNE 13
Piper Morgan tied the game with :49 left and Grace deBenedictis notched the game-winner just seconds in overtime as Skidmore overcame Springfield, 11-10. The Pride trailed 9-7 midway through the final period, but a pair of Izzy Lalancette tallied in a :58 span gave Springfield a 10-9 lead. Tatum Walsh made 12 saves for the Thoroughbreds | Box
Molly Witkowski had four goals and three assists but it was Maryl Hooper who tallied the game-winning goal as Worcester State (1-0) downed Western New England, 14-13. Carlie Francis had 4-1 for the Bears | Recap
» Weekend Top Games. FRI-#21 Chicago (1-0) at #13 Pomona-Pitzer (2-0);
SAT-#2 Tufts at #3 Colby; #15 Stevens (1-0) at #4 Gettysburg (1-1); Bowdoin at #1 Middlebury; #20 Trinity at Williams; Ithaca (2-0) at Cortland (1-0); Muhlenberg (2-0) at Rowan (1-0); SUN-#21 Chicago (1-0) at Claremont-M-S (3-0); #9 Washington and Lee (2-1) at #8 Salisbury (2-0). (IWLCA preseason ranking)
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