JANUARY 19, 2026
composed by STEVE ULRICH
We cover DIII lacrosse like no other publication. #d3lax #whyD3
🥍 It’s the Annual IWLCA Preseason Coaches Poll.
📬 Attention Coaches. Those who returned your preseason preview questionnaire - Thank You!
TOP STORY
1. Middlebury, Tufts, Colby Take Top Three Spots In Preseason IWLCA Poll
The New England Small College Athletic Conference remains the dominant force in Division III women’s lacrosse as NESCAC teams occupy the top three spots and four of the top five in the annual IWLCA preseason coaches poll.
Four-time defending national champion Middlebury continues as the team to beat, followed by national runnerup Tufts. Colby, who reached the national semifinals a year ago, holds down the No. 3 position, followed by Gettysburg and Wesleyan.
Franklin & Marshall comes in at No. 6, while neighboring rival York is seventh. Salisbury, Washington and Lee, and Denison round out the preseason top 10.
The NESCAC claimed six spots in the preseason top 25, while the Centennial, Liberty, MAC Commonwealth and NJAC also had multiple teams in the poll.
Middlebury, 19-1
Tufts, 20-1
Colby, 17-3
Gettysburg, 19-3
Wesleyan, 15-6
Franklin & Marshall, 19-3
York, 18-4
Salisbury, 16-5
Washington and Lee, 18-5
Denison, 16-5
St. John Fisher, 19-1
William Smith, 14-5
Pomona-Pitzer, 18-3
Amherst, 11-6
Stevens, 17-5
TCNJ, 14-5
Rowan, 16-4
Haverford, 15-6
Babson, 15-4
Trinity, 9-10
Chicago, 13-5
Colorado College, 18-4
Ithaca, 14-7
Messiah, 14-6
Scranton, 15-6
» Receiving Votes: Sewanee (17-1), John Carroll (15-3). Please note that only teams within a 10-point margin of the No. 25-ranked team will be acknowledged as receiving votes. If no teams are listed as receiving votes, it indicates that no teams fell within the 10-point margin for that week.
» Conference Call. NESCAC (6), Centennial (3), Liberty (2), MACC (2), NJAC (2), C2C (1), E8 (1), Independent (1), Landmark (1), MACF (1), NCAC (1), NEWMAC (1), ODAC (1), SCIAC (1), WIAC (1).
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