Women's Lacrosse

Unbeaten Middlebury Earns the Top Seed in the NESCAC Women's Lacrosse Tournament

HADLEY, Mass. – The Middlebury Panthers posted their fifth straight unbeaten mark in NESCAC action (10-0) with a 15-6 win over Williams in the regular-season finale and is the top seed in the 2026 NESCAC Women's Lacrosse Championship for the 16th time in program history.
 
Quarterfinal action begins on Saturday, April 25, on the campuses of the higher seeds. The four quarterfinal winners will square off in the semifinal round on Saturday, May 2, at the highest remaining seed, and the championship game is set for Sunday, May 3, at the site of the semifinal games.
 
2025 NESCAC Championship Recap
For the third time since the 2021 season, the No. 2-seeded Tufts women's lacrosse team was crowned the NESCAC Champion after defeating fifth-seeded Wesleyan University, 13-7, at Peter Kohn Field on the campus of Middlebury College. The title is Tufts' first since 2022 and the program's third overall. 

NESCAC Championship History
Five programs have won a NESCAC Women's Lacrosse title. Middlebury leads the way with 12 crowns. Trinity captured five consecutive titles from 2011 to 2015. Colby owns three conference titles (last: 2017) while Tufts won its third last season. Williams won the 2010 NESCAC Championship.
 
How To Watch
All NESCAC Women’s Lacrosse Tournament games will be webcast via the NESCAC Network, which is available on computers and mobile devices at NESCAC.com. The webcasts can also be seen on Roku, AppleTV, and Amazon Fire devices. Search for NESCAC Network and download the channel. Click here for more information.

No. 1 Middlebury Panthers (15-0, 10-0 NESCAC) vs. No. 8 Bates Bobcats (7-8, 3-7 NESCAC)
  • For the eighth consecutive year, Middlebury is the No. 1 seed in the NESCAC Tournament.
  • The Panthers will host a quarterfinal game for the 14th consecutive season when they face No. 8 Bates.
  • Middlebury's perfect 10-0 record in conference play marks the 12th time the Panthers have gone unbeaten in the NESCAC.
  • Bates is making its 12th appearance in the NESCAC Tournament and earned a spot in the NESCAC postseason in back-to-back years for the first time since 2013 and 2014, which capped a string of six consecutive appearances.
  • The Bobcats have posted back-to-back seven-win seasons for the first time since the 2017 and 2018 campaigns.
  • Bates is looking for its second NESCAC Quarterfinal win in team history and first since 2016.
  • Middlebury is 3-0 versus Bates in the NESCAC postseason and defeated the Bobcats, 11-8, on March 21 in Lewiston, Maine.
  • The quarterfinal will be the first meeting between the two teams in the NESCAC Tournament since the 2019 quarterfinals.
Tiebreaker: Tufts and Wesleyan finished the regular season with identical 8-2 records. In head-to-head competition, Tufts defeated Wesleyan, 11-10 in overtime, on April 11 to earn the No. 2 seed, and Wesleyan is the No. 3 seed.
 
No. 2 Tufts Jumbos (13-2, 8-2 NESCAC) vs. No. 7 Colby Mules (9-6, 4-6 NESCAC)
  • Tufts, the defending NESCAC Champion, has qualified for the NESCAC Tournament for the 18th straight year and is the No. 2 seed for the second consecutive season.
  • The Jumbos will host a quarterfinal game for the seventh tournament in a row when they face No. 7 Colby.
  • Tufts has reached the semifinals five straight years and has played in four of the last five tournament championship games.
  • Colby is the No. 7 seed for the first time since 2018 and is in the tournament field for the 24th consecutive year.
  • The Mules have advanced to the semifinals four straight years.
  • Tufts defeated Colby, 16-11, in the 2026 season opener on February 28.
  • The NESCAC Tournament series stands at 2-2. Colby won the first two meetings in the 2001 and 2008 quarterfinals, while Tufts won the last two meetings in the 2022 and 2025 semifinals.
No. 3 Wesleyan Cardinals (13-2, 8-2 NESCAC) vs. No. 6 Williams Ephs (9-6, 5-5 NESCAC)
  • Wesleyan, the 2025 NESCAC Runner-Up, is the No. 3 seed for the first time since 2019
  • The Cardinals are making their eighth straight appearance in the tournament field and have advanced to the semifinal round five consecutive years.
  • Wesleyan, which enters the tournament with a three-game win streak, has reached the championship game the last two seasons.
  • Williams is the No. 6 seed for the first time since 2006 and has qualified for the NESCAC Tournament for the third time in four seasons and 16th time overall.
  • The Ephs are looking for their first NESCAC Quarterfinal win since 2014.
  • Wesleyan posted an 11-3 win over Williams in Middletown, Conn. on April 18.
  • The tournament series stands at 1-1. The Ephs won the first matchup in the 2004 quarterfinals while the Cardinals were victorious in the most recent contest in the 2023 quarterfinals.
No. 4 Trinity Bantams (11-4, 7-3 NESCAC) vs. No. 5 Amherst Mammoths (12-3, 7-3 NESCAC)
  • Trinity defeated Amherst, 10-7, in the regular season finale on April 22 to grab the No. 4 seed.
  • The Bantams and Mammoths will meet again in the NESCAC Quarterfinal on Saturday.
  • Trinity is the No. 4 seed for the first time since 2009 and will host a quarterfinal game for the first time since 2017.
  • The Bantams, who earned a spot in the tournament field for the 18th consecutive year, closed the regular season winning seven of their last eight contests.
  • Trinity is looking for its first quarterfinal victory since 2018.
  • Amherst is the No. 5 seed for the first time since 2013.
  • The Mammoths are making their 24th consecutive appearance in the NESCAC Tournament.
  • Amherst’s last quarterfinal victory was in 2019.
  • The Mammoths finished the regular season winning four of their last six games.
  • Trinity is 2-1 versus Amherst in the NESCAC Tournament. The teams last met in the 2014 championship game with the Bantams posting a 10-7 win.