A conference record eight NESCAC teams were selected to the 2026 NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Tournament field.
The tournament begins with the first round on Wednesday, May 6 and continues through the championship on Sunday, May 24 at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Two-time defending NCAA Champion and the 2026 NESCAC Champion, Tufts University Jumbos were the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament. The Jumbos are making their 18th overall appearance and 16th straight in the NCAA Tournament. For the fourth time in the last five seasons, Tufts will open the NCAA Tournament on Bello Field and host the first three rounds of the tournament.
For the fourth time in five years, Amherst has earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament field. An at-large selection, the Mammoths received a first-round bye and will face Stevens in the second round at Bowdoin College. Amherst is making its 11th NCAA appearance in program history.
Bates was an at-large selection and is making its third NCAA Tournament appearance since 2015. The Bobcats will host second- and third-round games at Garcelon Field. Bates earned a first-round bye and will face the winner of Cortland/Western New England.
Bowdoin, the NESCAC Runners-Up, is in the tournament field for the third straight season and sixth time overall. The Polar Bears, an at-large selection, will host a regional at Whittier Field. Bowdoin, which has reached the NCAA Semifinals in each of the last two seasons, will face the winner of the Scranton/SUNY Maritime matchup in the second round.
The Hamilton Continentals were an at-large selection to the NCAA Tournament and received a first-round bye. Hamilton will play St. Lawrence at Babson on May 9. A NESCAC Semifinalist, the Continentals are making their second NCAA appearance in team history and first since 2003.
Middlebury will play in the NCAA Tournament for the 21st time in program history after securing an at-large spot. The Panthers, who are in the field for the fourth straight year, will square off against Dickinson, last year’s national runners-up, in a second-round game played at Tufts.
The Wesleyan Cardinals are in the NCAA field for the third straight season and 11th time overall. Wesleyan, which will host a regional, received a first-round bye and will face the winner of Concordia Wisconsin/Ohio Northern at Citrin Field.
For the second consecutive year and the third time in the last four seasons, Williams College garnered an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Ephs will take on St. John Fisher in second-round action on May 9 at Wesleyan.
