WINTHROP, Mass. – Reigning Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) champion Emmanuel College has been selected as the preseason favorite to repeat in 2026, earning 190 points and 10 first-place votes in the GNAC Women's Lacrosse Preseason Poll, as voted on by the league's 14 head coaches.
Norwich University followed closely in second with 179 points and two first-place votes. Saint Joseph's College of Maine was picked third with 167 points, while Colby-Sawyer College (147) and Lasell University (122) rounded out the top five.
Saint Joseph's, led by second-year head coach Lydia Dexter '21, finished the 2025 campaign as the No. 3 seed in the GNAC North Division, posting a 9-2 conference record and a 12-6 mark overall. The Monks opened postseason play with a decisive 17-5 win at Lasell University before falling to eventual GNAC champion Emmanuel College, 9-4, in a defensive battle in Boston. Saint Joseph's had previously defeated the Saints, 16-8, earlier in the season.
Saint Joseph's returns the bulk of its core from last year's squad, including all-conference honorees Celia Melanson (Waterford, Maine), Alexis Copp (New Durham, N.H.), and Ava Molineaux (Rowley, Mass.), along with key starters Dinah Wadleigh (Augusta, Maine), Taylor Dumond (Minisink, N.Y.), and Ella Highbarger (Kennebunk, Maine).
Simmons University slotted sixth with 110 points (one first-place vote), followed by Rivier University (107) and Regis College (105; one first-place vote) in seventh and eighth, respectively.
Rounding out the poll were Dean College (103), New England College (77), University of Saint Joseph (Connecticut) (73), Elms College (48), Mitchell College (25), and Albertus Magnus College (17).
The first face off of the GNAC women's lacrosse season is set for Tuesday, Feb. 17, when Simmons opens non-conference play against Emerson College. Conference play begins on Monday, Feb. 23, highlighted by Mitchell visiting Lasell.
The 2026 conference slate will feature a round-robin format, with each team playing 13 games (one against each league opponent). The top eight finishers in the regular-season standings will qualify for the GNAC Women's Lacrosse Championship Tournament, beginning with quarterfinals on Saturday, April 25. The semifinals are scheduled for Tuesday, April 28, with the championship game set for Saturday, May 2. The tournament champion will earn the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Championship.
2026 GNAC WOMEN'S LACROSSE PRESEASON POLL:
| # |
Institution |
Pts (1st Pl.) |
| 1) |
Emmanuel |
190 (10) |
| 2) |
Norwich |
179 (2) |
| 3) |
Saint Joseph's (Maine) |
167 |
| 4) |
Colby-Sawyer |
147 |
| 5) |
Lasell |
122 |
| 6) |
Simmons |
110 (1) |
| 7) |
Rivier |
107 |
| 8) |
Regis |
105 (1) |
| 9) |
Dean |
103 |
| 10) |
New England College |
77 |
| 11) |
University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) |
73 |
| 12) |
Elms |
48 |
| 13) |
Mitchell |
25 |
| 14) |
Albertus Magnus |
17 |
THANKS IN LARGE PART TO GNAC SPORTS INFORMATION
