WINTHROP, Mass. – Reigning Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) champion Rivier University was tabbed the favorite to repeat in the league's 2026 Men's Lacrosse Preseason Poll, as voted on by the conference's 13 head coaches. The Raiders paced the field with 157 points and seven first-place votes, narrowly edging last year's runner-up Lasell University, which finished second with 155 points and four first-place votes.

Emmanuel College slotted third with 147 points and the remaining two first-place votes, while the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) took fourth at 138. Dean College rounded out the top five with 106 points.

Saint Joseph's College of Maine was picked sixth with 104 points, followed by Norwich University (93) and New England College (85) to complete the top eight. Regis College (63), Albertus Magnus College (54), Colby-Sawyer College (32), Elms College (30), and Mitchell College (19) rounded out the poll.

Saint Joseph's will look to take a step forward in 2026 after finishing 7-9 overall and 5-4 in GNAC play last spring, earning the No. 3 seed in the North Division for the conference tournament. Second-year head coach Matt Gilbert will aim to retool an SJC offense that must replace several key contributors, while leaning on a stout defensive front led by all-conference standouts Tony Samiotes (Hampstead, N.H.) and Kevin Wood (Danvers, Mass.).

One of the Monks' top returning pieces is junior faceoff specialist Zander Kirk (West Bath, Maine), who returns as the conference's leading specialist at the X. Kirk won 197 of 325 attempts (60.6%) and collected 116 ground balls in 17 games last spring.

The GNAC men's lacrosse season opens Wednesday, Feb. 11, as Regis begins non-conference play against former GNAC foe Anna Maria. Conference play begins two weeks later on Tuesday, Feb. 25, when Elms hosts Mitchell. The conference will utilize a round-robin format with each team playing one game against every other league opponent for a 12-game GNAC slate.

The top eight teams at the conclusion of the regular season will qualify for the 2026 GNAC Men's Lacrosse Championship Tournament, which begins with quarterfinal games on Saturday, April 25. Semifinals are slated for Wednesday, April 29, with the GNAC Championship set for Saturday, May 2. The tournament champion will earn the league's automatic berth to the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse Championship.


2026 GNAC MEN'S LACROSSE PRESEASON POLL: