PRINCETON, N.J. — Following a stellar season of Ivy League women's lacrosse that saw three teams (Penn, Princeton, and Yale) make it to the elite eight of the NCAA Women's Lacrosse Tournament, the 2026 campaign begins on Friday as Princeton has been picked as regular season champions in the preseason poll.

The Tigers received 14 out of a possible 16 first-place votes. garnering 126 points to take the top spot in the poll. Princeton comes into the season hoping to repeat as Ivy League champions after winning the title last year with a 6-1 conference record and 16-4 overall record. Princeton lost to eventual-champion North Carolina in the elite eight last season.

Penn was the only other Ivy to receive first-place votes, receiving two of them as the Quakers finished with a 5-2 Ivy record in 2025. Penn fell to NCAA runner-up Northwestern in the elite eight.

Yale (99 points) finished third in the poll as only one point separated Brown and Harvard in the fourth and fifth positions. Cornell, Dartmouth, and Columbia rounded out the last three spots.

Five Ivies are ranked in the IWLCA national poll as Princeton is ranked in the top-10 (seventh). Both Penn (11) and Yale (15) are ranked in the top-15 while Brown (24) and Harvard (25) make up the other ranked Ivies. 

The Ivy League Women's Lacrosse Tournament is set to be played at the number one seed on May 1 and 3. Seven of the eight Ivies begin their season this weekend as Harvard opens the year with a ranked showdown against Notre Dame.

2026 Ivy League Women's Lacrosse Preseason Poll
Predicted Order of Finish
1. Princeton - 126 (14 first-place votes)
2. Penn - 109 (2 first-place votes)
3. Yale - 99
4. Brown - 69
5. Harvard - 68
6. Cornell - 49
7. Dartmouth - 40
8. Columbia - 16