18 Teams, 18 Names to Know in the NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Tournament

The 2026 NCAA Division I men's lacrosse tournament field came out Sunday night. While there were plenty of questions about bracket composition (and a clunky reveal) there's also plenty of star power in play this May.

Here are 18 names to know — one for each team whose hopes for a national championship are still alive.

Dylan Anderson, Robert Morris: The NEC Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year has scored a team-high 37 goals as the Colonials (14-3) have won 13 in a row and their second consecutive conference tournament.

Hunter Aquino, Penn State: He’s played midfield. He’s played attack. And his 23 goals are one shy of a team lead even though he missed five games. Anyone facing the Nittany Lions has to account for No. 23.

Jack Cascadden, Cornell: The senior’s won 62.6 percent of his faceoff attempts and might be the Big Red’s most valuable player. That’s saying something given the presence of Willem Firth (51 goals, 29 assists) and Ryan Goldstein (33 goals, 31 assists) on attack.

Matt Collison, Johns Hopkins: The Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year is a formidable presence in the midfield. He has 27 goals and 13 points and ranks second on the Blue Jays in goals and points (40).

Rory Connor, Georgetown: The Colgate grad transfer dropped 50 goals for the Hoyas on the way to the program’s eighth consecutive Big East title. He’s the fifth Georgetown player in six years with a 50-goal season, joining Jake Carraway (2021), Dylan Watson (2022), Tucker Dordevic (2023) and Aidan Carroll (2025).

Connor Gately, Yale: The sophomore attackman will be a name to remember for a couple years; he heads into the postseason with 25 goals and 29 assists for the Bulldogs, who return to the NCAA tournament after a two-year absence.

Shawn Lyght, Notre Dame: If anyone is going to break the seal and become the first defenseman to win a Tewaaraton, it’s the junior who has been stellar for the Fighting Irish since the day he arrived in South Bend.

Aidan Maguire, Duke: One of the decade’s elite short-stick defensive midfielders causes a turnover per game for the Blue Devils and also has three goals and six assists on the season.

Brendan Millon, Virginia: The freshman has made an instant impact for the Cavaliers, collecting 33 goals and 41 assists while starting alongside his brother McCabe Millon (30 goals, 44 assists) and Truitt Sunderland (49 goals, 18 assists).

Chad Palumbo, Princeton: A midfielder for most of his career, Palumbo shifted to attack earlier this season and has piled up 36 goals and 24 assists — including hat tricks in seven of the Tigers’ last eight games.

Evan Plunkett, Army: The senior from Georgia has 23 goals and 39 assists to help bookend his career with NCAA tournament appearances. He’s also an assist away from becoming the fifth Black Knight to reach 100 for his career.

Hunter Smith, Richmond: The repeat winner of the Atlantic 10’s Defensive Player of the Year honor, Smith has forced 27 turnovers while anchoring one of the country’s most reliable units.

Collin Patrick, Marist: The 5-foot-7, 175-pound junior attackman, one of five North Carolina natives playing in Poughkeepsie, has a team-high 53 points (33 goals, 20 assists) for the Metro Atlantic-champion Red Foxes.

Silas Richmond, Albany: How’s this for great company: The only Great Danes to amass more career goals than Richmond’s 161 are Connor Fields, Miles Thompson, Merrick Thomson and Lyle Thompson. The senior attackman has 38 goals and 34 assists to lead Albany to its third consecutive America East title.

Joey Spallina, Syracuse: The Orange’s all-time points leader with 321, Spallina will look to cap his career by leading Syracuse to its first national title since 2009.

Jack Taylor, Jacksonville: The centerpiece of the Atlantic Sun champion’s offense has 34 goals and 39 assists, helping the Dolphins reach the NCAA tournament for the first time.

Brady Wambach, North Carolina: For all of the Tar Heels’ talent, Wambach is the durable difference-maker at the X. He ranks third nationally in faceoff percentage (.674) and second in faceoffs taken (374, one behind Merrimack’s Daniel Bezrutchenko), and his ability to tilt the field always gives North Carolina some hope.

Tommy Wilk, Stony Brook: The most outstanding player of the CAA tournament, Wilk made 33 saves over two games against Drexel and Towson to bump his save percentage to .547 this season.