IWLCA: NCAA Moving Toward Combined Women's Lacrosse Championships in 2027

The NCAA “has taken public meaningful steps” toward unifying the Division I, II and III women’s lacrosse championships in 2027, the IWLCA stated in a press release Thursday.

Championship equity was a key focus of the watershed white paper released in advance of the women’s lacrosse coaches association’s annual convention last month in Florida. The issue drew national attention in May, when Tufts women’s lacrosse coach Courtney Shute pointed out a stark contrast: Her team played for a Division III national title in front of 721 fans at Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia, while Tufts’ men’s team competed for its championship at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts—home of the NFL’s New England Patriots — before a combined Division II/Division III crowd of 25,228.

The NCAA started hosting joint Division I and III men’s lacrosse championships in 1992, with Division II joining the fold in 1998. As crowds grew, so did the venues and media exposure. Since 2003, all but two championship weekends have been staged at NFL stadiums in Baltimore, Philadelphia and New England.

This year marked the first time since 2017 that the NCAA Division I women’s lacrosse championship weekend was played in the same venue as the men’s event. The championship game between North Carolina and Northwestern set a new high-water mark for attendance, with 14,423 on hand to see the Tar Heels cement their perfect season at Gillette Stadium.

The Division I and Division III women’s championships split in 2002, with the NCAA sporadically coupling the Division II and Division III events as it did this year at Roanoke. Coaches have grown weary of the fractured approach.

“Having the three NCAA championships at the same location is a game-changer for women’s lacrosse,” IWLCA executive director Liz Robertshaw said in the press release. “This addresses one of the core equity issues identified in the NCAA Gender Equity Review and demonstrates that when we advocate strategically and unite around shared priorities, we can drive meaningful change.”

While some hoped for a unified NCAA women’s lacrosse championship weekend in 2026, the FIFA World Cup had already displaced the Division I games from Gillette Stadium. Instead, they’ll be played at Northwestern’s Martin Stadium in Evanston, Illinois. The Division II and III championships are in Rochester, New York.

When the NCAA announced sites for the 2027 and 2028 championships in October 2024, it indicated that the Division I, II and III men’s lacrosse championships would return to Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia and Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, respectively, with the Division I women’s lacrosse championships set for a two-year run at Subaru Park just south of Philadelphia.

The 2027 NCAA Division II and III women’s lacrosse finals were originally scheduled to be played at the University of Tampa. That seems likely to change. 

“This combined championship format will provide Division II and Division III student-athletes with access to premier venues and professional facilities, elevate the profile of all divisions, create enhanced media opportunities across the board and showcase the depth and breadth of women’s lacrosse talent to a national audience,” Robertshaw said. “The IWLCA’s sustained focus on this issue is exactly the kind of forward movement we need to grow the game at every level.”