UNC Unsurprisingly Atop USA Lacrosse Division I Women's Way-Early Top 25

Last week, in five-team segments, USA Lacrosse Magazine revealed the Way-Early Top 25 for the 2026 Division I women’s lacrosse season.

The annual exercise was effective in getting a glimpse of what the 2026 season will look like. Of course, the transfer portal process is not fully complete — though the big fish have all found their new homes.

The Preseason Top 25, which will release closer to the season, will certainly have some changes as fall ball happenings are taken into account. But what will stay the same is the team leading things off. North Carolina, the 2025 NCAA champion, seems poised to have a stranglehold on No. 1 until further notice.

Nos. 25-21 | Nos. 20-16 | Nos. 15-11 | Nos. 10-6 | Nos. 5-1

USA LACROSSE WAY-EARLY
DIVISION I WOMEN’S TOP 25

1. North Carolina
2. Northwestern
3. Boston College
4. Florida
5. Princeton
6. Maryland
7. Stanford
8. Virginia
9. Duke
10. Johns Hopkins
11. Clemson
12. Syracuse
13. Penn
14. Michigan
15. Yale
16. Navy
17. Stony Brook
18. Loyola
19. Army
20. Denver
21. Penn State
22. Harvard
23. USC
24. James Madison
25. Brown