SPARKS, Md. — UC Santa Barbara has received the number one seed in the Division I bracket of the 2026 USA Lacrosse Women’s Collegiate Lacrosse Associates (WCLA) National Championships, while Denver Club earned the No. 1 seed in the Division II field.
The WCLA National Championships showcase the nation’s premier non-varsity collegiate women’s teams and will be played May 12-15 at the Paradise Coast Sports Complex in Naples, Florida.
Featuring 16 Division I teams and 12 Division II teams, the tournament brackets are comprised of a combination of teams earning automatic qualifiers as league champions and teams earning at-large berths. A champion will be crowned for each division.
UCSB (16-1) is making its 15th overall appearance in the WCLA championship tournament. The Gauchos have never won the WCLA title, coming closest in 2013 when finishing as the national runner-up. UCSB received an at-large berth to this year’s tournament after finishing as runner-up in the Western Women’s Lacrosse League (WWLL). The Gauchos lost their only game to UCLA, 8-7, in the league’s championship contest last Sunday.
Despite the loss, which ended UCSB’s season-long 16-game winning streak, the Gauchos earned the top seed on the strength of their full body of work throughout the 2026 campaign. Their resume includes nine wins against ranked opponents, including victories over UCLA, Georgia, Virginia, BYU and Cal Poly.
Defending national champion Boston College (10-0) received the number two seed after winning the Northeast Women’s Lacrosse League crown last week. BC is making its fifth straight and 13th overall appearance in the national tournament and will be seeking its fourth national championship in the last five years. BC made its run to the 2025 WCLA title as the fifth seed, defeating UCLA, 8-7 in overtime, in the championship game.
Florida Club (12-2), from the Southeast Women’s Lacrosse League (SWLL), is seeded third, and UCLA (11-1), national champion in 2024, is the number four seed.
In Division II, Denver (10-1), champion of the Rocky Mountain Women's Lacrosse League, earned the top seed and returns to the championship for the 12th time overall. The Pioneers won the national championship in 2016 and 2017 and have the most national tournament appearances among all Division II programs.
Last year’s D-II national runner-up Montana State is the number two seed. The Bobcats are making just their second appearance in the WCLA championship tournament. Two teams from the WWLL round out the top four, with UC San Diego (11-1) receiving the number three seed and Concordia Irvine (9-3) seeded fourth.
Nearly 150 Division I and Division II teams comprise the WCLA and compete under the USA Lacrosse umbrella. The annual WCLA National Championship began in 2001 with a Division I tournament. The Division II championship was added in 2010.
Selections for the championship tournament are based on numerous criteria, including overall record, record versus ranked teams, results versus common opponents, quality wins/quality losses, head-to-head results, conference playoff performance, and final conference standings.
All tournament games at the Paradise Coast Sports Complex in Naples are open to the public, with most games free of charge. The only games with an admission fee are the semifinals and finals for each division, which are games being played in the main stadium. General admission for those games will be $10 per day.
Video streaming of all games from Naples will be available for purchase via USALacrosseTV.com. Full details will be announced shortly.
The Division I and II teams, seedings, and season records are listed below.
Division I Tournament
No. 1 Univ. of California, Santa Barbara (16-1)
No. 2 Boston College Club (10-0)
No. 3 University of Florida Club (12-2)
No. 4 Univ. of California, Los Angeles (11-1)
No. 5 University of Michigan Club (11-3)
No. 6 Clemson University Club (9-2)
No. 7 Virginia Tech University (7-2)
No. 8 University of Georgia (10-6)
No. 9 Auburn University (10-6)
No. 10 San Diego State University (9-4)
No. 11 Cal Poly SLO (7-4)
No. 12 University of Utah (7-3)
No. 13 Michigan State University (12-3)
No. 14 Texas A&M University (11-3)
No. 15 Penn State University (8-1)
No. 16 Oregon State University (9-3-1)
Division II Tournament
No. 1 University of Denver Club (10-1)
No. 2 Montana State University (9-1)
No. 3 UC San Diego (11-1)
No. 4 Concordia University Irvine (9-3)
No. 5 University of Missouri (10-0)
No. 6 Air Force Academy (5-4)
No. 7 University of Tampa (9-0)
No. 8 UC Davis (13-2)
No. 9 College of Charleston (8-4)
No. 10 Fullerton College (10-6)
No. 11 University of San Diego (8-3)
No. 12 Florida Gulf Coast University (4-6)
Capelli Sport, CWENCH, Halpern Travel, Gait Lacrosse, GoLive Sports, N&D Sports, and SportsEngine serve as official event sponsors for the 2026 USA Lacrosse WCLA Championships, with local support provided by Collier County.
More information about the 2026 USA Lacrosse WCLA National Championships, including game schedules and competition brackets, will be posted online at usalacrosse.com/wcla as they are finalized.
About USA Lacrosse
USA Lacrosse, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, is certified by the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee as the National Governing Body for the sport in the United States. USA Lacrosse works to fuel the growth, enrich the experience, and field the best national teams, supporting more than 425,000 members across the country.
