SPARKS, Md. — For the first time in the 26-year history of the USA Lacrosse Women’s Collegiate Lacrosse Associates (WCLA) National Championships, the annual championship tournament is coming to Florida, with the nation’s top collegiate club teams gathering next week at the Paradise Coast Sports Complex in Naples.
The WCLA national tournament features 16 Division I women’s club teams and 12 Division II teams competing for their respective championships, May 12-15.
The four-day event begins Tuesday with opening round games for all teams across both divisions. The tournament culminates with the D-II championship game on Thursday, May 14 (7 pm) and the D-I championship contest on Friday, May 15 (5 pm).
Fans are welcome to attend, and admission is free for all games with the exception of semifinal and championship games played in the stadium, which are $10 per person per day. Parking at the Paradise Coast Sports Complex is free throughout the event.
UC Santa Barbara (16-1 overall) arrives in Naples as the top seed in Division I and will be making its 15th overall appearance in the championship tournament. The Gauchos have never won the WCLA title, coming closest in 2013 when finishing as the national runner-up, but have high hopes for a deep run in 2026.
“We are super proud to be the number one seed going into the tournament and feel like that’s a testament to all of the hard work that we put in on the field and in fostering a great team culture,” said club president and senior defender Emma Rathjen. “We still have work to do and the job is not done yet, so we are just focusing on playing our game and having fun while doing it.”
UCSB has been the top-ranked team in the weekly Top 20 for virtually the entire season, due in part to a resume that features nine wins against ranked opponents.
“This season has been so much fun and has felt like a labor of love,” Rathjen said. “Our team has a really great bond, which is a huge factor in our success. Most of the seniors have been with the program for four years and being able to introduce our younger players to this success has been so rewarding. We've had such a great time being together and we all love the game of lacrosse so much that the winning is almost an added bonus.”
No. 2 seed Boston College is the defending national champion and is aiming for its fourth WCLA title in the last five years. The Eagles (10-0) are the only undefeated team in this year’s D-I tournament field.
Florida (12-2) is seeded third and UCLA (11-1) is fourth. The Bruins have played in back-to-back championship games, having won the 2024 championship and finished as runner-up in last year’s final against BC. Overall, there are six prior champions among the 16 Division I teams in Naples this year.
WCLA Division I - Opening Round – Tuesday, May 12
9 AM (Field 5) -- #1 UC Santa Barbara (14-3) vs. #16 Oregon State (9-3-1)
9 AM (Field 6) -- #8 Georgia (10-6) vs. #9 Auburn (10-6)
12 PM (Field 1) -- #5 Michigan (11-3) vs #12 Utah (7-3)
12 PM (Field 2) -- #3 Florida (12-2) vs #14 Texas A&M (11-3)
12 PM (Field 3) -- #4 UCLA (11-1) vs #13 Michigan State (12-3)
12 PM (Field 4) -- #6 Clemson (9-2) vs. #11 Cal Poly (7-4)
12 PM (Field 5) -- #7 Virginia Tech (7-2) vs #10 San Diego State (9-4)
12 PM (Field 6) -- #2 Boston College (10-0) vs #15 Penn State (8-1)
The Division I tournament utilizes a single-elimination bracket, with winners from first round games advancing to the national quarterfinals on Wednesday. Losing teams move into a consolation bracket and continue to play to determine their final placement. 
In Division II, Denver (10-1) earned the top seed after winning the Rocky Mountain Women's Lacrosse League (RMWLL) championship. Making their 12th overall appearance in the national tournament, the Pioneers won national championships in 2016 and 2017 and have the most WCLA tournament appearances among all Division II programs.
“We’re really excited to be heading back to Nationals and we’re looking forward to competing at a high level and embracing the opportunity to play some great teams,” said Denver club president Emma Flynn. “We had a lot of returning players this year, which made us really comfortable playing with each other and trusting one another on the field. That cohesion has made a huge difference.”
Last year’s D-II national runner-up Montana State, also from the RMWLL, is the number two seed, with UC San Diego (11-1) seeded third and Concordia Irvine (9-3) seeded fourth.
In Division II, the tournament format calls for the 12 teams to be divided into four pods of three teams each. Following round-robin play within each pool, the winner of each pod advances to the semifinal round.
WCLA Division II Schedule – Tuesday, May 12
9 AM (Field 1) --- #1 Denver (10-1) vs #8 UC Davis (13-2)
9 AM (Field 2) --- #2 Montana State (9-1) vs. #7 Tampa (9-0)
9 AM (Field 3) --- #3 UC San Diego (11-1) vs. #6 Air Force Academy (5-4)
9 AM (Field 4) --- #4 Concordia Irvine (9-3) vs. #5 Missouri (10-0)
3 PM (Field 1) --- #1 Denver (10-1) vs. #12 Florida Golf Coast (4-6)
3 PM (Field 2) --- #2 Montana State (9-1) vs. #11 San Diego (8-3)
3 PM (Field 3) --- #3 UC San Diego (11-1) vs. #10 Fullerton (10-6)
3 PM (Field 4) --- #4 Concordia Irvine (9-3) vs. #9 Charleston (8-4)
The WCLA is comprised of nearly 150 college club (non-varsity) teams from coast-to-coast that compete under the USA Lacrosse umbrella. From these, the most deserving Division I and Division II club teams qualify for the season-ending national championships, conducted annually since 2001 by USA Lacrosse.
USA Lacrosse will provide video streaming of all D-I and D-II games throughout the tournament. Streaming packages, ranging from single-game viewing to a full tournament pass, can be purchased at USALacrosseTV.com.
Additionally, USA Lacrosse will use SportsEngine Tourney to provide live scores and tournament updates for the 2026 WCLA National Championships. The SportsEngine Tourney APP can be downloaded to your smartphone in order to access the latest information.
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 Florida’s Paradise Coast – Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Complete coverage of the championships – including stories, scores, updated schedules, brackets, and photos - will be available throughout the event on usalacrosse.com/wcla and usalacrosse.com/magazine, and via social media: @usalacrosse and @usalmag.
