Here is everything you need to know for the 2026 DI women’s lacrosse championship.
The tournament continues with the quarterfinals on Thursday, May 14 and concludes with the championship set for Sunday, May 24 at Northwestern University’s Martin Stadium in Evanston, IL.
It is a 29-team, single-elimination tournament — 15 automatic bids and 14 at-large selections. The higher seed will host quarterfinal matchups before the semifinals and championship final are played at Martin Stadium in Chicago, IL.
2026 DI women’s lacrosse championship bracket
Click or tap here for the interactive bracket
2026 DI women’s lacrosse championship schedule
- Quarterfinals: Thursday, May 14 on ESPNU
- Semifinals: Friday, May 22 | Martin Stadium at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL
- Championship: Sunday, May 24 | Martin Stadium at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL
- Selection show: Sunday, May 3 on ESPNU
- First round: Friday, May 8 on ESPN+
- No. 5 Stony Brook 19, Stonehill 5
- Rutgers 12, Princeton 11
- No. 4 Johns Hopkins 21, UAlbany 7
- No. 6 Navy 17, UMass 16
- No. 7 Michigan 18, Mercer 8
- Boston College 10, Yale 4
- James Madison 13, Notre Dame 12
- Clemson 19, Davidson 6
- Army 20, Fairfield 8
- No. 8 Colorado 10, Jacksonville 9
- Stanford 7, Penn State 5
- Syracuse 8, Loyola Maryland 6
- Denver 18, Florida 8
- Second round: Sunday, May 10 on ESPN+
Championship history
The North Carolina Tar Heels defeated the Northwestern Wildcats, 12-8, to take home the 2025 national championship. It was the program’s first since 2022 and fourth all-time.
🏆 TAR HEELS ON TOP: See how UNC won its fourth-ever national title, from the bleachers
Below is a full list of every DI women’s lacrosse national champion since 1982.
| Year | Champion | Coach | Score | Runner-Up | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | North Carolina | Jenny Levy | 12-8 | Northwestern | Foxborough, Mass. |
| 2024 | Boston College | Acacia Walker-Weinstein | 14-13 | Northwestern | Cary, N.C. |
| 2023 | Northwestern | Kelly Amonte Hiller | 18-6 | Boston College | Cary, N.C. |
| 2022 | North Carolina | Jenny Levy | 12-11 | Boston College | Baltimore, Md. |
| 2021 | Boston College | Acacia Walker-Weinstein | 16-10 | Syracuse | Towson, Md. |
| 2020 | Canceled due to Covid-19 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2019 | Maryland | Cathy Reese | 12-10 | Boston College | Baltimore, Md. |
| 2018 | James Madison | Shelley Klaes-Bawcombe | 16-15 | Boston College | Stony Brook, N.Y. |
| 2017 | Maryland | Cathy Reese | 16-13 | Boston College | Foxborough, Mass. |
| 2016 | North Carolina | Jenny Levy | 13-7 | Maryland | Chester, Pa. |
| 2015 | Maryland | Cathy Reese | 9-8 | North Carolina | Chester, Pa. |
| 2014 | Maryland | Cathy Reese | 15-12 | Syracuse | Towson, Md. |
| 2013 | North Carolina | Jenny Levy | 13-12 (3OT) | Maryland | Villanova |
| 2012 | Northwestern | Kelly Amonte Hiller | 8-6 | Syracuse | Stony Brook |
| 2011 | Northwestern | Kelly Amonte Hiller | 8-7 | Maryland | Stony Brook |
| 2010 | Maryland | Cathy Reese | 13-11 | Northwestern | Towson |
| 2009 | Northwestern | Kelly Amonte Hiller | 21-7 | North Carolina | Towson |
| 2008 | Northwestern | Kelly Amonte Hiller | 10-6 | Penn | Towson |
| 2007 | Northwestern | Kelly Amonte Hiller | 15-13 | Virginia | Penn |
| 2006 | Northwestern | Kelly Amonte Hiller | 7-4 | Dartmouth | Boston University |
| 2005 | Northwestern | Kelly Amonte Hiller | 13-10 | Virginia | Navy |
| 2004 | Virginia | Julie Myres | 10-4 | Princeton | Princeton |
| 2003 | Princeton | Chris Sailer | 8-7 (OT) | Virginia | Syracuse |
| 2002 | Princeton | Chris Sailer | 12-7 | Georgetown | Loyola (Md.) |
| 2001 | Maryland | Cindy Timchal | 14-13 (OT) | Georgetown | Johns Hopkins |
| 2000 | Maryland | Cindy Timchal | 16-8 | Princeton | TCNJ |
| 1999 | Maryland | Cindy Timchal | 16-6 | Virginia | Johns Hopkins |
| 1998 | Maryland | Cindy Timchal | 11-5 | Virginia | UMBC |
| 1997 | Maryland | Cindy Timchal | 8-7 | Loyola (Md.) | Lehigh |
| 1996 | Maryland | Cindy Timchal | 10-5 | Virginia | Lehigh |
| 1995 | Maryland | Cindy Timchal | 13-5 | Princeton | TCNJ |
| 1994 | Princeton | Chris Sailer | 10-7 | Maryland | Maryland |
| 1993 | Virginia | Jane Miller | 8-6 (OT) | Princeton | Maryland |
| 1992 | Maryland | Cindy Timchal | 11-10 (OT) | Havard | Lehigh |
| 1991 | Virginia | Jane Miller | 8-6 | Maryland | TCNJ |
| 1990 | Harvard | Carole Kleinfelder | 8-7 | Maryland | Princeton |
| 1989 | Penn State | Susan Scheetz | 7-6 | Harvard | West Chester |
| 1988 | Temple | Tina Sloan Green | 15-7 | Penn State | Haverford |
| 1987 | Penn State | Susan Scheetz | 7-6 | Temple | Maryland |
| 1986 | Maryland | Sue Tyler | 11-10 | Penn State | Maryland |
| 1985 | New Hampshire | Marisa Didio | 6-5 | Maryland | Penn |
| 1984 | Temple | Tina Sloan Green | 6-4 | Maryland | Boston University |
| 1983 | Delaware | Janet Smith | 10-7 | Temple | Penn |
| 1982 | Massachusetts | Pamela Hixon | 9-6 | TCNJ | TCNJ |
Note: Before 2001, this championship was a national collegiate championship.
