KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The 2026 NAIA Women's Lacrosse season is here with the release of the preseason coaches' top 10 poll. The Ravens will look to defend their title from just a season ago after a perfect 21-0 season at the No. 1 spot, earning four first-place votes. Keiser (Fla.) and Cumberlands (Ky.) open a new season at No. 2 and No. 3, with only one point separating them as both received a single vote for first place. 

The Running Eagles of Life (Ga.) open the year just one point ahead of SCAD Savannah (Ga.). The first draw of the 2026 season happens on Saturday, Feb. 7, between Cumberlands (Ky.) and Lawrence Tech in Michigan, then the Eagles of Reinhardt (Ga.) and SCAD Savannah (Ga.) at 1 p.m. ET in Savannah, Ga.

RANK		INSTITUTION [FIRST-PLACE VOTES]	2025 RECORD	POINTS
1		Benedictine (Kan.) [4]	21-0	70
2		Keiser (Fla.) [1]	16-2	68
3		Cumberlands (Ky.) [1]	17-4	67
4		Life (Ga.)	11-8	52
5		SCAD Savannah (Ga.)	15-4	51
6		Reinhardt (Ga.)	10-6	45
7		Indiana Tech	11-4	43
8		Lawrence Tech (Mich.)	11-5	38
9		Missouri Baptist	13-7	37
10		Ave Maria (Fla.)	8-9	31
Receiving Votes: Marian (Ind.) 24; Georgetown (Ky.) 17; St. Thomas (Fla.) 10; Ottawa (Kan.) 8

Key:
RV - Receiving Votes | NR - Not Ranked | Climbed -? |Dropped -? | Steady - ?

Poll Methodology

• The national poll is for publicity purposes only and does not influence the selection process for national championship consideration.
• A panel of head coaches representing each conference and the Continental Athletic Conference (Independents) votes in the poll.
• The Top 25 teams are selected using a points-based system:
  • 30 points for a 1st-place vote, 29 for 2nd, 28 for 3rd, and so on.
• The highest and lowest rankings received by each team are discarded before final tallying.
• Teams receiving only one point are not listed as "receiving votes."
• For the Preseason Poll, there is no "previous ranking" column since it is the initial poll and differs from the prior rating system.