WLAX: Monks To Meet With Stevens In First Round Of NCAA's
Release Courtesy of Saint Joseph's (Maine) Athletic Communications
STANDISH, Maine - The NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Tournament bracket has been announced and Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Champion Saint Joseph's College (17-3) will face Stevens Institute of Technology (15-4), the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom champion, in a first-round contest on Saturday, May 9 at 1:00 PM, at Pratt Field at Lehrman Stadium on the campus of Amherst College.
Led by second-year Head Coach Lydia Dexter '23, Saint Joseph's earned the top seed with a perfect 13-0 record in GNAC play and topped #8 Rivier and #5 Colby-Sawyer in the quarter and semifinal rounds, respectively, en route to facing #2 Emmanuel College in the GNAC Championship on Saturday, when the Monks routed the Saints by a 12-3 score to claim the program's third conference championship and first since 2022.
Stevens posted a 15-4 overall record with a 7-0 mark in conference play under the watch of third-year Head Coach Maddie Buechli this spring. The Ducks soared to their fifth-consecutive MAC Freedom Championship with a pair of lopsided tourney triumphs, including a 25-8 result over DeSales University in the conference championship on Saturday.
The winner of the Monks/Ducks matchup will face pod-host Amherst College on Sunday at 1:00 PM.
Saturday's NCAA Tournament game will mark the first-ever meeting between the Saint Joseph's and Steven's women's lacrosse teams.
In total, 47 programs will participate in the 2026 NCAA DIII Women's Lacrosse Tournament, with 31 teams earning automatic qualification via conference titles and the remaining 16 teams claiming at-large bids. Competition will kick off on Saturday, May 9 and will conclude on Sunday, May 24 at Judson Stadium in Rochester, NY.
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The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 14 member institutions and over 4000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 20 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.
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