NORTH ATTLEBORO, Mass. - The Adelphi men's lacrosse team, two-time reigning NCAA Champion, has been selected to win the Northeast 10 title for the third consecutive season by the league's coaches in a poll announced Wednesday.
The Panthers received 64 votes and all available first-place votes (coaches are not permitted to vote for their own schools). AU has gone 36-6 (16-1) the last two season, winning the Division II national title at the end of each. The only team to topple Adelphi from the NE10 over that span is then No. 5 Saint Anselm, clipping the Panthers, 9-6, in Manchester before AU delivered a receipt in the NE10 Championship final.
Adelphi embarks on 2026 hunting for a third-straight NCAA title, something never before accomplished by a men's team at the DII level. Last year marked the seventh back-to-back title win in Division II.
AU has a massive hole to fill in goal with the graduation of 2024 National Player of the Year and 2x National Goalkeeper of the Year Dylan Renner, however, the team's offense returns immense firepower with National Attackman and National Midfielder of the Year Braden Donnellan and Kyle Lewis. Ries Bower returns at close defense and is joined by Canadian countryman Carter Linkletter, who transferred in from American International.
Saint Anselm enters 2026 on the heels of one of the best seasons in program history. The Hawks advanced to the NCAA Final Four for the second consecutive year. Their only losses in 2025 came to eventual NCAA champion Adelphi. Saint A's will be anchored by keeper Finn Granara and sophomore Matt Lemay, one of the top rookie scorers in the conference a spring ago.
Pace, meanwhile, was never far from the mix last spring, finishing 6-2 and sitting as a staple in the national rankings. The Setters return two of their top three scorers in Declan Landers and Will Danowski along with keeper Jack Kern.
The complete NE10 preseason coaches' poll can be found below:
| Place |
Team |
Votes |
1st Place |
| 1 |
Adelphi |
64 |
8 |
| 2 |
Saint Anselm |
57 |
1 |
| 3 |
Pace |
49 |
|
| 4 |
Bentley |
40 |
|
| 5 |
Assumption |
36 |
|
| 6 |
SNHU |
31 |
|
| 7 |
Saint Michael's |
24 |
|
| 8 |
Franklin Pierce |
15 |
|
| 9 |
American International |
8 |
|
The NE10 season culminates on May 3rd with the conference championship final. All NE10 home games can be watched LIVE this season on FloCollege, the official streaming partner of the NE10. Directions to subscribe can be found below.
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 10 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
Fans can subscribe via this link to follow NE10 NOW on FloSports this season. The partnership between the NE10 and FloSports works to provide funds back to the athletic departments of the Northeast 10 Conference in support of student-athletes while promoting the league on a national platform.