Courtesy: Cumberlands (Ky.) Athletics
Courtesy: Cumberlands (Ky.) Athletics

Madonna (Mich.) Leads the Nation as Only Five Teams Hold Steady in Final Coaches' Poll

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Crusaders are marching into Selection Sunday at No. 1 for the final installment of the NAIA Men's Lacrosse Coaches' Top 10 Poll of 2026. The top four teams all held steady this week, with Indiana Tech jumping three spots to tie Reinhardt (Ga.) at No. 5. Cumberlands (Ky.) held onto the No. 7 spot, while the St. Ambrose (Iowa) Fighting Bees have battled all season and get a look inside the top 10, tied with the Ravens of Benedictine (Kan.) at No. 9.

1. Madonna (Mich.)

The Crusaders continue to march through the national top 10 poll. After marching through the regular season, outscoring opponents by over 250 goals combined, the Crusaders tighten their grip on a crazy year that has been NAIA Men's Lacrosse. Rico Hart and Cooper Regimbal lead the potent offensive front with 64 and 51 goals, respectively, but they aren't the only ones who can shoot on the squad. Of the 48 guys on the roster, nearly the entire team is above .500 in shot-on-goal percentage; Madonna has shown an extremely well-balanced attack all season long, and when an opposing defense shuts one guy down, they have a "next man up" mentality.

2. Keiser (Fla.)

Keiser, the inaugural NAIA Men's Lacrosse National Champions last season, sit at No. 2 in the final installment and have once again put together a solid year in the Appalachian Athletic Conference. As the only team left in the nation with a perfect overall record at 10-0, the Seahawks also have a very balanced attack with nearly every guy on the roster finding the cage on more than half of their shots taken. Six different guys have scored 20 or more goals through the team's 10 games this season, with two more guys just below the 20-goal mark.

3. Aquinas (Mich.)

With only two losses on the season, both to No. 1 Madonna in Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference action, the Saints are marching step-for-step with the unanimous No. 1. AQ's attack is led by TJ Murphy and Braeden Williams, both of whom are over 50 goals scored this season; 58 and 54 goals scored to be exact, they are the catalists for this the Saints offense that puts over 60% of it's shots on goal collectively. While they have a smaller goal differential than the two teams above them, they have kept games close thanks to goalkeeper Austin Hynote. At just over 800 minutes played and earning the nod for 15 starts, he's a phenomenal protector of the cage, making 134 saves for a .532 save percentage this season.

TREND RANK LAST TIME   INSTITUTION [FIRST-PLACE VOTES] RECORD POINTS
1 1 Madonna (Mich.) [6] 16-1 60
2 2 Keiser (Fla.) 10-0 56
3 3 Aquinas (Mich.) 14-2 51
4 4 SCAD Savannah (Ga.) 14-3 43
T-5 8 Indiana Tech 11-7 36
T-5 5 Reinhardt (Ga.) 8-3 36
7 7 Cumberlands (Ky.) 9-6 34
8 6 William Penn (Iowa) 10-3 26
9 9 Benedictine (Kan.) 11-1 21
T-9 NR St. Ambrose (Iowa) 9-4 21
Dropped from Top 25: Webber International (Fla.)
Receiving Votes: Life (Ga.) 14; Taylor (Ind.) 14; Columbia (Mo.) 10; Tennessee Wesleyan 9; Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) 5; Webber International (Fla.) 3

 

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.