Benedictine (Kan.) Continue to Soar Above NAIA Women's Lacrosse in Final Coaches' Poll
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The final NAIA Women's Lacrosse Coaches' Top 10 poll is here, and the top five all hold steady with the Ravens soaring high above once again as the unanimous No. 1 team in the nation. Cumberlands (Ky.) held steady at No. 2 in the final installment, after they clinched the Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament title last weekend, the program's fourth AAC title. The Heart of America, The Sun, and Wolverine-Hoosier conference tournaments are well underway, as selection day for the 2026 NAIA Women's Lacrosse National Tournament is coming fast.
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1. Benedictine (Kan.) The Ravens will open Heart of America conference tournament play tomorrow on home turf as the winning streak is on the line, a winning streak that dates back to the national tournament of the 2024 season. How good has Benedictine been playing this season? Well, the Ravens have managed to put up a crazy amount of goals, 224 more goals than their opponents, to be exact. All the offensive firepower this season has fallen on the shoulders of sophomore Lorelei Siegel as the defending national champions look to add even more hardware to the cabinet in Atchinson, Kan. |
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2. Cumberlands (Ky.) Williamsburg, Ky., is home to the 2026 Appalachian Athletic Conference women's lacrosse tournament champions. The Patriots hold steady at No. 2 in the nation after they picked up their fourth AAC conference tournament in program history last weekend, earning the first automatic bid into the 2026 NAIA Women's Lacrosse National Tournament field. Similar to the top-ranked Ravens, UC has been on a roll this season, outscoring opponents by nearly 300 goals combined; all of it led by the junior-senior combo of Ashlee Baker and Emma Rittman. Baker and Rittman have combined for a total of 122 goals this season through 20 games played. |
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3. SCAD Savannah (Ga.) The Bees of SCAD Savannah have once again been swarming opponents with balanced offensive output. Five Bees have put away 20 or more goals this season under first-year head coach Tyler Yelken. Ellen Benintendi and McKinsey Brown lead the attack with 47 and 39 goals, respectively, while Karley Holland, Lilah Herold, and Kellen Berkeley have all found the back of the net 20+ times this season. With a 136 goal differential, SCAD has done a stellar job protecting the hive on defense and in the crease this season as well; sporting a 49.1 save percentage through 13 games, the senior goalkeeper duo of Lorna Fowles and Chloe Zundel have split time tending goal with 375:04 and 240:33 minutes, respectively. |
| TREND | RANK | LAST TIME | INSTIUTION [FIRST-PLACE VOTES] | RECORD | POINTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ● | 1 |
1 |
|
Benedictine (Kan.) [8] | 14-0 | 90 |
| ● | 2 | 2 |
|
Cumberlands (Ky.) | 19-1 | 84 |
| ● | 3 | 3 |
|
SCAD Savannah (Ga.) | 11-2 | 78 |
| ● | 4 | 4 | 
|
Reinhardt (Ga.) | 11-3 | 70 |
| ● | 5 | 5 | 
|
Keiser (Fla.) | 13-3 | 67 |
| ▲ | 6 | 8 | 
|
Ave Maria (Fla.) | 10-5 | 57 |
| ▼ | 7 | 9 | 
|
Marian (Ind.) | 11-3 | 52 |
| ▼ | 8 | 6 | 
|
Indiana Tech | 10-4 | 50 |
| ▼ | 9 | 7 | 
|
Life (Ga.) | 7-8 | 42 |
| ● | 10 | 10 | 
|
Lawrence Tech (Mich.) | 10-6 | 41 |
| Receiving Votes: Missouri Baptist 28; Tennessee Wesleyan 27; St. Thomas (Fla.) 18; Georgetown (Ky.) 13; Ottawa (Kan.) 3; New College of Florida 2 | ||||||
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.
