WLAX: Monks Finish Undefeated In Conference Play; Will Be Top Seed In Upcoming Women's Lacrosse Tournament
Winthrop, Mass. - Saint Joseph’s College of Maine went on a tear in regular season conference play as the Monks earned the top seed in the upcoming Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Lacrosse Championship Tournament after going 13-0 in conference play and 14-3 overall. The Monks will be on the quest for their first title since the 2022 season.
At the two seed are the defending champion Emmanuel Saints as they finished 12-1 in GNAC play (13-4 overall) and will look to repeat this upcoming postseason.
At no. 3 is Norwich, who finished 10-3 in GNAC play (13-3 overall) in regular season play. The Cadets will look to contend this postseason, searching for their first title since 2012.
At no. 4 is Lasell, who also finished 10-3 in GNAC play (13-3 overall), as they will look to contend as well and search for their first title since 2016.
At no. 5 is Colby-Sawyer, who finished 9-4 in the conference (13-4 overall). The Chargers will be on the quest for their first-ever conference title, looking to shake up postseason play this upcoming week.
At no. 6 is the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.), who finished 9-4 in GNAC (10-7 overall), as the Blue Jays will also look to shake up the postseason action.
New England College (No. 7) finished 7-6 (11-6 overall) and Rivier (no. 8) filled in the final spot at 6-7 in conference play (8-9 overall) as the two faced each other tonight to sort out the final two spots with NEC defeating the Raiders in a close-win.
A couple of head-to-head tiebreakers were needed to separate teams at the 3-6 spot. Norwich and Lasell were separated from the third and fourth spot with the Cadets defeating the Lasers in a narrow victory earlier this season. At 5-6, the Chargers defeated the Blue Jays to earn the rights to get the seeding advantage to break their ties as well.
Tournament play will begin Saturday, April 25 with quarterfinals play, followed by semifinals which is set for Tuesday, April 28. The Championship game will be held on the following Saturday, May 2 with the winner being crowned the 2026 GNAC Women’s Lacrosse Champion and earning the league's automatic qualifier into the NCAA Division III Women’s Lacrosse Championship.
View the playoff schedule below for more info:
2026 GNAC Women’s Lacrosse Tournament Schedule
Quarterfinals – Saturday, April 25
(Hosted by higher seeds)
#1 Saint Joseph’s (Maine) vs. #8 Rivier, 11:30 AM
#2 Emmanuel vs. #7 New England College, 1 pm
#3 Norwich vs. #6 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.), 2 pm
#4 Lasell vs. #5 Colby-Sawyer, 11 am
Semifinals - Tuesday, April 28
(Hosted by remaining higher seeds)
Winner of 1/8 vs. Winner of 4/5, TBD
Winner of 2/7 vs. Winner of 3/6, TBD
Championship – Saturday, May 2
(Hosted by highest remaining seed)
Semifinals Winners, TBD
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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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