BABSON PARK, Mass.—The three-time defending champion Babson College men's lacrosse team was picked to finish first again in 2026 when the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) released its annual preseason coaches' poll on Thursday.
The 2025 NEWMAC tournament champion Beavers received seven of the eight first-place votes to top this year's poll, while last year's regular season winners and tournament runner-up Springfield earned the other top vote and finished second in the poll. MIT was voted third while Salve Regina edged Coast Guard for fourth place in the voting.
Led by eighth-year head coach
Rocky Batty, Babson returns three All-Conference selections from a team that finished 14-6 overall and 5-2 in the NEWMAC on the way to its third straight conference championship. The Beavers won their first NCAA Tournament game for the third straight season before falling to No. 5 Wesleyan in the second round.
The Green and White, which received votes in both the United State Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) and USA Lacrosse Magazine Division III preseason polls, open the season against Wentworth on February 14 on MacDowell Field at 1 p.m.
2026 NEWMAC Men's Lacrosse Preseason Poll
| Rank |
School (first-place votes) |
Points |
| 1 |
Babson (7) |
49 |
| 2 |
Springfield (1) |
42 |
| 3 |
MIT |
37 |
| 4 |
Salve Regina |
29 |
| 5 |
Coast Guard |
28 |
| 6 |
Wheaton |
17 |
| 7 |
Clark |
14 |
| 8 |
Emerson |
8 |
