BABSON PARK, Mass.—The Babson College women's lacrosse team was picked to finish second when the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) released its annual preseason coaches' poll on Friday.
The two-time defending regular season champion Beavers received three of the 11 first-place votes this year and finished second in the voting behind defending tournament champion MIT, which finished first with eight first-place votes. Springfield finished third in the poll, and Coast Guard and Smith were fourth and fifth to round out the top five.
Led by 15th-year head coach
Michelle Smith, Babson returns a pair of All-Conference honorees from last year's team that finished 15-4 overall and 10-0 in conference games. The Beavers were upset by MIT in the NEWMAC title game before earning an NCAA Tournament at-large berth and advancing to the second round after a first-round defeat of Worcester State.
The Green and White open the 2026 campaign against St. Lawrence on February 21 in West Palm Beach, Fla.
2026 NEWMAC Women's Lacrosse Preseason Poll
| Rank |
School (first-place votes) |
|
| 1 |
MIT (8) |
98 |
| 2 |
Babson (3) |
91 |
| 3 |
Springfield |
84 |
| 4 |
Coast Guard |
72 |
| 5 |
Smith |
63 |
| 6 |
Wheaton |
54 |
| 7 |
Salve Regina |
46 |
| 8 |
Clark |
40 |
| 9 |
Mount Holyoke |
20 |
| 10 |
Emerson |
19 |
| 11 |
Wellesley |
18 |
