Tampa Earns Top Spot in SSC Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Poll
Spartans look to win their fourth straight SSC title and three-peat as national champions
A.J. Vazquez, Communications Contractor
MELBOURNE, FLORIDA - The University of Tampa was elected as the 2026 Sunshine State Conference Women’s Lacrosse preseason favorite in a poll voted on by the league’s eight head coaches. The Spartans received 49 points with all seven possible first-place votes, as coaches were not permitted to vote for their own team.
This is the second year in a row that the Spartans enter the season as the No. 1-ranked team in the preseason poll, and their third time overall. Tampa is looking to win its fourth SSC Championship in a row and return to the NCAA Division II Women’s Lacrosse National Championship to capture its third straight national championship. This will be no easy task, with other conference members striving to be named the 2026 SSC Women’s Lacrosse Champions.
The 2022 SSC champions, Florida Southern College, were picked to finish second with 43 points and one first-place vote. The Mocs won a share of the 2025 regular season title, along with Tampa and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. This year, Embry-Riddle was picked to finish third with 35 points.
In fourth, Saint Leo University earned 30 points, while Lynn University followed just two points behind in fifth with 28 points. Rounding out the preseason poll are Florida Tech in sixth (17), Rollins College in seventh (15), and Palm Beach Atlantic University in eighth (7).
Seven SSC teams will enter the season nationally ranked. Tampa, the defending national champions and 2026 SSC favorites, was ranked as the No. 1 team in Division II in the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches’ Association (IWLCA) preseason coaches’ poll. Closely following the Spartans is Florida Southern at No. 3. At No. 9, 10, and 11 are Embry-Riddle, Saint Leo, and Lynn, respectively. Rounding out the preseason national rankings are Rollins at No. 19 and Florida Tech at No. 24.
The first games of the 2026 season commence on Saturday, February 7. The 2026 SSC Championship begins Saturday, April 18, followed by semifinals on April 22 and the championship game on April 25.
2026 WOMEN'S LACROSSE SCHEDULE
Below are the full results of the 2026 SSC preseason coaches' poll. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their teams (points: 7-6-5-4-3-2-1, first-place votes in parentheses).
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2026 SSC WOMEN’S LACROSSE PRESEASON COACHES POLL
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Place
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Team
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Total
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1
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Tampa
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49 (7)
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2
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Florida Southern
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43 (1)
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3
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Embry-Riddle
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35
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4
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Saint Leo
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30
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5
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Lynn
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28
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6
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Florida Tech
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17
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7
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Rollins
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15
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8
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Palm Beach Atlantic
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7
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SSC Women’s Lacrosse History: National Champions | Conference Champions | All-SSC Teams | All-Americans | Record Book
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Previous SSC Women’s Lacrosse Polls
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Year
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Predicted Winner (Actual Finish)
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Regular Season Champ (Preseason Prediction)
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Tournament Champ (Preseason Prediction)
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2025
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Tampa (T1st)
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ERAU (6th) / FSC (2nd) / Tampa (1st)
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Tampa (1st)
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2024
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Florida Southern (1st)
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Florida Southern (1st)
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Tampa (1st)
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2023
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Florida Southern (2nd) / Tampa (1st)
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Tampa (T1st)
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Tampa (T1st)
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2022
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Florida Southern (2nd) / Rollins (T3rd)
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Tampa (3rd)
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Florida Southern (T1st)
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2021
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Florida Southern (T1st)
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FSC (1st) / Tampa (2nd) / Rollins (3rd)
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Not Awarded Due to COVID-19
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2020
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Tampa (N/A)
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Not Awarded Due to COVID-19
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Not Awarded Due to COVID-19
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2019
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Florida Southern (T1st)
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FSC (1st) / Rollins (2nd) / Tampa (3rd)
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Tampa (3rd)
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2018
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Florida Southern (1st)
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Florida Southern (1st)
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Florida Southern (1st)
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2017
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Florida Southern (1st)
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Florida Southern (1st)
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Florida Southern (1st)
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2016
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Rollins (2nd)
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Florida Southern (2nd)
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Florida Southern (2nd)
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2015
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Florida Southern (1st)
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Florida Southern (1st)
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Rollins (2nd)
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