The NCAA Division I men's lacrosse tournament is an annual tournament organized by the NCAA to determine the national champion of men's collegiate field lacrosse among its Division I members in the United States. It has been held every year since 1971, except 2020.
From 1936 through 1970, the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) awarded the Wingate Memorial Trophy annually to the collegiate champion based on regular season records.
Syracuse has been the most successful program since 1970 with 10 national titles, followed by Johns Hopkins with 9 national titles in the NCAA era.
Princeton is the reigning national champion, winning the school's seventh title in 2026 after 25 years after their last championship.
History
The first Division I Championship tournament held in 1971 replaced the USILA and Wingate Memorial Trophy national title awards. As of 2023, 52 NCAA tournaments have been played (not held in 2020). In that span, 12 teams — Johns Hopkins, Syracuse, Princeton, North Carolina, Virginia, Cornell, Duke, Maryland, Loyola University (Maryland), Denver, Yale and Notre Dame — have won the national title with Syracuse leading with ten titles (plus one vacated by the NCAA). In all, 41 teams have participated in the NCAA tournament since its inception. Only seven unseeded teams — the 1988 Cornell Big Red, the 1991 Towson Tigers, the 2006 Massachusetts Minutemen, the 2010 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the 2011 and 2012 Maryland Terrapins and the 2016 North Carolina Tar Heels — have made it to the championship game, and only ten unseeded teams have made it to the tournament semi-finals, the most recent being North Carolina in 2016. Johns Hopkins has appeared in every tournament but three (1971, 2013, 2021). The Number One seed in the tournament has won the title 22 times and there have been 13 undefeated National Champions. North Carolina in 2016 was the first unseeded team to win the national title.
Originally consisting of eight teams, the size of the tournament field has changed over the years, increasing to 10 in 1986, 12 in 1987, 16 in 2003, 18 in 2014, and down to 17 in 2017. Since 2021, the size has varied almost annually: 16 in 2021, 17 in 2023 and 2024, and 18 in 2022 and 2025. The two semifinal games and the final have been played on the same weekend at the same stadium since 1986. All three matches have always been scheduled for Memorial Day weekend, with the semifinals doubleheader on Saturday afternoon and the final held on the holiday itself.
The sport has historically been focused in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states, with the sport's U.S. heartland today extending from New England to North Carolina. Only eight schools from outside the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic have played in the NCAA tournament—Air Force, Butler, Denver, Marquette, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Michigan and Utah. No team west of the Eastern Time Zone won an NCAA championship until Denver in 2015.
21 coaches have won Division I titles: Richie Moran, Glenn Thiel, Bud Beardmore, Bob Scott, Henry Ciccarone, Willie Scroggs, Jr., Roy Simmons, Jr., Dave Klarmann, Don Zimmerman, Bill Tierney, Dom Starsia, John Desko, Dave Pietramala, John Danowski, Charley Toomey, John Tillman, Joe Breschi, Andy Shay, Lars Tiffany, Kevin Corrigan and Connor Buczek. Tierney is the only one to have won at two different schools (Princeton and Denver).
Results NCAA Division I men's lacrosse tournamentYear Host city(University)Host StadiumFinal Winner (Record)(Seed)Score Runner-up (Record)(Seed)1971 Details Hempstead, New York(Hofstra) Hofstra Stadium Cornell (13–1)(#1)12–6 Maryland (9–4)(#3)1972 Details College Park, Maryland(Maryland) Byrd Stadium Virginia (11–4)(n/a)13–12 Johns Hopkins (11–2)(n/a)1973 Details Philadelphia(Penn) Franklin Field Maryland (10–0)(#1)10–9(OT) Johns Hopkins (11–2)(#2)1974 Details Piscataway, New Jersey(Rutgers) Rutgers Stadium I Johns Hopkins (12–2)(#2)17–12 Maryland (8–2)(#1)1975 Details Baltimore(Johns Hopkins) Homewood Field Maryland (8–2)(#3)20–13 Navy (10–5)(#4)1976 Details Providence, Rhode Island(Brown) Brown Stadium Cornell (16–0)(#2)16–13(OT) Maryland (10–1)(#1)1977 Details Charlottesville, Virginia(Virginia) Scott Stadium Cornell (13–0)(#1)16–8 Johns Hopkins (11–2)(#2)1978 Details Piscataway, New Jersey(Rutgers) Rutgers Stadium I Johns Hopkins (13–1)(#2)13–8 Cornell (13–1)(#1)1979 Details College Park, Maryland(Maryland) Byrd Stadium Johns Hopkins (13–0)(#1) 15–9 Maryland (9–2)(#2)1980 Details Ithaca, New York(Cornell) Schoellkopf Field Johns Hopkins (14–1)(#2)9–8(2OT) Virginia (12–2)(#1)1981 Details Princeton, New Jersey(Princeton) Palmer Stadium North Carolina (12–0)(#2)14–13 Johns Hopkins (13–1)(#1)1982 Details Charlottesville, Virginia(Virginia) Scott Stadium North Carolina (14–0)(#1)7–5 Johns Hopkins (11–3)(#2)1983 Details Piscataway, New Jersey(Rutgers) Rutgers Stadium I Syracuse (14–1)(#2)17–16 Johns Hopkins (12–2)(#1)1984 Details Newark, Delaware(Delaware) Delaware Stadium Johns Hopkins (14–0)(#1)13–10 Syracuse (15–1)(#2)1985 Details Providence, Rhode Island(Brown) Brown Stadium Johns Hopkins (13–1)(#1)11–4 Syracuse (14–2)(#2)1986 Details Newark, Delaware(Delaware) Delaware Stadium North Carolina (11–3)(#5)10–9(OT) Virginia (12–3)(#3)1987 Details Piscataway, New Jersey(Rutgers) Rutgers Stadium I Johns Hopkins (10–3)(#4) 11–10 Cornell (13–1)(#2)1988 Details Syracuse, New York(Syracuse) Carrier Dome Syracuse (15–0)(#1)13–8 Cornell (9–6)(unseeded)1989 Details College Park, Maryland(Maryland) Byrd Stadium Syracuse (14–1)(#1) 13–12 Johns Hopkins (11–2)(#2)1990 Details Piscataway, New Jersey(Rutgers) Rutgers Stadium I Syracuse (Vacated) (13–0)(#1) 21–9 Loyola (11–3)(#3)1991 Details Syracuse, New York(Syracuse) Carrier Dome North Carolina (16–0)(#1)18–13 Towson (12–4)(unseeded)1992 Details Philadelphia(Penn) Franklin Field Princeton (13–2)(#3)10–9(OT) Syracuse (13–2)(#1) 1993 Details College Park, Maryland(Maryland) Byrd Stadium Syracuse (12–2)(#3)13–12 North Carolina (14–2)(#1)1994 Details College Park, Maryland(Maryland) Byrd Stadium Princeton (14–1)(#3)9–8(OT) Virginia (13–4)(#5)1995 Details College Park, Maryland(Maryland) Byrd Stadium Syracuse (13–2)(#3)13–9 Maryland (12–4)(#4)1996 Details College Park, Maryland(Maryland) Byrd Stadium Princeton (14–1)(#1)13–12(OT) Virginia (12–4)(#3)1997 Details College Park, Maryland(Maryland) Byrd Stadium Princeton (15–0)(#1)19–7 Maryland (11–5)(#7) 1998 Details Piscataway, New Jersey(Rutgers) Rutgers Stadium II Princeton (14–1)(#2) 15–5 Maryland (14–3)(#5)1999 Details College Park, Maryland(Maryland) Byrd Stadium Virginia (13–3)(#3) 12–10 Syracuse (12–5)(#8)2000 Details College Park, Maryland(Maryland) Byrd Stadium Syracuse (15–1)(#1)13–7 Princeton (12–3)(#3)2001 Details Piscataway, New Jersey(Rutgers) Rutgers Stadium II Princeton (14–1)(#2) 10–9(OT) Syracuse (13–3)(#1)2002 Details Piscataway, New Jersey(Rutgers) Rutgers Stadium II Syracuse (15–2)(#2)13–12Princeton (10–5)(#4)2003 Details Baltimore M&T Bank Stadium Virginia (15–2)(#2)9–7Johns Hopkins (14–2)(#1)2004 Details Baltimore M&T Bank Stadium Syracuse (15–2)(#4)14–13Navy (15–3)(#2) 2005 Details Philadelphia (Penn) Lincoln Financial Field Johns Hopkins (16–0)(#1)9–8Duke (17–3)(#2)2006 Details Philadelphia (Penn) Lincoln Financial Field Virginia (17–0)(#1)15–7Massachusetts (13–5)(unseeded) 2007 Details Baltimore M&T Bank Stadium Johns Hopkins (13–4)(#3)12–11Duke (17–3)(#1)2008 Details Foxborough, Massachusetts Gillette Stadium Syracuse (16–2)(#3)13–10Johns Hopkins (11–6) (#5)2009 Details Foxborough, Massachusetts Gillette Stadium Syracuse (15–2)(#2)10–9(OT)Cornell (13–4)(#5)2010 Details Baltimore M&T Bank Stadium Duke (16–4)(#5) 6–5(OT)Notre Dame (12–6)(unseeded)2011 Details Baltimore M&T Bank Stadium Virginia (13–5)(#7)9–7Maryland (13–5)(unseeded)2012 Details Foxborough, Massachusetts Gillette Stadium Loyola (18–1)(#1)9–3Maryland (12–6)(unseeded)2013 Details Philadelphia (Drexel) Lincoln Financial Field Duke (16–5)(#7)16–10 Syracuse (16–4)(#1)2014 Details Baltimore M&T Bank Stadium Duke (17–3)(#1)11–9 Notre Dame (12–6)(#6)2015 Details Philadelphia (Drexel) Lincoln Financial Field Denver (17–2)(#4)10–5 Maryland (15–4)(#6)2016 Details Philadelphia (Drexel) Lincoln Financial Field North Carolina (12–6)(unseeded)14–13 (OT) Maryland (17–3)(#1)2017 Details Foxborough, Massachusetts Gillette Stadium Maryland (16–3)(#1)9–6 Ohio State (16–5)(#3)2018 Details Foxborough, Massachusetts Gillette Stadium Yale (17–3) (#3)13–11 Duke (16–4)(#4)2019 Details Philadelphia (Drexel) Lincoln Financial Field Virginia (17–3)(#3)13–9 Yale (15–4) (#5)2020 Details Philadelphia (Drexel) Lincoln Financial Field Cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic 2021 Details East Hartford, Connecticut (Fairfield) Rentschler Field Virginia (14–4)(#4)17–16 Maryland (15–1)(#3)2022 Details East Hartford, Connecticut (Fairfield) Rentschler Field Maryland (18–0)(#1)9–7Cornell (14–5)(#7)2023 DetailsPhiladelphia (Drexel)Lincoln Financial FieldNotre Dame (13–2)(#3)13–9Duke (16–2)(#1)2024 DetailsPhiladelphia (Drexel)Lincoln Financial FieldNotre Dame (15–1)(#1)15–5Maryland (11–5)(#7)2025 DetailsFoxborough, MassachusettsGillette StadiumCornell (18–1)(#1)13–10Maryland (14–4)(#2)2026 DetailsCharlottesville, Virginia (Virginia)Scott StadiumPrinceton (17–2)(#1)16–9Notre Dame (13–3)(#2)
NCAA team titles
Below is a list of championships awarded by the NCAA while vacated titles are not included in a schools championship total.
Team Titles Years won 10 1983, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1995, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2009 9 1974, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1987, 2005, 2007 7 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2026 7 1972, 1999, 2003, 2006, 2011, 2019, 2021 5 1981, 1982, 1986, 1991, 2016 4 1971, 1976, 1977, 2025 4 1973, 1975, 2017, 2022 3 2010, 2013, 2014 2 2023, 2024 1 2012 1 2015 1 2018
Results by School and Year Key National Champion National Runner-up Semifinals Quarterfinals First Round (10 teams in 1986, 12 teams starting in 1987, 16 teams starting in 2003) Play-In Round (1 or 2 teams per year, starting in 2014.); Opening Round (4 teams, starting in 2025) Syracuse national championship vacated in 1990.
Each tournament has seeded the top 8 seeds. The top seed is shown with , the teams seeded between No. 2 and No. 4 are shown with , and the teams seeded between No. 5 and No. 8 are shown with .
School Conference # QF SF CG CH ACC 4235281610 Big Ten 504529189 ACC 443626117 Ivy League 25191297 ACC 35271465 Big Ten 474230184 Ivy League 32231594 ACC 28221573 ACC 2918852 Patriot 2516421 Ivy League 136321 Big East 138611 Patriot 272082- CAA 17731- Atlantic 10 201111- Big Ten 8411- Big Ten 943-- D3 883-- Patriot 19122-- Ivy League 15102-- Big East 19141-- Ivy League 1491-- Big Ten 1181-- America East 1351-- Atlantic 10 841-- D3 111-- CAA 179--- D2 44--- Ivy League 83--- America East 71--- Atlantic 10 71--- ASUN 61--- America East 61--- CAA 41--- Patriot 41--- CAA 21--- Big Ten 21--- defunct 11--- Atlantic 10 5---- Metro 5---- NEC 5---- Metro 4---- Patriot 4---- defunct 3---- Big East 3---- Metro 3---- Big East 3---- Patriot 2---- CAA 2---- Metro 2---- Metro 2---- D3 2---- Atlantic 10 2---- Big East 2---- CAA 2---- America East 2---- Atlantic 10 2---- ASUN 2---- NEC 1---- defunct 1---- defunct 1---- Ivy League 1---- NEC 1---- Metro 1---- Patriot 1---- Metro 1---- ASUN 1----
Finals appearances by state StateTitlesUniversityRunners-upUniversity Maryland 14 Johns Hopkins (9), Maryland (4), Loyola (1) 27 Maryland (14), Johns Hopkins (9), Navy (2), Loyola (1), Towson (1) New York 14 Syracuse (10), Cornell (4) 11 Syracuse (6), Cornell (5) North Carolina 8 North Carolina (5), Duke (3) 5 Duke (4), North Carolina (1) Virginia 7 Virginia (7) 4 Virginia (4) New Jersey 7 Princeton (7) 2 Princeton (2) Indiana 2 Notre Dame (2) 2 Notre Dame (2) Connecticut 1 Yale (1) 1 Yale (1) Colorado 1 Denver (1) 0 Massachusetts 0 1 Massachusetts (1) Ohio 0 1 Ohio State (1)
Championships 1881–present