LANCASTER, Pa. – Four-time defending champion Dickinson has been selected as the favorite to hoist the conference trophy in the 2026 Centennial Conference Men's Lacrosse Preseason Poll. The Red Devils reeived seven first-place votes and 63 points to earn top billing in a vote among CC head coaches.
Gettysburg garnered the remaining two first-place votes and finished second in the voting with 58 points. Swarthmore was picked third with 50 points while Franklin & Marshall (40) and Muhlenberg (38) were back-to-back in fourth and fifth place, respectively, as projected playoff teams.
Washington College took sixth in the voting with 26 points followed by Ursinus (23), Haverford (18) and McDaniel (8).
The 2026 campaign is set to begin on Wednesday, Feb. 11 with McDaniel traveling to Juniata for a non-conference matchup. The majority of CC squads will open up play on Saturday, Feb. 14, with all nine teams slated to begin the season by Saturday, Feb. 21. Conference play begins on Saturday, March 21 with the five-team CC postseason tournament scheduled for April 28 and May 1-3 at the home fields of the higher seeded teams.
2026 Centennial Conference Men's Lacrosse Preseason Poll
| Rank | Institution (First-Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1. Dickinson (7) |
63 |
| 2. Gettysburg (2) |
58 |
| 3. Swarthmore |
50 |
| 4. Franklin & Marshall |
40 |
| 5. Muhlenberg |
38 |
| 6. Washington College |
26 |
| 7. Ursinus |
23 |
| 8. Haverford |
18 |
| 9. McDaniel |
8 |
2026 Schedule | 2025 Championship | 2025 All-Centennial Team | USILA Preseason Poll
Dickinson captured its fourth consecutive Centennial Conference title last spring, becoming the third team in CC history to win at least four conseuctive conference championships. Gettysburg owns the conference record with six straight titles from 2004-09 and also won five straight from 1999-2002. For the first time in their four-year CC winning streak the Red Devils went on the road to claim the conference trophy, edging host Gettysburg 13-11.
Dickinson and Gettysburg both qualified for the NCAA tournament, marking the fourth straight season that multiple Centennial teams advanced to the national tournament.
Dickinson put together a magical postseason run all the way to the national title game. After receiving an opening-round bye, the Red Devils edged Denison 8-7 in overtime and downed Salisbury 11-10 in overtime to advance to the quarterfinals in dramatic fashion. Dickinson then posted two more road wins in the quarterfinals and semifinals, downing RPI 11-9 and RIT 12-10 to move on to the first national championship game in program history. The championship appearance was the seventh in CC history, with the others coming from Washington College (1996-97-98) and Gettysburg (2001-02-09). Dickinson fell to Tufts 25-8 in the title round.
Gettysburg downed Stevens 15-9 and Washington and Lee 14-12 before falling to Tufts 17-8 in the quarterfinals. It marked the first time since 2018 that two Centennial squads advanced to the national quarterfinals.
Eight All-Americans and 25 All-Centennial performers throughout the conference return to the field this spring. Gettysburg senior defender Will Hedley, Muhlenberg junior midfielder Jack Bill and Swarthmore senior goalkeeper Drew Tyson are each two-time All-Americans. Swarthmore senior attacker Clay Almgren, the 2025 CC Offensive Player of the Year, has the highest All-America honor among returners as a second-teamer last spring. Four other returners were named to the 2025 honorable mention All-America list - Dickinson junior midfielder Luke Whalen, F&M senior midifielder Dillon Mannix and junior goalkeeper Teddy Scarborough, and Gettysburg senior midfielder Ethan Kessler. Scarborough is also the reigning CC Defensive Player of the Year.
Three CC teams are ranked in the USILA Lacrosse Preseason Poll - Dickinson (6), Gettysburg (9), and Swarthmore (18) - while Franklin & Marshall is one of 15 teams receiving votes.
Returning All-Americans (8)
Luke Whalen, Dickinson, Jr., M (2025 USILA Honorable Mention)
Dillon Mannix, Franklin & Marshall, Sr., M (2025 USILA Honorable Mention)
Teddy Scarborough, Franklin & Marshall, Jr., GK (2025 USILA Honorable Mention)
Will Hedley, Gettysburg, Sr., D (2025 USILA Third Team, 2024 USILA Honorable Mention)
Ethan Kessler, Gettysburg, Sr., M (2025 USILA Honorable Mention)
Jack Bill, Muhlenberg, Jr., M (2025 USILA Honorable Mention, 2024 USILA Honorable Mention)
Clay Almgren, Swarthmore, Sr. A (2025 USILA Second Team)
Drew Tyson, Swarthmore, Sr., GK (2025 USILA Honorable Mention, 2024 USILA Honorable Mention)
Returning All-Centennial (25)
Jack Deady, Dickinson, Jr., D (2025 Second Team, 2024 Honorable Mention)
Luke Whalen, Dickinson, Jr., M (2025 First Team)
Landen Hyatt, Dickinson, Sr., A (2025 Second Team)
Tommy Baldini, Dickinson, So., M (2025 Honorable Mention)
Sam Bunten, Dickinson, Sr., DM (2025 Honorable Mention)
Ethan Ackerman, Dickinson, Sr., LSM (2024 Honorable Mention)
Dillon Mannix, Franklin & Marshall, Sr., M (2025 First Team)
Teddy Scarborough, Franklin & Marshall, Jr., GK (2025 Defensive POTY & First Team)
Luke Topley, Franklin & Marshall, Jr., D (2025 Honorable Mention)
Jackson Barnhill, Franklin & Marshall, Jr., D (2025 Honorable Mention)
Will Hedley, Gettysburg, Sr., LSM (2025 First Team, 2024 First Team)
Ethan Kessler, Gettysburg, Sr., M (2025 First Team)
Jackson Barroll, Gettysburg, So., A (2025 Rookie OTY & Honorable Mention)
Tate Kuster, Gettysburg, Jr., FO (2025 Honorable Mention)
Murphy Hoey, Gettysburg, Jr., GK (2025 Honorable Mention)
Ronan West, Haverford, Jr., LSM (2025 Second Team)
Reid Tietjen, Haverford, Sr., A (2024 Second Team)
Jack Bill, Muhlenberg, Jr., M (2025 First Team, 2024 First Team)
Chase Kusko, Muhlenberg, Jr., A (2025 First Team)
Daniel Friedel, Muhlenberg, Jr., M (2025 Honorable Mention)
Drew Tyson, Swarthmore, Sr., GK (2025 Second Team, 2024 First Team)
Clay Almgren, Swarthmore, Sr., M (2025 Offensive POTY & First Team, 2024 Second Team)
Jack McHenry, Swarthmore, Jr., FO (2024 Second Team)
Rex Mabbs, Swarthmore, Sr., M (2025 Second Team, 2024 Honorable Mention)
Harry Sweitzer, Ursinus, Sr., M (2025 Second Team, 2024 Honorable Mention)
