LANCASTER, Pa. – Gettysburg edged three-time defending champion Franklin & Marshall for the top spot in the 2026 Centennial Conference Women's Lacrosse Preseason Poll. The Bullets garnered six first-place votes and 62 points to land atop the preseason prognostication among CC head coaches.
F&M nabbed the other three first-place votes and totaled 59 points as the projected runner-up. Haverford finished third in the voting with 50 points, followed by Muhlenberg (43) and Washington College (27) as projected playoff teams in fourth and fifth place, respectively.
Dickinson (26), Ursinus (25), and Swarthmore (24) were closely grouped together just behind the Shorewomen in sixth through eighth in the voting, respectively, with McDaniel rounding out the poll in ninth with eight points.
The 2025 season commences over the weekend of February 14-15 with a quartet of Centennial squads in action. All nine CC teams will open the year by the end of February, with conference play slated to begin on Saturday, March 21. The five-team conference playoff is set for April 29 and May 1-3 with the higher seeds hosting each round.
2026 Centennial Conference Women's Lacrosse Preseason Poll
| Rank | Institution (First-Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1. Gettysburg (6) |
62 |
| 2. Franklin & Marshall (3) |
59 |
| 3. Haverford |
50 |
| 4. Muhlenberg |
43 |
| 5. Washington College |
27 |
| 6. Dickinson |
26 |
| 7. Ursinus |
25 |
| 8. Swarthmore |
24 |
| 9. McDaniel |
8 |
2026 Schedule | 2025 Championship | 2025 All-Centennial Team | IWLCA Preseason Poll
The 2025 campaign was another banner year for the Centennial, with three conference teams qualifying for the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year and the fourth time in conference history (2006, 2022, 2024, 2025). Franklin & Marshall secured its third consecutive and 11th overall CC title with a 12-7 victory over Gettysburg in the championship game. The Diplomats pulled closer to the Bullets (13) in the all-time title chase, with Johns Hopkins (4) and Ursinus (3) the only two other programs to have hoisted the CC trophy.
F&M, Gettysburg and Haverford went on to represent in the NCAA Tournament, with all three teams securing at least one victory, marking just the second time in CC history that has happened (also in 2006). The Fords set a new single-season record with 15 wins and defeated St. Mary's 18-10 in the opening round before being knocked out in round two by Salisbury, 9-8. The Diplomats defeated Messiah in the second round before falling to Denision, 16-15, in the third round. The Bullets put together another deep NCAA run, advancing to the Final Four for the 10th time with wins over Trinity (Conn.) (13-11), Washington and Lee (18-10) and Denison (16-13) before dropping a semifinal tilt against Tufts (18-13).
With a combined 24 Centennial titles, including each title since 2002, five national championships, eight national championship game appearances and 21 trips to the national semifinals, F&M and Gettysburg unsurprisingly remain the prohibitive conference favorites again in 2026.
Three All-Americans, eight All-Region selections and 22 All-Centennial picks are back in the conference this spring. The F&M duo of senior attacker Lauren Pittman and senior defender Belle Dintino lead the way as two-time All-Americans, while Gettysburg senior attacker Julia Daly is also a returning All-American.
Pittman was recently named the USA Lacrosse Magazine Preseason Player of the Year, leading a group of 11 CC players who were selected to the USA Lacrosse Preseason All-America Team.
A trio of CC teams - Gettysburg (4), F&M (6) and Haverford (18) - are ranked in the IWLCA Preseason Poll.
Returning All-Americans (3)
Belle Dintino, Franklin & Marshall, Sr., D (2024 First Team, 2023 Third Team)
Lauren Pittman, Franklin & Marshall, Sr., A (2025 First Team, 2024 First Team)
Julia Daly, Gettysburg, Sr., A (2025 Second Team)
Returning All-Region (8)
Belle Dintino, Franklin & Marshall, Sr., D (2025 Second Team, 2024 First Team, 2023 First Team)
Lauren Pittman, Franklin & Marshall, Sr., A (2025 First Team, 2024 First Team)
Devyn Crone, Franklin & Marshall, Sr., A (2025 Second Team)
Sara DiGiovanni, Franklin & Marshall, Sr., GK (2025 Second Team)
Julia Daly, Gettysburg, Sr., A (2025 First Team, 2024 First Team)
Julie Breedveld, Gettysburg, Sr., M (2024 Second Team)
Brooke Epstein, Haverford, Sr., A (2025 First Team, 2024 First Team)
Finley Jordan, Haverford, Jr., D (2025 Second Team)
Returning All-Centennial (22)
Sage Whiteside, Dickinson, Jr., M (2024 Second Team)
Peyton VanDorpe, Dickinson, Sr., GK (2023 Honorable Mention)
Belle Dintino, Franklin & Marshall, Sr., D (2025 First Team, 2024 First Team & Defensive POTY, 2023 First Team)
Lauren Pittman, Franklin & Marshall, Sr., A (2025 Attacker OTY & First Team, 2024 First Team, 2023 Honorable Mention)
Sara Digiovanni, Franklin & Marshall, Sr., GK (2025 First Team)
Devyn Crone, Franklin & Marshall, Sr., A (2025 Second Team)
Julia Daly, Gettysburg, Sr., A (2025 First Team, 2024 First Team, 2023 Honorable Mention)
Julie Breedveld, Gettysburg, Sr., M (2024 Second Team)
Sarah Scollin, Gettysburg, So., M (2025 Rookie OTY & Second Team)
Ella Patterson, Gettysburg, Jr., D (2025 Second Team)
Michaela Kelly, Gettysburg, Jr., A (2025 Honorable Mention)
Brooke Epstein, Haverford, Sr., A (2025 First Team, 2024 First Team)
Finley Jordan, Haverford, Jr., D (2025 Second Team)
Daniela Martini, Haverford, Jr., A (2025 Honorable Mention)
Kat Thayer, McDaniel, Sr., M (2025 Second Team)
Emma Youngling, Muhlenberg, Jr., A (2025 Second Team)
Abba Diglio, Muhlenberg, Sr., D (2025 Honorable Mention)
Gillian Will, Swarthmore, Sr., D (2025 Honorable Mention)
Jamie Michaud, Ursinus, Jr., M (2025 Second Team, 2024 Second Team)
Mia Salvatierra, Washington College, Sr., A (2025 Second Team, 2024 Second Team)
Piper Evans, Washington College, Sr., A (2025 Second Team)
MaryCate Anson, Washington College, Sr., M (2025 Honorable Mention)
