Where Boston College is Ranked in Inside Lacrosse Women's Preseason Poll

The Eagles will enter the 2026 season as one of the top teams in the nation.

Boston College Women's Lacrosse (bcwlax) via X

Boston College women’s lacrosse’s season does not start until Feb., however the team is going into the season as one of the best in the nation.

The Inside Lacrosse KANE Women's Division I Preseason Media Poll was released on Monday and it ranked Boston College at No. 3 with 342 points.

The @kanefootwear Women's DI Preseason Media Poll is LIVE!

Defending @NCAALAX champion @uncwlax is the unanimous No. 1 team, @StanfordWLax cracks the Top 5, and make sure to check out the full Top 2⃣5⃣ below!

Full Rankings: https://t.co/CT0paS5Tcn pic.twitter.com/U4SlrHDchj

— ILWomen (@ILWomen) January 26, 2026

UNC, the reigning national champions, came in at No. 1 with all 15 first-place votes and 375 points. 

Northwestern placed at No. 2 with 360 points, followed by Boston College at No. 3, Florida at No. 4 with 326 points, and Stanford at No. 5 with 310 points. 

Rounding out the top ten is Princeton at No. 6 with 285 points, Maryland at No. 7 with 281 points, Virginia at No. 8 with 267 points, Johns Hopkins at No. 9 with 251 points, and Clemson at No. 10 with 241 points. 

Other teams that are ranked include Syracuse, Michigan, Penn, Yale, Duke, Navy, Stony Brook, Loyola Maryland, Army, James Madison, Denver, Notre Dame, Penn State, Harvard, and Brown. 

In total, Boston College will play 11 teams that made the preseason rankings in Northwestern, Notre Dame, Michigan, Clemson, Duke, Harvard, UNC, Stanford, Loyola Maryland, Virginia, and Syracuse. 

Boston College also came in at No. 3 in the IWLCA Division I Preseason Poll which was released on Jan. 19. 

The Eagles open their season on Friday, Feb. 6 against No. 2 Northwestern, a rematch of the 2025 Final Four semifinals where Northwestern defeated BC 12-11.

Below are the full preseason rankings. 

IL KANE Women's Division I Media Poll Preseason:

(Rank, team, first-place votes, points) 

1. UNC (15)- 375
2. Northwestern- 360
3. Boston College- 342
4. Florida- 326
5. Stanford- 310
6. Princeton- 285
7. Maryland- 281
8. Virginia- 267
9. Johns Hopkins- 251
10. Clemson- 241
11. Syracuse- 223
12. Michigan- 196
13. Penn- 194
14. Yale- 180
15. Duke- 167
16. Navy- 163
17. Stony Brook- 136
18. Loyola Maryland- 125
19. Army- 93
20. James Madison- 85
21. Denver- 70
22. Notre Dame- 51
23. Penn State- 43
24. Harvard- 34
25. Brown- 29

Also Receiving Votes: UMass, USC, Drexel, Colorado, Virginia Tech, Cornell, Villanova, South Florida, Dartmouth

IWLCA Division I Coaches Poll Preseason:

(Rank, team)

1. UNC
2. Northwestern
3. Boston College 
4. Florida 
5. Stanford 
6. Princeton
7. Maryland 
8. Johns Hopkins
9. Penn 
10. Virginia 
11. Yale
12. Clemson
13. Syracuse 
14. Duke
15. Michigan
16. Navy
17. Stony Brook
18. Loyola Maryland
19. James Madison
20. Denver
21. Army 
22. Brown
23. Harvard 
24. Penn State
25. Notre Dame

2026 Boston College Women’s Lacrosse Schedule: 

Jan. 31: vs. UMass (exhibition)

Feb. 6: vs. Northwestern

Feb. 13: vs. Notre Dame

Feb. 21: vs. Michigan (Atlanta, Ga.)

Feb. 24: at Florida State

Feb. 28: vs. Clemson

March 4: at Duke

March 7: at Cal

March 12: vs. Harvard

March 14: vs. Pitt

March 21: at UNC

March 26: vs. Stanford

March 30: at UAlbany

April 4: at Loyola Maryland 

April 11: at Virginia 

April 16: vs. Syracuse 

April 20-26: ACC Tournament (Charlotte, N.C.)