As of Feb. 23, 2026, Chapel Hill is the center of the collegiate lacrosse world.

The UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse teams are both ranked No. 1 in the latest Inside Lacrosse polls, which were released Monday.

The men’s team had entered the previous week ranked No. 3 in the poll behind No. 1 Syracuse and No. 2 Maryland. The Tar Heels took care of business at Dorrance Field Friday against No. 14 Johns Hopkins, pulling away from the Blue Jays in a 17-9 win. Elsewhere around the country, both Syracuse and Maryland lost, opening the door for 4-0 Carolina to ascend to the top spot.

This is the Tar Heels’ first appearance at No. 1 since March of 2021. They are far from unanimous, though, as six different teams split the 22 total first-place votes. UNC received the most with nine, while No. 2 Notre Dame received two, No. 3 Richmond two, No. 4 Harvard four, No. 5 Cornell five and No. 6 Syracuse one. Also representing the ACC in the poll are No. 8 Duke and No. 14 Virginia.

For a full look at the men’s poll, click here.

The men’s team will return to action Friday when it visits No. 19 Penn in Philadelphia at 5 p.m. The Tar Heels will then visit No. 7 Princeton in New Jersey Sunday at noon.

The women’s team’s perch atop the poll is far more secure. The Tar Heels have held the No. 1 ranking since the beginning of the season and are the unanimous top team in this week’s poll. Carolina is 4-0, having beaten Ohio State and Louisville this past weekend.

Elsewhere in the ACC, Stanford comes in at No. 2, Notre Dame at No. 8, Clemson at No. 9, Boston College at No. 12, Syracuse at No. 15, Virginia at No. 18, Pitt at No. 23 and Duke at No. 24. For a full look at the women’s poll, click here.

The women’s team returns to action Friday when it hosts Florida State at Dorrance Field at 5 p.m.

 

Featured image via UNC Men’s Lacrosse on Twitter

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