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

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
Photo Gallery: UNC Men's, Women's Lacrosse Win NCAA Tournament Openers in Chapel Hill
Both the UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse teams hosted NCAA Tournament action at Dorrance Field during the weekend. The No. 3 seeded men’s team earned a blowout, first round victory against Albany on Saturday, before the No. 2 seeded women’s team handled Clemson on Sunday after having a bye in the first round. Check out […]
4 UNC Lacrosse Players Named First Team All-Americans, Several Others Honored
A combined four players between the UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse teams were named as first team All-Americans by USA Lacrosse this week. Brady Wambach earned first team honors on the men’s team, while Chloe Humphrey, Sam Forrest and Eliza Osburn each earned nods on the women’s team. Wambach, a junior faceoff specialist, has already […]
UNC Women's Lacrosse No. 2 Overall Seed, Men No. 3 in NCAA Tournament
The UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse teams are both national seeds in their respective NCAA Tournament fields, which were announced Sunday night. The women’s team is the No. 2 overall seed in the bracket, while the men are No. 3 overall. On the women’s side, the Tar Heels earned the No. 2 overall seed despite […]
UNC Lacrosse: Women Dominate Boston College, Men Outlast Army
The UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse teams each picked up wins against ranked foes at Dorrance Field Saturday afternoon. The top-ranked women’s team soundly beat Boston College, while the fifth-ranked men held on to beat Army. Both the Eagles and Black Knights are ranked No. 16 in the national polls. The women led off the […]
UNC Lacrosse: Men, Women Both Dominate in Home Wins
The UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse teams each picked up comfortable home wins Saturday, with the top-ranked women defeating Pitt 19-3 and the No. 5 men defeating Brown 19-7. The women were up first Saturday, and they quickly took control with two goals in the opening two minutes. The first half was all Tar Heels, […]
UNC Lacrosse: Women Thump Ohio State and Louisville, Men Beat No. 13 Johns Hopkins
The UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse teams both picked up decisive home wins Friday at Dorrance Field, with the top-ranked women beating Ohio State 22-9 and the third-ranked men defeating No. 13 Johns Hopkins 17-9. The women’s team followed up its win against the Buckeyes with another blowout victory against Louisville Sunday. In the first […]
UNC Lacrosse: Men Ranked No. 5, Women Ranked No. 1 in Preseason Poll
The USA Lacrosse Preseason Polls have been released, and voters are high on the UNC men and women as the 2026 season approaches. The men’s team is ranked No. 5, while the women’s team is ranked No. 1 following its national championship 2025 season. The UNC men’s team reached the NCAA Tournament in 2025, breaking […]
UNC Lacrosse: Women Earn No. 1 Overall Seed, Men No. 8 Seed in NCAA Tournament
It’s tournament time for the UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse teams. The NCAA Tournament brackets were revealed Sunday night, with the women earning the No. 1 overall seed in the field and the men earning the No. 8 overall seed. The women are the No. 1 overall seed for the third time in the last […]
6 UNC Lacrosse Players Named Tewaaraton Award Nominees
Six UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse players have been named as nominees for the Tewaaraton Award, given annually to the national player of the year. On the men’s side, Owen Duffy and Dominic Pietramala both earned nods, while Sam Forrest, Brooklyn Walker-Welch, Chloe Humphrey and Ashley Humphrey are nominated on the women’s side. 🗣️ Tewaaraton […]
UNC Lacrosse: Men Cruise Past Hofstra, Women Stay Undefeated vs. No. 14 Virginia
Both the UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse teams earned home wins at Dorrance Field Saturday. The men’s team bounced back from its first loss of the season with a comfortable 18-7 win vs. Hofstra, while the women’s team stayed undefeated by beating No. 14 Virginia 20-8. On the men’s side, Carolina raced out of the […]
›