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Most of the best lacrosse colleges can be found on the East Coast, which makes sense when you consider the history of the sport. The modern game of lacrosse has its roots in centuries-old games played by Native American tribes, and it was most prevalent around the Great Lakes and in the mid-Atlantic region of the now-United States. Ever wondered why an indigenous game has a French name? In the 1630s, French Jesuit missionaries observed the Wyandot people playing the game and termed it lacrosse. But the game in its original incarnation is called dehontsigwaehs, which translates to “they bump hips” (dehontsigwaehs is the Onondaga word; there are Mohawk and Ojibwe equivalents as well). The sad reality is that the people who gave the sport its modern-day name wanted to eradicate both it and the religion of which the game was a practice.

When Did Lacrosse Become Popular As a College Sport?

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, lacrosse gained popularity in the United States and Canada. The sport spread to high schools and universities, and in 1904, lacrosse was played at the Olympic Games in St. Louis. Today, there are three professional lacrosse leagues in the United States and Canada: the National Lacrosse League, Premier League Lacrosse, and the Women’s Professional Lacrosse League. Every four years, the governing body of international lacrosse, World Lacrosse, holds the men’s World Lacrosse Championship and the Women’s Lacrosse World Cup. World Lacrosse recognizes tribes as sovereign nations, which means that teams like the compete on the world stage.

The first men’s intercollegiate lacrosse game was played between New York University and Manhattan College in 1877. In 1926, the first women’s college lacrosse team was established at Bryn Mawr. But it wasn’t until 1971 that the NCAA began holding an annual men’s lacrosse championship; the women’s lacrosse championship began even later, in 1982. In the NCAA championship era, a relatively small group of schools has calcified at the top of the sport. So what are the best lacrosse colleges? Check out the list below.

Best Women’s Lacrosse Colleges

There hasn’t been much competitive parity in women’s lacrosse—at least not in the 40-or-so-year span since the NCAA introduced the women’s national championship tournament in 1982. Since then, only thirteen teams have won a national title.

11) Temple University

The women’s Owls have two national titles in their history—the first came in 1984 in just the third-ever women’s NCAA lacrosse championship, and the second came four years later, in 1988. The women’s Owls were consistent contenders in the 80s, reaching the championship round of the tournament another two times, in 1983 and 1987. And even though the women’s lacrosse team at Temple is just 2-11 through most of the 2025 season, their back-in-the-day success merits their inclusion in the list of the best lacrosse colleges in the country.

10) University of Massachusetts Amherst

The women’s Minutemen won the first-ever women’s NCAA national lacrosse championship when they beat Trenton 9-6 in the final. That’s been the UMass women’s only championship, but they’re still one of the best lacrosse colleges in the country, currently sitting at the 24th-ranked spot in the NCAA Women’s Lacrosse RPI rankings.

9) Harvard University

The academic powerhouse is also one of the best lacrosse colleges in the country. In 1989, the women’s Crimson made it all the way to the finals of the NCAA tournament before losing to Penn State (another program that’s established itself as one of the best lacrosse colleges in the sport). But the following year, the women’s Crimson were back in the final, and this time they finished the job, beating Maryland to win the 1990 NCAA national lacrosse title. And Harvard’s success isn’t a long-forgotten memory; they currently occupy the 18th position in the NCAA women’s lacrosse rankings.

8) James Madison University

In 2018, James Madison won their first-ever NCAA lacrosse title. They beat Boston College, who’d been in the final the year before. The women’s Dukes have a 9-4 record so far this year. Further,  they’re the 13th highest-ranked team in the country as of the writing of this article.

7) Penn State

The women’s Nittany Lions have won two national lacrosse championships—the first in 1987, the second in 1989. Although they haven’t achieved the level of success they enjoyed in the 80s, they’ve made a number of NCAA tournament appearances since Missy Doherty took over as head coach in 2011. In 2016 and 2017, the Nittany Lions made it all the way to the Final Four. They’re currently 7-7 on the season and ranked 28th overall.

6) University of Virginia

Since they were founded in 1976, the women’s Cavaliers have proven themselves to be one of the best lacrosse programs in the country. They’ve won three NCAA championships—in 1991, 1993, and most recently, in 2004. They’re currently ranked 7th in the NCAA rankings.

5) University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

North Carolina is one of the best lacrosse colleges of all time. The women’s Tar Heels have won three national titles—in 2013, 2016, and 2022. They’re undefeated through 14 games this season, and they’re currently the 2nd highest-ranked team in the country.

4) Princeton University

The women’s Tigers were founded in 1973, and since then they’ve had a record of 461-237-7. They’re three-time NCAA tournament champions, and four times have they finished NCAA tournament runner-up. Their legacy includes historical success—they first made the NCAA tournament Final Four in 1989—and contemporary dominance. They’re 11-1 this year and when the 2025 women’s national tournament begins in May, they’ll be vying for their fourth national title.

3) Boston College

Boston College boasts the best women’s lacrosse team of the last decade. Since 2017, they’ve appeared in the NCAA championship seven times; in 2021, they won their first national title, and they won it all again in 2024. As the defending champs, the women’s Eagles are the top-ranked lacrosse team in the country.

2) Northwestern University

The women’s Wildcats have a history that makes their success that much more stunning. The women’s lacrosse team at Northwestern was established in 1982, but in 1993, the school cut the program as a result of budget cuts. In 2002, Northwestern reestablished its women’s lacrosse team, hiring Maryland alum Kelly Amonte Hiller as head coach. Hiller’s leadership and unconventional approach—for example, she recruited two freshmen to the team who’d never before played lacrosse, simply because she saw them jogging—brought the team immediate success. Just three years into her tenure, the women’s Wildcats recorded an undefeated season and won their first national title. They didn’t look back from there, going on to win the next four national championships in a row.

The women’s Wildcats are eight-time national champs (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2023) and are currently the 5th highest-ranked team in women’s college lacrosse.

1) University of Maryland

Far and away the most dominant team in college lacrosse is the women’s Terrapins. They’ve won more games, made more tournament appearances, and hoisted the national championship trophy more times than any other team in women’s lacrosse. They’re fifteen-time national champs, and their all-time record is an astounding 742-146-3. That’s a winning percentage of .83. They’re currently ranked 10th in the NCAA.

Best Men’s Lacrosse Colleges

12) Army West Point

The men’s lacrosse program at West Point has a rich history. The lacrosse team was founded in 1907. Before lacrosse became an NCAA sport, the Black Knights won several national championships. They haven’t won a national championship in the NCAA era, but they’ve reached the Final Four of the tournament twice. They made a deep run in the NCAA tournament as recently as 2023. And with a 10-1 record at this point in the 2025 season, they’re the 6th highest-ranked team in all of men’s college lacrosse.

11) University of Denver

The Denver Pioneers are one of the select few lacrosse teams in the country to have won a national title. Their first—and so far, only—championship came in 2015. But they’ve been one of the best lacrosse colleges in the sport for more than a decade. Since 2011, they’ve made the NCAA tournament’s Final Four six times.

10) Yale University

The men’s lacrosse program at Yale was established in 1882. Yet, it wasn’t until the 1980s that they felt their presence known at the national level of the sport. The Bulldogs have appeared in the NCAA National Lacrosse Tournament twelve times since it was established in 1971. Their best result was in 2018, when they won their first national title in the NCAA championship era. They made it back to the championship round the next year but were bested by Virginia 13-9. Yale is currently the 16th highest-ranked team in the NCAA.

9) Cornell University

Cornell has long been one of the best lacrosse colleges in the country. They amassed five national championships in the pre-NCAA era. And when the NCAA championship was established, the Big Red wasted no time cementing their legacy. They won the first-ever NCAA championship in 1971 and became champions again in 1976 and 1977. In 2022, the Big Red finished national runner-up, and through 11 games of the 2025 season, they’re 10-1.

8) Duke University

For all their basketball notoriety, Duke is very much in the conversation for being one of the best lacrosse colleges of all time. The men’s Blue Devils are consistently one of the top teams in the nation (they’re currently ranked 10th). They’ve appeared in the NCAA tournament 26 times, and they’re three-time national champs (2010, 2013, 2014).

7) University of Notre Dame

Kevin Corrigan has been the head coach of the Fighting Irish men’s lacrosse squad since 1989. In that time, he has led the team to a remarkable level of success. In the mid-90s, they started making deep runs in the NCAA championship. By 2010 and 2014, the Fighting Irish made it all the way to the championship round before being bested, both times by Duke. In 2023, though, they made it to the promised land, winning their first national title. And they repeated the feat the following year. As the defending champs, Notre Dame is 6-3 on the season this year, ranked 9th in the NCAA overall.

6) University of Maryland

The men’s Terrapins have won four national titles. Their first two came in 1973 and 1975, after which they appeared and lost in the championship round of the NCAA tournament a total of nine times before finally capturing their third title in 2017. Then in 2022, led by head coach John Tillman, they took home their fourth NCAA championship trophy.

5) University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

With five national titles (1981, 1982, 1986, 1991, 2016), UNC is one of the best lacrosse colleges of all time. The men’s Tarheels last made the NCAA tournament Final Four in 2021, and they’ve had a strong 2025 season as well. They’re currently the 4^th highest-ranked team in the country, with a record of 9-2.

4) Princeton University

The Princeton Tigers men’s lacrosse team absolutely dominated the 1990s into the 2000s. Their six national titles all came between the years of 1992 and 2001, and they finished runner-up in 2000 and 2002 as well. Even though the Tigers haven’t appeared in the finals since the early 2000s, they’ve reemerged in recent years as one of the best teams in the country. In 2022, they made it back to the Final Four, and as of the writing of this article, they’re the top-ranked men’s lacrosse team in the country.

3) University of Virginia

The men’s Cavaliers have been a force on the national scene since the NCAA began holding the national championship in 1971. Since then, the Cavaliers have made it at least as far as the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament 31 times. They’ve achieved a Final Four berth a remarkable 26 times; they’ve finished runner-up four times, and they’re seven-time national champs. Their last championship run was in 2021, and although their 2025 season has been lackluster (they’re 5-7 on the year so far), Virginia is undoubtedly one of the best lacrosse colleges of all time.

2) Johns Hopkins University

Johns Hopkins has one of the most decorated college lacrosse programs of all time. The men’s Blue Jays are nine-time national champs, and although their last title came in 2007, they’ve been trending back toward championship greatness in recent years. In 2024, they finished the year with a record of 11-5 and made it to the quarterfinal round of the Division I tournament.

1) Syracuse University

The men’s Orange have amassed ten Division I titles since they were founded in 1916. Their run of dominance began in the 80s and continued into the 90s. It then peaked in the 2000s, when they won five championships. Like Johns Hopkins, Syracuse appears to have rounded into form in recent years. They made the NCAA tournament quarterfinals in 2024. They’re currently 9-3 on the 2025 season, a record which puts them at the 8th spot in the NCAA rankings.

Additional Resources

• All Men’s Lax Teams in the NCAA
• All Women’s Lax Team in the NCAA
• 15 Good Questions to Ask College Coaches
• 28 Highest Paid College Athletes – 2025
• Should College Athletes be Paid?
• D1 vs D2 vs D3 College Athletics – What is the Difference?