NORTHBOROUGH, Mass. – The Slippery Rock University women's lacrosse team will open the 2026 season ranked No. 8 in Division II after the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association announced its preseason national rankings Monday.
 
Coming off a two-goal loss in the national semifinals last spring and a No. 6 final ranking in 2025, The Rock find themselves ranked in the preseason top 10 for the first time in program history.
 
Defending national champion Tampa was picked atop the preseason poll, followed by national runner-up Adelphi. Florida Southern sits at No. 3, followed by West Chester at No. 4 and Indianapolis at No. 5.
 
Maryville, Pace, Slippery Rock, Embry-Riddle and Saint Leo round out the top 10.
 
Slippery Rock and West Chester are the only two teams from the Atlantic Region to be ranked in the top 10 entering the season. Those two met in both the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and Atlantic Region title games last year, splitting championships. West Chester won the PSAC title before SRU knocked off the undefeated No. 1 seeded Golden Rams in the NCAA quarterfinals to win the first regional championship in program history.
 
The top two teams in the PSAC last year won't have to wait until the end of the season to renew that rivalry as SRU will travel to West Chester for its second game of the season Feb. 21.
 
Two of the first three opponents for SRU this spring are in the preseason national poll as The Rock will also host No. 18 Grand Valley State March 1 in the third game of the season.
 
Slippery Rock will play five games this spring against teams ranked in the top 20 of the preseason national poll and two more against Indiana (Pa.), which is one of three teams listed as receiving votes in the preseason poll. In addition to facing No. 4 West Chester and No. 18 Grand Valley State early in the year, SRU will also visit No. 20 Lander March 14 and will play a pair of games against No. 17 Seton Hill in PSAC West play.
 
The Atlantic Region has seven teams ranked in the top 25 and one more receiving votes. Those teams are No. 4 West Chester, No. 8 Slippery Rock, No. 14 East Stroudsburg, No. 16 Wingate, No. 17 Seton Hill, No. 20 Lander and No. 21 Kutztown with Indiana (Pa.) listed as the third of three teams also receiving votes.
 
Slippery Rock returns the two-time Atlantic Region Coaching Staff of the Year in head coach Taryn Burkholder and assistant coach Jordan Anderson. Burkholder has led The Rock to at least 10 wins in each of her four seasons and was named the PSAC West Coach of the Year in each of the last two seasons. Anderson was just named the 2025 Division II Assistant Coach of the Year.
 
The Rock are coming off a program record 18 wins in 2025 after finishing the season with an 18-3 overall record that included a perfect 10-0 record in the PSAC West. The 2026 season is set to begin at home Feb. 18 with a 4 p.m. game against Ashland University.
 
2026 IWLCA DIVISION II PRESEASON POLL

Rank	Institution
1	Tampa
2	Adelphi
3	Florida Southern
4	West Chester *^
5	UIndy
6	Maryville
7	Pace
8	SLIPPERY ROCK *
9	Embry-Riddle
10	Saint Leo University
11	Lynn University
12	Flagler College
13	Regis University (Colo.)
14	East Stroudsburg *
15	Dominican
16	Wingate *
17	Seton Hill *^
18	Grand Valley State ^
19	Rollins College
20	Lander *^
21	Kutztown *
22	Saint Anselm
23	Bentley
24	Florida Tech
25	Alabama Huntsville

 
Receiving Votes: Rockhurst, Mercy, Indiana (Pa.) *^
 
* Atlantic Region schools
^ SRU opponents in 2026




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