Men’s Lacrosse Ready to Open 2026 Season
NEW LONDON, Conn. – A home-heavy start highlights the opening of the 2026 season for the Mitchell College men's lacrosse team, which will play its first four games at Alumni Field as it looks to build early momentum and carry it into the heart of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) schedule.
The Mariners will open the year on Monday, February 23, welcoming St. Joseph's (L.I.) to Alumni Field. Mitchell will stay home for the entirety of February, beginning conference play just two days later when Elms College comes to New London on February 25. The home stand continues with non-conference matchups against SUNY Cobleskill on February 28 and MCLA on March 4, giving the Mariners a chance to settle in on their home turf.
Conference play intensifies in March as Mitchell heads on the road for a pair of GNAC tests. The Mariners travel to Saint Joseph's College (ME) on March 7 before facing Lasell University on March 21. Mitchell then returns to Alumni Field for a pair of late-March home games, hosting Norwich University on March 28 and Rivier University on March 30.
April brings the heart of the GNAC schedule, as the Mariners open the month with consecutive road games at Regis College on April 1 and Emmanuel College on April 4 before returning home to host Albertus Magnus College on April 7 and New England College on April 11.
The Mariners will close the regular season with two more road tests, visiting the University of Saint Joseph on April 15 and Colby-Sawyer College on April 18, before finishing the year at home against Dean College on April 21.
"I am excited for this season," said second-year head coach JD LeMay '17. "We have a great group of guys who are hungry and ready to hit the field. We have a full slate of games this season with a very competitive non-conference schedule to get us ready for a tough conference schedule. We look to continue to grow and come out ready to compete every game."
The Mariners will be led offensively by sophomore midfielder Nathan Mahoney (Stonington, Conn.), who paced the team with eight goals during the truncated six-game slate in 2025. Junior Cameron Haefs (Cary, Ill.) will return in goal after turning away 104 shots last spring, while a blend of returners and newcomers will round out the Mitchell roster.
Additionally, the Mariners were recently selected to finish 13th in the GNAC Men's Lacrosse Preseason Poll, as voted on by the league's 13 head coaches.
The conference schedule will feature a round-robin format, with each team playing every other team once for a total of 12 games. The top eight teams at the end of the regular season will qualify for the 2026 GNAC Men's Lacrosse Championship Tournament, which will begin with the GNAC Quarterfinals on Saturday, April 25. The advancing teams will compete in the GNAC Semifinals on Wednesday, April 29, with the winners moving on to the GNAC Championship on Saturday, May 2. The champion will earn the conference's automatic qualifier to the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse Championship.
