CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – Coming off the program’s first ACC championship since 2016, Syracuse has been voted as the favorite to win the 2026 Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Lacrosse Championship. The preseason order of finish and Preseason All-ACC Team were determined by a vote of the league’s five head coaches.
The Orange finished 13-6 in 2025 and reached NCAA Championship Weekend for the first time in 12 seasons. Syracuse totaled 25 points in the preseason poll and was followed by Notre Dame with 18, North Carolina with 17, Duke with nine and Virginia with six.
All five ACC teams are ranked among the top 20 in the Inside Lacrosse Preseason Media Poll, with Syracuse at No. 3, North Carolina at No. 6, Notre Dame at No. 8, Duke at No. 11 and Virginia at No. 13.
The Preseason All-ACC Team features 13 players who earned 2025 USILA All-America honors, including four first-teamers: short-stick defensive midfielder Aidan Maguire and midfielder Andrew McAdorey of Duke, faceoff specialist Brady Wambach and defenseman Shawn Lyght of Notre Dame. Duke’s Charlie Johnson (defender) and Benn Johnston (midfielder), Notre Dame’s Will Donovan (long-stick midfielder) and Syracuse’s Joey Spallina (attackman) were USILA Second-Team All-Americans last season, while North Carolina’s Owen Duffy (attackman) and Syracuse’s Michael Leo (midfielder) were third-team honorees.
The Preseason All-ACC Team includes 11 players in total who earned 2025 All-ACC honors, including three award winners: Maguire (Co-Defensive Player of the Year), Lyght (Co-Defensive Player of the Year) and Syracuse’s Jimmy McCool (Goalie of the Year).
The 2026 ACC men’s lacrosse schedule begins Saturday, January 31, with Duke playing host to Bellarmine. Syracuse and North Carolina open their seasons on Sunday, February 1, with the Orange entertaining Boston University and the Tar Heels traveling to Towson. Virginia begins its season on Sunday, February 8, at home against Colgate, while Notre Dame starts its season on Saturday, February 14, at Marquette.
Conference play begins on Saturday, March 28. The 2026 ACC Men’s Lacrosse Championship will be played May 1 and 3 at American Legion Memorial Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the 2026 NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship Weekend will be hosted by the University of Virginia on May 23 and 25 at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Virginia.
2026 Predicted Order of Finish
1. Syracuse, 25
2. Notre Dame, 18
3. North Carolina, 17
4. Duke, 9
5. Virginia, 6
2026 Preseason All-ACC Team
Attack
Owen Duffy, Jr., North Carolina
Dominic Pietramala, Jr., North Carolina
Joey Spallina, Sr., Syracuse
Midfield*
Benn Johnston, Jr., Duke
Max Sloat, Sr., Duke
Michael Leo, Sr., Syracuse
Luke Rhoa, Sr., Syracuse
Defense
Charlie Johnson, Sr., Duke
Shawn Lyght, Jr., Notre Dame
John Schroter, Sr., Virginia
Goalie: Jimmy McCool, Sr., Syracuse
SSDM: Aidan Maguire, Sr., Duke
LSM: Will Donovan, Sr., Notre Dame
FO: Brady Wambach, Jr., North Carolina
*Includes one extra player because of tie in voting