Men's Lacrosse

Duke, Notre Dame, Syracuse Compete in NCAA Championship Weekend on Saturday

2026 NCAA Championship Bracket
2026 Statistics

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) - The NCAA's 2026 Men's Lacrosse Championship Weekend takes on a distinct Atlantic Coast Conference flavor, with Duke, Notre Dame and Syracuse competing in the national semifinals on Saturday, May 23, with the University of Virginia serving as the host of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championships, which will be contested at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Duke plays No. 1 seed Princeton in the first semifinal at noon ET on Saturday, while No. 2 seed Notre Dame battles No. 6 seed Syracuse at 2:30 p.m. ET. The semifinal games air on ESPN2. The championship game will be played on Memorial Day (May 25) at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN.

The ACC has three teams competing in the NCAA’s Championship Weekend for the sixth time in league history (2005, 2011, 2014, 2021, 2023).

The ACC owns 19 NCAA championships in men's lacrosse. Current ACC membership collectively owns 27 NCAA championships, including 11 of the last 17 and 16 titles since 2000.

ACC in 2026 NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship
Saturday, May 9 – First Round
at No. 2 North Carolina 24, UAlbany 6
Duke 14, at No. 4 Richmond 12
 
Sunday, May 10 – First Round
at No. 2 Notre Dame 18, Jacksonville 5
at No. 6 Syracuse 16, Yale 15
Georgetown 14, at No. 5 Virginia 10
 
Saturday, May 16 – Quarterfinals
No. 2 Notre Dame 15, Johns Hopkins 9
No. 6 Syracuse 15, No. 3 North Carolina 11
Hempstead, New York
 
Sunday, May 17 – Quarterfinals
Duke 16, Georgetown 6
Newark, Delaware
 
Saturday, May 23 - Semifinals
Duke vs. No. 1 Princeton | Noon | ESPN2
No. 6 Syracuse vs. No. 2 Notre Dame | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN2
Charlottesville, Virginia
 
Monday, May 25 - Championship
Semifinal Winners | 1 p.m. | ESPN
Charlottesville, Virginia
 
All times Eastern.

ACC's NCAA Tournament History
• The ACC owns 19 NCAA Championships, including four of the last six with Virginia in 2019 and 2021 and Notre Dame in 2023 and 2024.
• The five active ACC teams have combined for 27 national championships, including 11 of the last 17.
• Syracuse owns 10 NCAA titles (most of any NCAA program), while Virginia has won seven UNC five, Duke three and Notre Dame two.
• At least one ACC program will advance to the national semifinals for the 51st time in the 55 years in which the NCAA Tournament has been contested. 
• All five ACC teams earned NCAA Tournament bids, with Notre Dame (2), North Carolina (3), Virginia (5) and Syracuse (6) claiming seeds and Duke earning an at-large bid.
• This marks the fourth time – and the first since 2021 – in which at least five ACC teams earned NCAA bids. The ACC’s total of five teams is the most of any league in the 2026 tournament.

Noting ACC Men's Lacrosse
• Three of the five Tewaaraton finalists hail from the ACC – North Carolina's Owen Duffy, Notre Dame’s Shawn Lyght and Syracuse’s Joey Spallina.
• Spallina currently owns 331 career points, which is third in ACC history. He needs 20 points to match No. 2 Justin Guterding of Duke and 22 to tie No. 1 Matt Danowski of Duke. Spallina has totaled 188 career assists, which is second in ACC history behind Virginia's Connor Shellenberger (192).
• Four ACC players earned USILA National Player of the Year Awards:
  • Lt. Raymond J. Enners Outstanding Player of the Year: Aidan Maguire, Duke, Senior, SSDM
  • Lt. Col. JI Turnbull Outstanding Attackman: Joey Spallina, Syracuse, Senior, Attackman
  • Lt. j.g. Donald MacLaughlin Jr. Co-Outstanding Midfielder: Brady Wambach, North Carolina, Junior, FO
  • William C. Schmeisser Defensive Player of the Year: Shawn Lyght, Notre Dame, Junior, Defenseman
• 18 ACC players earned USILA All-America honors on the first, second or third teams. Twelve more earned honorable mention recognition (Release)
• Duke's Aidan Maguire, North Carolina's Owen Duffy and Brady Wambach, Notre Dame's Will Donovan and Shawn Lyght and Syracuse's Joey Spallina claimed First-Team All-America honors.
• Duke's John Danowski (first, 495), ND's Kevin Corrigan (second, 382) and UNC's Joe Breschi (third, 275) own the most Division I wins among active D-I head coaches (minimum five years at D-I). Danowski is the winningest Division I head coach all-time.
• Virginia won the 2026 Allstate ACC Men’s Lacrosse Championship on May 3 in Charlotte, downing North Carolina in the final. It was UVA’s 20th ACC Championship all-time. Goalie Jake Marek was named the tournament MVP after racking up 28 saves in the tournament.
• Notre Dame won the outright ACC regular-season title, earning a share of its third straight crown.
• The 2026 All-ACC Team and Season Awards were unveiled April 28. Syracuse's Joey Spallina was named ACC Offensive Player of the Year, while North Carolina's Brady Wambach and Notre Dame's Shawn Lyght shared Defensive Player of the Year honors. Notre Dame's Thomas Ricciardelli claimed Goalie of the Year honors, while Fighting Irish head coach Kevin Corrigan was selected Coach of the Year. Virginia's Brendan Millon was tabbed the ACC Freshman of the Year. (Awards Release)
• All five ACC teams are ranked in the latest USILA Coaches poll, with Notre Dame at No. 2, North Carolina at No. 4, Syracuse at No. 6, Virginia at No. 7 and Duke at No. 13.
• In the final RPI, all five ACC teams stood among the top 10: No. 2 Notre Dame, No. 4 North Carolina, No. 6 Syracuse, No. 7 Virginia and No. 10 Duke.
• ACC teams combined to go 39-8 (83.0%) in non-conference play during the regular season, which was by far the best mark of any conference.