MEDFORD, MA (May 22, 2026) – The Tufts University men's lacrosse team seeks to capture their third consecutive NCAA National Title this weekend as they are set to take on No. 10 Rochester Institute of Technology in the 2026 NCAA Division III Championship Game. The Jumbos have reached the national title game a total of nine times and are in search of their sixth NCAA Championship victory. This would be the first time in history that the Jumbos collected three consecutive national titles.
Game Details
Tournament Bracket
Opponent: No. 10 RIT
Date: Sunday, May 24, 2026
Time: 12 PM
Location: Charlottesville, Virginia – Scott Stadium
Tickets: Ticketmaster
Live Coverage: Live Stats –
Live Video
Against RIT All-Time
This will be the 13th time that these two powerhouse teams match up in each program's history. The Jumbos have the overall advantage with an 8-4 record, but in the last six matchups each team has won three a side. Most recently, Tufts took down the Tigers in the Mustang Classic last season with a 17-11 score. The Jumbos have won the last two contests and have scored an average of 14.92 goals against RIT all-time.
The Bright Lights
The Jumbos have played in eight national title games before their matchup on Sunday, but this will be their first time seeing Scott Stadium in Virginia. In the past, Tufts played at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore three times and at Lincoln Financial Field in Pennsylvania the other four times.
Back to Back to Back to Back
Head Coach Casey D'Annolfo is set to make his fourth appearance in the National Championship as a coach, with all being in the last four seasons.
Experience Factor
The Jumbos bring a large portion of their core back from last year's national title team victory and even with the departure of multiple seniors, juniors and other contributors from the previous year have filled the gaps remarkably.
Battle Tested
The Jumbos have played 15 games this season against ranked opponents. Tufts enter the National Championship game with a 14-1 record against those teams and have stayed within the top two spots all season.
On the Road Again
The Jumbos have not played a game outside of Bello Field since their NESCAC Championship win over No. 1 Bowdoin. Tufts has played each NCAA round at home on Bello Field on the campus of Tufts. The Jumbos certainly do not seem to be bothered playing away as they hold an undefeated 8-0 record this season on the road.
We're Back
The Jumbos have been a part of every NCAA Tournament since 2009 and made an appearance in 2007 as well with a break in 2008.
Notes:
- The Jumbos are seeking their 22nd win of the season on Sunday. Last season, Tufts broke the program record of 22 with 23 victories, that mark also tie the NCAA record with Salisbury.
- Tufts has notched 24 consecutive above .500 seasons which puts them in the top 10 of all-time rankings.
- In last season's National Championship game against Dickinson, 25,228 people attended the contested which registered the highest attendance for a Tufts men's lacrosse in program history. In 2014, Tufts matched up against Salisbury and drew a crowd of 22,219 people.
- The Jumbos have the best win percentage in Division III men's lacrosse this season with a .955 clip and a 21-1 record.
- Tufts recently had 10 players named to the All-American list on the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse release, Jack Regnery earned his second consecutive Iroquois National Outstanding Player of the Year and Lt. Col. JI Turnbull Outstanding Attackman honor. Will Emsing was selected as the Fran Mcall Outstanding Midfielder for 2026.
- For conference awards, Regnery, Brooks Hauser, Garrett Kelly, Emsing, Jack Donavan, and Jack Old all earned a spot on the All-NESCAC First Team, while Ben Frisoli and Logan Lee were named to the Second Team.
- The Jumbos enter the Championship game against RIT with the third best scoring offense in the nation burying 18.45 goals per game, which also ranks first in the NESCAC.
- Tufts ranks fourth in the country in scoring margin as they average a positive 8.95 goal differential in each game.
- Tufts has been disciplined with ground balls as they rank sixth in the all of Division III with 43.73 ground balls per game as squad.
- The ball movement and the creation of space has been a major focus for the Jumbos this season as they rank third in the country with 11.55 assists per game.
- Transition play and smooth entries into the attacking zone have been harped on all spring and the Jumbos have listened as they currently sit in seventh with a .900 clearing percentage clip.
- Regnery and Hauser both rank second in the NESCAC with 71 goals each and a 3.23 goals per game mark. The 71 tallies has them both tied for sixth in the nation for total goals this season.
- Old is in his second season as a goalkeeper with the Jumbos and he enters the Championship game with a NESCAC best 8.77 goals against average and holds the top conference save percentage at .574 which ranks 35th in the nation.
- Victor Salcedo has been a standout face off specialist for the Jumbos this year as he comes into Sunday with 159 face off wins which ranks fifth in the NESCAC and has a win percentage of .582 to sit in sixth with those who have 200 or more faceoff attempts.
- Tufts has scored 20 or more goals in their last three outings and in seven total games this season.
- The Jumbos have outscored opponents by 10 or more goals in 10 games this season.
- According to Lacrosse Reference, Tufts has had the second hardest schedule in Division III men's lacrosse and the Jumbos still have taken just one loss on the season and are in search of their third consecutive national title.
- Head coach Casey D'Annolfo ranks third all-time in Division III, winning 89.7 percent of the games he has coached.
- Davis Owens and Salcedo from Tufts will both be playing for a national title in their home state of Virginia.
- Tufts University to Scott Stadium is 578 miles away, as compared RIT who is 434 miles away.
About The Tigers (19-4)
The Tigers of Rochester Institute of Technology are ready to make their fifth NCAA National Championship game appearance on Sunday after a strong run through the NCAA Tournament. RIT has won eight games in a row dating back to the regular season and enter championship Sunday with a hard fought 16-12 victory over No. 2 ranked Bowdoin.
The Tigers began the NCAA Tournament journey with a 19-6 win over Elmhurst in the second round at Salisbury and advanced into the Quarterfinal Round with a tightly contested 12-11 overtime win against Salisbury. Heading into Brunswick, the Tigers took down Babson 21-14 before upsetting No. 2 ranked Bowdoin in the Semifinal Round to move on.
RIT has been a high effort and high energy squad all season that has brought it to some of the strongest teams in the nation. They led the Liberty Leage with 898 ground ball pickups throughout the season, the nearest team behind them had 715 ground ball pickups. The Tigers as a team have been grueling on the defensive end as they lead their conference with 254 caused turnovers and sit in second with a .765 penalty kill percentage.
Individually, Ryan Sanders headlines the goal scoring for the Tigers as he leads the Liberty League with 66 goals and sits in second with 91 points. Erich Acton is the main playmaker and point getter for this RIT crew as he leads their conference with 92 points on 58 goals and 34 assists.
Ethan Harkins, Tyson Allsion, and David Charney all potted 30 or more goals this season as well to help guide this team to the National Title game. Phillip Minardo is a maestro in the faceoff circle as he leads his team and ranks third in the Liberty League with 193 faceoff wins. Minardo holds a faceoff percentage of .596 and ranks third in his conference with 125 ground ball pickups.
Goalkeeper Alex Zborowski has been a steady option for RIT all season. Zborowski leads his team and ranks second in his conference with a 9.45 goals against average. The goalie also ranks second in the Liberty League with 230 total saves. Zborowski ranks just inside the top five in his conference with a .529 save percentage.
Jake Coon is in his 17th season as head coach and is the most successful coach in RIT program history. Coon has led the Tigers to two National Championships, 15 Conference Championships, and 10 Final Four appearances.
--JUMBOS--
