ITHACA, N.Y. – After earning an at-large bid to the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse Championships, the Ithaca College men's lacrosse team will travel to Maine to face Hope College in a second-round matchup on Friday, May 8 at 7 p.m.
The Bombers were one of 40 teams selected to the championship field and will be making their 15th NCAA tournament appearance, and their first since 2018. Bates College will serve as a four-team regional site. The winner of the matchup between Cortland (14-5) and Western New England (13-6) will advance to Lewiston, Maine, to face Bates (11-5) in second- and third-round games on May 8-9.
The tournament continues with quarterfinal and semifinal rounds scheduled for May 16-17, with the national championship game set for May 24 at Scott Stadium on the campus of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va.
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SCOUTING ITHACA (11-6, 5-1 Liberty League) – Despite a heartbreaking loss in the Liberty League tournament semifinals, the Bombers did just enough in the regular season to punch their ticket into the NCAA Championships. Under the direction of third year head coach
Tommy Pearce, he and his staff were recently named Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year after doubling their league win total from a season ago. The group led the team to its first-ever Liberty League regular-season title and earned the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament.
The Bombers led the LL in scoring defense (8.35) and faceoff percentage (.628). Senior
Tim Rogers leads a balanced IC attack with 52 points coming off 40 goals and 12 assists. Both
Brendan Occhino (48 points) and
Will Kleine (46 points) are keys to Ithaca's offense to flank Rogers.
Lucas Proctor (14),
Ethan Adrid (21) and
Cullen Adams (16) have also produced double-digit goal totals.
At the faceoff X, sophomore
Liam Alberti has a Liberty League-best faceoff percentage of 66.5 percent, picking up 126 ground balls this year, which also leads the conference.
Jace Dockx's 23 caused turnovers are a team-best, as he is one of four Bombers to tally double-digit CTs this season (
Max Warn,
Corey White,
Greg Szyluk).
Andrew Minard has started all 17 games in goal for Ithaca, posting a 9.51 goals against average that ranks among the top- 50 in Division III. He has recorded double-digit saves in 10 games this season, including four straight entering the tournament.
SCOUTING HOPE (18-0, 6-0 MIAA) – The Flying Dutchmen will make their first postseason appearance since 2024 after securing the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association's automatic berth with a 15-9 victory over Calvin University. Hope dominated conference play this season, including a 22-9 win over Albion, and 10 of the team's 18 victories have come by double-digit margins.
Similarly to the Bombers, Hope features a strong defensive unit that is anchored by senior John Foster who has recorded 35 caused turnovers while scooping up 62 ground balls. They'll also feature the MIAA's Rookie of the Year in Jackson Vasquez who has caused 12 turnovers, while also contributing at the faceoff X going 66-of-120 entering the tournament.
Gibson Heethuis and Preston Hoexum will lead the offensive charge, having scored 56 and 55 goals, respectively. Both rank among the top three scorers in the conference, averaging 3.11 and 3.06 goals per game. Jack Balmforth has started all 17 games in goal, where he owns a 7.03 goals against average in his senior season.
