Penn State and Northwestern Win the 2026 Big Ten Lacrosse Tournaments

Penn State won the 2026 Big Ten men’s lacrosse tournament, beating Johns Hopkins 16–8 on May 2. Northwestern won the women’s tournament, defeating Maryland 8–7 in overtime on April 26. Penn State claimed its second tournament title and first since 2019; Northwestern earned its sixth title and fourth consecutive championship. (Penn State recap, Big Ten women’s recap)

These are separate NCAA Division I field-lacrosse conference tournaments—not the NCAA national championships. Each winner earned the Big Ten’s automatic NCAA tournament berth.

Complete 2026 results

Seeds below are conference tournament seeds, not national rankings. Results come from the Big Ten men’s tournament central and Michigan’s women’s tournament page.

Tournament	Date	Round	Result
Men’s	April 25	Quarterfinal	No. 5 Michigan 11, No. 4 Ohio State 8
Men’s	April 25	Quarterfinal	No. 3 Maryland 13, No. 6 Rutgers 10
Men’s	April 30	Semifinal	No. 1 Johns Hopkins 14, No. 5 Michigan 12
Men’s	April 30	Semifinal	No. 2 Penn State 8, No. 3 Maryland 6
Men’s	May 2	Final	No. 2 Penn State 16, No. 1 Johns Hopkins 8
Women’s	April 22	Quarterfinal	No. 4 Michigan 13, No. 5 Penn State 12
Women’s	April 22	Quarterfinal	No. 2 Maryland 10, No. 7 Ohio State 9
Women’s	April 22	Quarterfinal	No. 3 Johns Hopkins 14, No. 6 Rutgers 9
Women’s	April 24	Semifinal	No. 1 Northwestern 10, No. 4 Michigan 7
Women’s	April 24	Semifinal	No. 2 Maryland 15, No. 3 Johns Hopkins 14 (OT)
Women’s	April 26	Final	No. 1 Northwestern 8, No. 2 Maryland 7 (OT)

How the brackets worked

The 2026 men’s tournament had six teams, with Johns Hopkins and Penn State receiving first-round byes. Ohio State and Maryland hosted the quarterfinals; Rutgers hosted the semifinals and final at SHI Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey. Quarterfinals were carried on B1G+, while the semifinals and final aired on BTN. (Big Ten tournament central)

The women’s tournament had seven teams, with only top-seeded Northwestern receiving a bye. Michigan hosted all six games at U-M Lacrosse Stadium in Ann Arbor. (Women’s tournament page)

Regular-season titles belong in a different column from tournament titles. In 2026, Johns Hopkins, Maryland, Ohio State and Penn State shared the men’s regular-season championship after each finished 3–2 in conference play. Tiebreakers determined their seeds; Penn State then won the postseason bracket outright. (Big Ten bracket announcement)

The numbers behind the titles

Penn State’s Hunter Aquino was named men’s tournament Most Outstanding Player. In the final, he recorded four points: two goals plus two assists. Kyle Lehman led the team with three goals. Penn State scored 10 of the game’s final 12 goals to turn a 6–6 tie into a 16–8 victory. (Penn State recap)

Northwestern goalkeeper Jenika Cuocco earned the women’s tournament honor after making 18 saves in the final, including three in overtime. Her final-game save percentage was 72.0%: 18 saves ÷ (18 saves + 7 goals allowed). Annabel Child completed her hat trick with the winning goal in the final second of overtime. (Northwestern recap)

Tournament scoring totals also need a games-played label. From the women’s results above, Maryland scored 32 goals across three games, while Northwestern scored 18 across two. That is 10.7 and 9.0 goals per game, respectively—not evidence that the runner-up had the better tournament. Maryland had an extra round, and the teams faced different opponents. For player records, keep goals separate from points, which add assists; see how lacrosse scoring stats are counted.

Scheduled 2027 dates and hosts

As of October 18, 2026, the Big Ten’s published 2026–27 championship calendar lists:

• Men’s: first round May 1 at the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds; semifinals and final May 6–8 at Penn State.
• Women’s: April 28–May 2, hosted by USC.

These are the scheduled windows and hosts, not finalized brackets or game times. (Big Ten 2026–27 championship calendar)