Men's Lacrosse | 4/27/2026 10:00:00 AM
Nazareth University has won 11 games in a row and secured the No. 1 seed, while No. 2 seed St. John Fisher University is looking to win its seventh straight league title, as six teams will vie for the 2026 Empire 8 Men’s Lacrosse Championship.
No. 3 SUNY Geneseo hosts No. 6 Alfred University, while No. 4 Hartwick College hosts No. 5 Utica University in first round action on Tuesday, April 28. Nazareth will host the winner of Hartwick and Utica, while No. 2 seed St. John Fisher will host the winner of Geneseo and Alfred in semifinal action on Thursday, April 30, while the two semifinal winners will play in the title game on Saturday, May 2, with all games played at the higher seed.
The winner will receive an automatic berth into the 2026 NCAA Division III Men’s Lacrosse Championship, which begins with first round games on May 6 and second and third round action, May 9-10.
2026 Empire 8 Men’s Lacrosse Championship Participating Teams
No. 1 – Nazareth University (9-0 E8, 11-6 Overall)
No. 2 – St. John Fisher University (8-1 E8, 15-2 Overall)
No. 3 – SUNY Geneseo (7-2 E8, 11-5 Overall)
No. 4 – Hartwick College (5-4 E8, 5-10 Overall)
No. 5 – Utica University (5-4 E8, 6-9 Overall)
No. 6 – Alfred University (4-5 E8, 8-8 Overall)
The 2026 Empire 8 Men’s Lacrosse Championship schedule is below. For the most up to date information on this year's championship, follow the Empire 8 Conference on X (@Empire8).
2026 Empire 8 Men’s Lacrosse Championship Schedule
Tuesday, April 28 – First Round
No. 5 Utica University at No. 4 Hartwick College – 4 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
No. 6 Alfred University at No. 3 SUNY Geneseo – 4 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
Thursday, April 30 - Semifinals
Winner of Hartwick/Utica at No. 1 Nazareth University – 4 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
Winner of Geneseo/Alfred at No. 2 St. John Fisher University – 4 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
Saturday, May 2 - Championship
Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2 – TBA at Highest Remaining Seed – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
Top-seed and regular season champion Nazareth is looking for its 12th Empire 8 title in program history and first since 2017. The Golden Flyers are 11-6 overall, 9-0 in E8 play and enter the tournament riding an 11-game winning streak. Nazareth has scored at least 20 goals in eight of its nine league games this season and have hit the back of the net 291 times overall in 2026. Nazareth out-scored E8 opponents, 220-45 in nine league games this season. Matthew Farrington, the 2023 E8 Rookie of the Year, has 89 points on 44 goals and a league-high 45 assists. He has a remarkable 71 points (33 goals, 38 assists) in nine league games this season. Kyle Rosenberger has 50 goals and 72 points, while William O’Neill has 38 goals and 53 points. Cole Doldo has 215 face-off wins and just over 61 percent of his draws taken. He has won 72 percent of his face-offs taken in E8 play. Doldo also has 93 ground balls, while Connor Fundis and Nicholas Hinck have combined for 44 caused turnovers defensively. Sven Habitzreuther has played in all 17 games in net as a first-year standout and has 10 wins and a .565 save percentage, including a .635 save percentage in E8 play.
St. John Fisher enters the 2026 Championship Tournament ranked ninth in the NCAA Division III National Power Index. The Cardinals, who are looking for their seventh straight league title, are 15-2 overall and 8-1 in E8 play this season and have out-scored opponents, 174-56 in nine league games. Ten different players have at least 10 goals this season. Scott Bovard leads the Cardinals in scoring with 56 points on 38 goals and 18 assists, while Lane Edinger is right behind with 36 goals and 55 points. Grady Swidersky leads the Cardinals with 34 assists and has added 17 goals. First-year Jonah Vormald has won 200 face-offs this season, 73 percent of his overall face-offs taken overall and 78 percent in league play. Ethan Hodge has a team-high 27 caused turnovers, while Jake Vernieri has 21 and Connor Gray, 20. In net, Tyler Manning has won 15 games this season with a league-best .587 save percentage. He has a .624 save percentage and 6.12 goals against average in league play.
No. 3 seed SUNY Geneseo enters the league tournament with a 11-5 record, having finished 7-2 in league play. The Knights have six players with at least 20 goals. Ronnie Trebing leads the team in scoring with 46 goals and 59 points, while Ryan Trebing is right behind with 28 goals, a team-high 24 assists and 52 points. Jake Starkey has won 67 percent of his draws at the face-off “X” this season to go along with 50 ground balls. Aidan Crane has 56 ground balls, while Josh Knapp has 28 caused turnovers. Ben Bradshaw has appeared in all 16 games for the Knights between the pipes this season. He has an impressive .584 save percentage in league play.
Hartwick, the No. 4 seed, is in the Empire 8 Tournament for the fifth straight season and tenth time in program history. The Hawks, who finished 5-4 in league play, are hosting an E8 Tournament game for the second straight season. Colin August leads Hartwick in scoring this season with 57 goals and 61 points, while Liam McManus has 30 goals and 46 points. August also has team-high totals of 63 ground balls and 27 caused turnovers. Eddie Hughes has also caused 24 turnovers. Kaiden Johnson has a .541 save percentage in league play this season.
No. 5 Utica is in the E8 Tournament for the second time as a league member and first time since 2013. The Pioneers finished 5-4 in league play. Ryan Considine leads the team in scoring with 63 points on 33 goals and 30 assists, while Lucas Donahue has 27 goals. Colin Musso leads the team defensively with 27 caused turnovers, while Aaron Berquist has 24 Thomas has 15. In goal, Jack Acker has made 210 saves, second most in the league and is also second with a .575 save percentage. Chase Nappi and Cade Bourcy have combined to win nearly 59 percent of its face-offs taken this season. Jake Bowen has played in all 15 games between the pipes for Utica this season.
Alfred is in the Empire 8 Tournament for the fifth straight season and sixth time in program history. The Saxons enter the tournament as the No. 6 seed with a 8-8 overall record. Cole Loewke leads the Saxons and Empire 8 in scoring with 64 goals and 97 points. He broke the Empire 8 single-game record with both 11 goals and 15 points in the regular season finale against SUNY Poly. Brendan Riley is second on the team with 51 points on 31 points and 20 assists. Face-off specialist Hunter Cupp leads the league with a .777 winning percentage at the faceoff “X” the “X” and has a league-high 185 ground balls. Nicholas Kramer leads the Saxons with 23 caused turnovers, while Ben Cunningham has 17. Max Sigmund has a .510 save percentage in net this season.
First round opponents SUNY Geneseo and Alfred met on April 22, with the Knights earning an 11-5 home win. Hartwick and Utica also played on April 22, with Hartwick rallying in the second half to earn a 14-13 home win. Looking ahead to semifinal action, top-seed Nazareth defeated potential opponents Hartwick, 30-7 on April 4 and Utica by a 25-5 score on March 28. St. John Fisher rallied for a 12-10 win over potential semifinal opponent SUNY Geneseo on April 8 and earned a 20-3 victory over possible semifinal opponent Alfred on April 4.
Admission
$10.00 - Adults
$2.00 - Students and seniors with ID
Free - Children under 12