Northwestern Back on Top as Final NFHCA Polls Land — Syracuse Jump Six After First ACC Title
The last polls of the season are in, and they look a lot like the season itself. Northwestern are back on top of Division I, Tufts are unanimous No. 1 in Division III, and Kutztown still lead Division II.
The NFHCA released its final 2026 coaches polls on Monday, and with the NCAA tournaments already underway, these are the rankings the teams carry into the run-in. The Division I and III championships are on Sunday 22 November, with the Division II final on Saturday 5 December.
Division I: Northwestern edge Maryland
Northwestern take the top spot with an 18-2 record, 219 points and 10 of the 11 first-place votes. They’ve climbed from No. 2, and it’s hard to argue. They won the Big Ten final 3-0 against Maryland, and now they’re above them in the poll too.
Maryland sit second on 210 points, also 18-2. Harvard are third on 187, UConn fourth on 179, and Princeton round out the top five on 164 after climbing four places.
The big movers are further down. Syracuse jump six spots to No. 10 after winning their first-ever ACC title. That’s a program-defining week, and the poll has caught up with it. Yale climb eight places to No. 11 after their first Ivy League title, the one they won 3-2 on a shootout against Princeton. Old Dominion are newly ranked at No. 16 after their Big East title win over UConn, and Boston College enter at No. 19.
For our money, the top two are a class apart, but the teams to watch in the tournament are the ones with momentum. Syracuse and Yale both arrive as champions with nothing to lose. That’s a dangerous combination in November.
Division II: Kutztown still the team to beat
Kutztown hold No. 1 with a 17-1 record, 79 points and seven first-place votes. Shippensburg are second at 14-2, Newberry third at 15-1, then East Stroudsburg fourth and IUP fifth.
The top two meet a familiar path. Kutztown and Shippensburg are the top seeds in the PSAC tournament, waiting in Friday’s semifinals while the quarter-finals play out tonight. If they both get through, Sunday’s PSAC final is the game of the season in Division II.
Division III: Tufts unanimous
There’s no debate in Division III. Tufts are No. 1 with all 19 first-place votes and 475 points, and they’re 18-0 after completing a perfect NESCAC season. Middlebury are second at 15-3, Christopher Newport third at 14-1, Bowdoin fourth and Salisbury fifth after climbing two places.
Johns Hopkins are up one to No. 8, York up two to No. 12, and Washington and Lee sit 19th. The top five all start the NCAA tournament this week, and Tufts host a regional as the No. 1 overall team.
