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Syracuse Lacrosse: Season Preview 2026 | The Daily Orange
Syracuse Lacrosse 2026
2026 Season Preview

Upward trajectory for Syracuse lacrosse

Though in different spots, both Orange lacrosse teams enter the 2026 season with the pieces they need to aim for the national championship.

By The Daily Orange Sports Staff Jan. 29, 2026

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A Letter from the Editor

On the Brink

Nicholas Alumkal, Sports Editor

Syracuse lacrosse enters the 2026 season on the brink.


The men's side tasted the Final Four for the first time in 12 years in 2025. Now, the Orange aim to advance further and claim their first national title since 2009. Why is this the year they might do it? The acclaimed 2022 recruiting class is now seniors. The face of that class was Joey Spallina. But he's not alone. Fellow senior defender Riley Figueiras guides SU's defense, while sophomore Payton Anderson is set to step into a bigger attacking role.


As for the women, this season begins a new era. The team is led by first-year head coach Regy Thorpe, who returns to his alma mater and where he served 10 years as an assistant coach for the men's team. His squad is made up of key returners in defender Coco Vandiver and highly-touted newcomers in freshman Mackenzie Borbi. Thorpe now aims to lead the Orange to a first-ever national championship.


The Daily Orange's 2026 Lacrosse Guide has everything you need to know ahead of Syracuse men's and women's lacrosse's consequential seasons.



— Thanks for reading,

Nicholas Alumkal | Sports Editor


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Nicholas Alumkal Sports Editor Photo
Men's Lacrosse

LEGACY DEFINING

The only thing on Joey Spallina's mind is winning a national championship

By: Zak Wolf | Senior Staff Writer
Joey Spallina
Joey Spallina enters his final collegiate season as the preeminent Tewaaraton favorite. He stands just 61 points away from breaking Mikey Powell's Syracuse points record. But after losing to Maryland in last season's Final Four, the only goal on his mind is a national championship.
Read More →
Women's Lacrosse

BUILT FOR THIS

Regy Thorpe helped build Syracuse's standard. As head coach, he can fulfill it.

By: Harris Pemberton | Asst. Sports Editor
Regy Thorpe
In June, Syracuse hired former Florida associate head coach Regy Thorpe to be the women's lacrosse program's fourth head coach. Thorpe built Syracuse women's lacrosse into a powerhouse in his decade as assistant coach from 2010-2019. In his first year as head coach, Thorpe wants to lead Syracuse back to Championship Weekend for the first time in two years.
Read More →
Men's Lacrosse

NO HIBERNATION

Everyone calls Payton Anderson Bear. His drive to improve doesn't hibernate.

By: Nicholas Alumkal | Sports Editor
Strategy
Syracuse attack Payton Anderson spent hours improving his craft working out with his father, Rob. Through the process, due to his energy and size, at age 6, Anderson gained the nickname "Bear." Anderson's drive to improve never slept, leading to him making an impact as a freshman for the Orange in 2025. He's set to be on the hunt again this season.
Read More →
Women's Lacrosse

EYES ON HER

Overlooked her whole career, Coco Vandiver is now everyone's focus

By: Jordan Kimball | Asst. Sports Editor
Schedule
Coco Vandiver joined Syracuse four years ago as an unranked, unknown, unpopular recruit. She wasn't even sure what position she'd play. Now, in her senior season, she's SU's defense's centerpiece as it aims to return to Championship Weekend.
Read More →
Men's Lacrosse

'SILENT KILLER'

There's only 1 way for Riley Figueiras to live up to Syracuse's No. 11 legacy

By: Mauricio Palmar | Asst. Sports Editor
Riley Figueiras
Historically, the No. 11 has belonged to some of Syracuse's best defenders. Nine players have donned it over the past two decades, and seven of them were All-Americans. In his fourth year with the number, a national championship is the only way for Riley Figueiras to live up to that legacy.
Read More →
Women's Lacrosse

'BIG DOG'

Mackenzie Borbi furthers South Jersey's esteemed draw specialist pipeline

By: Jason Glick | Asst. Digital Editor
Mackenzie Borbi
Over the past several years, southern New Jersey has produced a strong lineage of draw control specialists, with players like McKenzie Blake and Delaney Jackson hailing from the region. As Syracuse's top recruit in the class of 2025, Mackenzie Borbi is hoping to continue that lineage.
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Men's Lacrosse

Beat writers' predictions

By: Daily Orange Sports Staff
Syracuse Men's Lacrosse players grouped on the field
Syracuse men's lacrosse came two games shy of claiming the national championship 2025, snapping a 12-year Final Four drought but falling hard to Maryland in the semifinal. Now, after a near taste of glory, the Orange enter 2026 with a single mandate — championship or bust. Ranked No. 3 nationally behind Maryland and Princeton, Syracuse faces a brutal schedule and even heavier pressure to finish the job.
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Women's Lacrosse

Beat writers' predictions

By: Daily Orange Sports Staff
Syracuse Women's Lacrosse players grouped on the field
After a program-record nine losses and a second-round NCAA Tournament exit, Syracuse women's lacrosse entered the 2026 offseason amid sweeping change. Head coach Kayla Treanor departed for Penn State, key contributors left via graduation and the portal and the program was forced to reset quickly. With new head coach Regy Thorpe in place, the standard hasn't budged — Championship Weekend remains the goal.
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Credits

Sports Editor: Nicholas Alumkal

Editor-in-Chief: Kendall Luther

Managing Editor: Rosina Boehm

Digital Managing Editor: Griffin Uribe Brown

Social Media Editor: Charlotte Price

IT Manager: Davis Hood

Assistant Sports Editors: Jordan Kimball, Mauricio Palmar, Harris Pemberton

Assistant Digital Editors: Spencer Brod, Jason Glick

Assistant Copy Editors: Fiona McHugh, Peter Radosh

Presentation Director: Ilana Zahavy

Digital Design Directors: Sophia Burke, Katie Crews

Illustration Editor: Hannah Mesa

Photo Editor: Avery Magee

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