No. 1 Tampa to Open 2026 Campaign in Tennessee

HARROGATE, Tenn. - The Spartans will open the 2026 season on the road in Harrogate, TN, on Friday, February 6, against Lincoln Memorial.

The Matchup:

No. 1 University of Tampa (0-0, 0-0 SSC) at Lincoln Memorial (0-0, 0-0 SAC)
Date/Time: Friday, February 6, 2026, at 5:00 p.m.

Location: LMU Lacrosse Complex. 1107 Morris Ln, Harrogate, TN 37752

Series History: Tampa and Lincoln Memorial will square off for just the third time on Friday. The Spartans are 2-0 all-time versus the Railsplitters and have outscored LMU 45-8. The two programs faced each other for the first time in 2023 in Tampa, while last year's matchup was in Harrogate.

About the Spartans: The back-to-back national champions will open the season as the No. 1-ranked team in the IWLCA Poll for the second consecutive season. Along with being the No. 1-ranked Division II program to start the 2026 season, Tampa was selected as the preseason favorite to capture the Sunshine State Conference. Returners Isabella Avila, Savvy Barbosa, and Peyton Howell were most recently named as USA Lacrosse Magazine Preseason All-Americans. The Spartans added assistant coach Erin Ebert to the staff in the offseason. Tampa and Lincoln Memorial will play for the second straight season in Tennessee, with the Spartan program claiming the victory last season, 27-4. 

About the Railsplitters: Lincoln Memorial was tabbed sixth in the South Atlantic Conference. Josie Tinenerello earned a spot on the SAC Preseason All-Conference team. LMU will play its first contest of the 2026 season against UTampa. Last season, the program finished the season 8-9 and 5-6 in the SAC. The Railsplitters have never defeated the Spartans.