Princeton Athletics’ Year of Extraordinary Excellence

Princeton’s Memorial Day victory over Notre Dame in the NCAA men’s lacrosse championship was a memorable capstone to the 2025-26 athletic year. Yet remarkable as that achievement was, Princeton’s first such win in 25 years, it represented only one chapter in a year of extraordinary success for Princeton athletics — a year that can fairly be described as dominant.

The men’s lacrosse team was joined by the women’s lightweight crew and junior Zeina Zein of the women’s squash team as national champions. These accomplishments, impressive in their own right, were emblematic of a broader pattern of excellence across Princeton’s athletic program.

Princeton fields varsity teams in 38 sports. Of these, 33 vie for titles against the other Ivy League schools. The Ivy League sponsors championships in 34 sports (Princeton does not field a women’s sailing team), thus our proportional share would amount to just over four league titles. By contrast, during the 2025-26 academic year, Princeton captured 15 Ivy League championships outright and shared two others.

Princeton has won the most Ivy League titles every year since 2017-18. This year, Princeton’s level of dominance over the rest of the league was striking. Second to Princeton’s 17 titles were Harvard and Yale, who each won or shared six championships. Neither Brown nor Dartmouth won a single Ivy title, while Penn secured just one. Among Princeton’s other Ivy League teams, six finished second and six more placed third (including ties). One of these second-place teams, field hockey, advanced to the NCAA championship game before falling to Northwestern. Men’s ice hockey, which finished third in the Ivy League standings, reached the ECAC tournament final.

The five Princeton athletic teams that compete outside the Ivy League enjoyed similar success. Two won their conference championships, one finished second, and, as noted, women’s lightweight crew claimed a national title.

Princeton’s excellence is also reflected in the Learfield Directors’ Cup, awarded annually by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics to the nation’s most successful athletic programs. As would be expected, the rankings are typically dominated by schools from the major athletic conferences – the Big Ten, ACC, SEC, and Big 12 – with their extensive resources, 100,000-seat football stadiums, and athletic scholarships. This year, Princeton stood alone as the only institution outside a power conference to rank among the top 30, ranking 20th nationally, just behind Notre Dame and just ahead of Penn State.

While the men’s lacrosse championship may be the achievement most readily remembered from the 2025-26 sports year, it should not overshadow the broader story. Across virtually every arena of competition, Princeton’s team members and coaches delivered perhaps the most successful year in the University’s distinguished athletic history.