As the 2026 girls lacrosse season is set to get underway next week, expectations are sky high for the some usual suspects of contenders this season.
In the annual Deseret News coaches preseason rankings the three preseason No. 1s are Mountain Ridge (6A), Park City (5A) and Bear River (4A).
Park City and Bear River are both defending state champs in their respective classification, while Mountain Ridge narrowly lost to Farmington 10-9 in last year’s thrilling 6A final.
The Sentinels get a slight nod in the 6A this preseason, with Skyridge checking in at second and Farmington in third.
Mountain Ridge coach Angie Brescia said there’s definitely some holes to fill heading into the season.
“We graduated a lot of talent this past year but we are excited to see how our team stacks against the competition. You will see lots of brand new faces and young talent that are hungry to rise to the occasion,” said Brescia.
Like Mountain Ridge, defending champ Farmington has some big shoes to fill with the graduation of 6A Player of the Year Hailey Larsen and playoff MVP Alexandra MacAulay.
“We’re coming in with a lot of excitement and a deep desire to get out there and compete. We’ve got a talented roster and everyone is ready to put in the work and showcase what we can do,” said Farmington first-year coach Jocelyn Jensen.
In 5A, Park City went 20-1 en route to winning the title a year ago, and the Miners are the big favorite again this season under the direction of new head coach Adam Ghitelman.
Olympus, which lost to Park City in the final, will open the year ranked second followed by Brighton, Salem Hills and Skyline.
In 4A, it’s no surprise to see that four-time state champ Bear River was pegged as the front runner after only graduating three seniors.
“This continuity will allow us to maintain both our offensive and defensive systems while giving younger players the chance to step into bigger roles. Our program’s culture of hard work, teamwork and depth puts us in a strong position to compete at a high level again,” said Bear River coach Jeremy Webb.
Rounding out the preseason top five are Waterford, last year’s 4A runner-up, followed by Provo, Highland and Ridgeline. Highland is dropping down from 4A this season.
Deseret News preseason coaches rankings
Class 6A
Team (2025 record)
- Mountain Ridge (17-4)
- Skyridge (17-4)
- Farmington (18-3)
- Riverton (14-6)
- Lone Peak (16-4)
Class 5A
Team (2025 record)
- Park City (20-1)
- Olympus (17-5)
- Brighton (13-6)
- Salem Hills (19-2)
- Skyline (10-7)
Class 4A
Team (2025 record)
- Bear River (21-0)
- Waterford (14-4)
- Provo (16-4)
- Highland (13-5)
- Ridgeline (10-7)