News & Announcements, W2 News

Women’s Division II Releases First Ranking of 2026-27 Season

by cperry

Women’s Division II Releases First Ranking of 2026-27 Season

 

TROY, Mich. – Nov. 13, 2026 – The American Collegiate Hockey Association’s (ACHA) Women’s Division II (W2) today announced the first official rankings of the 2026-2027 season. The results are based on games played and reported within the first ranking period that ended on Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026, between the division’s 98 member teams (up from 81 last season).

 

W2 is pleased to welcome the following 21 brand new teams to the ACHA:

  • Arizona State University
  • Florida State University
  • Grand Canyon University
  • Illinois State University
  • Indiana University
  • Lake Superior State
  • Marquette University
  • Quinnipiac University
  • Rutgers University
  • Saginaw Valley State University
  • University of California, Los Angeles
  • University of Dayton
  • University of Georgia
  • University of Missouri
  • University of North Carolina at Wilmington
  • University of North Dakota
  • University of Oklahoma
  • University of Wisconsin River Falls
  • Wesleyan College
  • Wittenberg University
  • Loyola Marymount University (ACDC)

 

For a full snapshot of all women’s teams participating in the ACHA this season (W1, W2, ACDC), click here.

 

Details About W2 Rankings & Invitations to Nationals

 

The Women’s D2 tournament at the 2027 ACHA National Championships presented by FloHockey will begin Sunday, March 14 at the Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights, Missouri. Invitations to Nationals will be extended to the top four ranked W2 teams in each region based on the final computer ranking of the season calculated with games played through Sunday, Feb. 28.

 

Each W2 team invited to Nationals is guaranteed three games of pool play, with the Championship game scheduled for Thursday, March 18. Each seed coming into the W2 tournament is pre-assigned to a pool. For more details about what makes a team eligible for nationals, how the tournament is formatted, regional seed pool play assignments, etc. please review the Women’s D2 policies within the ACHA manual.

 

RANKING #1

(note that teams with fewer than 3 games reported to date are not yet ranked)

 

NORTHEAST REGION

  1. Boston University
  2. Boston College
  3. Sacred Heart University
  4. Northeastern University
  5. University of Vermont
  6. Providence College
  7. Quinnipiac University
  8. University of New Hampshire
  9. Saint Anselm College
  10. Harvard University
  11. Merrimack College
  12. Assumption University
  13. College of the Holy Cross
  14. University of Connecticut

 

SOUTHEAST REGION

  1. Liberty University
  2. United States Naval Academy
  3. Rowan University
  4. Auburn University
  5. United States Military Academy West Point
  6. University of South Carolina
  7. University of Delaware
  8. West Virginia University
  9. ^University of Georgia
  10. Wesleyan College
  11. Villanova University
  12. Niagara University
  13. University of Maryland
  14. University of Pittsburgh
  15. West Chester University
  16. Robert Morris University
  17. Mercyhurst University
  18. University of Tennessee
  19. University of Alabama
  20. High Point University
  21. Rutgers University
  22. Rochester Institute of Technology
  23. George Washington University
  24. Virginia Tech
  25. University of Virginia
  26. Oswego State University
  27. Montclair State University
  28. ^Georgetown University
  29. North Carolina State University

 

CENTRAL

  1. University of Notre Dame
  2. Central Michigan University
  3. The Ohio State University
  4. University of Illinois
  5. Indiana University
  6. Lawrence Technological University
  7. Michigan State University
  8. ^Saginaw Valley State University
  9. Northern Michigan University
  10. Adrian College
  11. Aurora University
  12. Miami University
  13. Bowling Green State University
  14. Northwestern University
  15. ^Loyola University Chicago
  16. Marquette University
  17. Wittenberg University
  18. Hope College

 

WEST REGION

  1. Assiniboine College
  2. University of Wisconsin-Madison
  3. Augustana University
  4. University of Minnesota
  5. Iowa State University
  6. University of Jamestown
  7. University of Saint Thomas
  8. Maryville University
  9. University of Iowa
  10. University of Minnesota-Duluth
  11. North Dakota State University
  12. University of North Dakota
  13. University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
  14. Dakota College at Bottineau
  15. ^University of Wisconsin LaCrosse
  16. University of Arkansas
  17. Lake Region State College
  18. University of Nebraska
  19. Arizona State University
  20. University of Oklahoma
  21. Grand Canyon University
  22. University of Washington

 

The following four conferences with at least six W2 ACHA member teams will be offered an automatic bid for their top team to the 2027 W2 National Championships: Central Collegiate Women’s Hockey Association (CCWHA), College Hockey East (CHE), Women’s Delaware Valley College Hockey Conference (DVCHC) and the Independent Women’s Club Ice Hockey League (IWCHL)

 

^The following teams are not eligible for the 2027 National Championships and/or have declared they will not attend Nationals: Illinois State University, Saginaw Valley State University, University of Georgia, Georgetown University, Loyola University Chicago, Loyola University Maryland, Towson University, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse

 

The second W2 ranking period will end on Dec. 6, 2026. Follow the W2 schedule here. For more information about W2 policies and procedures, please review the ACHA Policy Manual.