As Ithaca College students prepare for finals at the culmination of the school year, spring season student-athletes are preparing for the Liberty League Championship Tournament following the culmination of their regular seasons. The Ithacan has you prepared for what to know ahead of competition for the Spring 2026 hardware.

Baseball:

The 2026 season has not lived up to the standard of Bombers baseball from the past two seasons. Instead of standing atop the Liberty League standings, IC now cranes its neck from fourth place in the west division to observe its lost spot. Despite the lower-than-expected placing in the standings, the Bombers have embraced their namesake with the top ranked offense in their conference, driven by a young lineup. On the flipside, the pitching staff has been underwhelming, ranking 10th of 11 teams in team ERA. The proficient offense has helped cover up the pitching struggles, and sophomore infielder Ethan Fantel has contributed tremendously to that cause. Fantel’s .466 batting average and 54 RBIs rank top 10 in the IC single season record books, even when being pitched around for 33 walks. The 19-13 Bombers will play the regular season east division winners in the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for their Liberty League crossover series, and will seek an upset for a chance at a Liberty League Championship Tournament run.

Golf: 

Coming off of three top-three finishes over the past four seasons in the Liberty League Championships, the golf team is poised to make a strong push for its second Liberty League title overall — and first since 2021. The two teams staying in the way of the Bombers bringing home the hardware have been the New York University Bobcats and the Wellesley College Blue, who have taken home the championship in each of the past four seasons. The Bombers ride into the tournament carrying tons of momentum, in what’s been an impressive spring season thus far. The team is coming off of back-to-back first-place finishes, capturing wins at both the Cortland Martin Wallace Invitational and the Union Spring Invitational, while playing some consistently good golf at a couple of challenging golf courses. This mentally-tough Bombers squad will look to end the five-year title drought and break through against the other two power-houses within their conference. 

Softball:

The softball team is in prime position to repeat its 2025 Division III postseason success. First on the list will be to win the Liberty League Championship for the second year in a row. Its biggest test will be the University of Rochester Yellowjackets, who are 11-1 in conference play this year and 27-7 overall. They are currently the #1 seed in the Liberty League, with the Bombers just one game back in conference play at #2. The two teams have yet to match up this season but will clash in a doubleheader at Rochester on May 2 that could hold major implications for the playoff bracket. The Bombers have rebounded nicely since a rocky start in March down in Florida at the annual Spring Games tournament. After starting 5-5, they have won 16 of 19 since. Despite losing three valuable senior players last year, the team has not shown it with plenty of younger players shining with the added playing time. 

Men’s lacrosse:

Higgins Stadium on South Hill will finally get the honor of hosting a men’s lacrosse Liberty League playoff game for the first time since 2018 on May 1. Concluding the regular season with a 5-1 conference record, the No. 20 Bombers placed top in the Liberty League, earning themselves a first-round bye and home field advantage for the entire tournament. The Bombers finally look to make waves in their league, which has historically been a strong producer of competitive teams in the NCAA tournament. They will host the winner of the Skidmore College versus Union College quarterfinal game, two teams they already handled business with in 2026. Staying hot on offense throughout all four quarters, the team is continuing to lean into their defense and strong goalkeeper play by senior Andrew Minard. A team fueled primarily by veteran senior and junior starters, they aim to channel their prior experience falling to rivals like No. 6 Rochester Institute of Technology in the tournament, who they upset 9-8 this season on April 8. 

Women’s lacrosse:

Slipping into the third seed actually might be seen as a disadvantage for the women’s lacrosse team looking for a third consecutive Liberty League title. The Bombers dominated Clarkson University 18-5 April 28 at Higgins Stadium after previously falling to the Knights 16-18 March 21. The Bombers won seven out of nine of their matchups when traveling, but won just five out of eight on South Hill. Returners like senior attackers Lily Cody and Leigh Naturale, junior attacker Kelly Augeri and senior defensemen Phoebe Hosford will bring a wealth of experience pushing forward to the very end of the tournament. The Bombers must stay consistent all four quarters of play for the best chance to bring home another trophy. 

Men’s rowing: 

From the beginning, the final goal for the men’s rowing team has been to compete in the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) national championships. Ranked No. 13 in the national Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) rankings for Division III teams, the Bombers just finished traveling to Cherry Hill, New Jersey for the Knecht Cup where their third varsity four earned bronze, and Worcester, Massachusetts, where they competed in the Remley Cup against several nationally ranked programs like Colby, Trinity, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. The team’s third varsity four also got first place in its race in Worcester. In these and other home regattas, the team as a whole has strived to keep pace and compete with these other strong teams, helping them to prepare for the competition at both Liberty Leagues and IRAs. It looks to continue to get healthy so that it can continue putting down efficient pieces on the water.

Women’s rowing:

The Bombers’ seven year reign over the Liberty League could finally be at large in 2026. With a revamped first varsity 8 boat, the team has experienced growing pains en route to the Liberty League Championships. In those growing pains, IC’s top competitor since 2024, William Smith College, has slowly become the favorite to grab the conference’s top spot and automatic bid to the NCAA national championships. After beating William Smith by four seconds in the 2025 Liberty League Championships, the Bombers have been bested by their closest competition twice this season. At the Cayuga Duals, William Smith set a 14 second gap, and held a similar difference three weeks later at the NYS Championships, finishing 13 seconds ahead of IC.

Men’s tennis:

Ending the regular season with a 10-7 overall record, the best since 2016-17, the No. 55 men’s tennis team has the odds in its favor to move further than the first round in the Liberty League tournament for the first time since 2018-19. Ranked as the third seed, they will stay close to home to face the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on May 1 at the Cornell University Reis Tennis Center. The Bombers recently narrowly lost to the Engineers 3-4 April 19. Although the team has only seen RPI nine times in history, the Bombers came away with the win just once back in 2017. The Bombers’ success will be dependent on putting their pieces together at the right time. Sophomore Luis Crespo, who is third in the Liberty League with an overall singles win percentage of .826 and undefeated in the conference must continue his momentum. Head coach Tom Rishcoff, who brought the team to its first Liberty League playoff appearance in five years in 2025, has the opportunity to lead the Bombers on a run through the tournament. 

Women’s tennis:

Despite opening the season with three back-to-back victories, the women’s tennis team remains unable to tackle its conference competition. The team sits at 5-11 overall and 1-7 in-conference and will miss out on competing for a Liberty League Championship. This is their fourth consecutive season under .500. There have been bright spots in individual Bombers’ performances, including Junior Alys Pop, who ranks fifth in Liberty League No. 1 singles and is 6-11 overall. The duo of junior Ava Casell-Lapetina and first-year player Martina Nicora were also recognized in the Liberty League leaderboards for their 3-1 doubles record. Tighter conference competition means the Bombers are going into their last game eighth in the league, compared to finishing sixth last season with a 2-6 in-conference record. Going into the off-season, the team has only two players graduating and plenty of potential with head coach Mari Mitchell entering her third year at the helm.

Men’s track and field: 

Debuting a new outdoor track on South Hill this season, the men’s track and field team heads into the Liberty League Championships with fresh momentum under their spikes. The Bombers have historically been a competitive force at the league level, placing at least top three in their conference 27 outdoor seasons — with the exception of non-conference years 1996-2003 — before getting 4th in the 2023 season. This year’s squad brings a promising blend of veteran leadership and standout first-year contributions. Senior Ben Buffone has been a versatile weapon, topping the team in both the 400m and the 800m, while junior Elliott Painting leads the distance corps in the 5,000m and the 10,000m. Senior Matt Lokshin anchors the field events, posting the team’s top marks in the high jump and the 110m hurdles. Perhaps the most exciting story heading into championship weekend is the sheer depth of talented first-years making their impact felt. First-year athletes Anik Vossschulte, Griffin Lupes, Eddie Kennedy, Quinten Lewis, Avery Sens and Raf Campanile have all posted team’s top marks in their respective events, signaling a bright future for a program looking to make noise at Liberty Leagues and beyond.

Women’s track and field:

After falling short in second place in the 2025 outdoor Liberty League Championship after placing first in the 2025 indoor championship, the women’s track and field team look to take the trophy home twice in 2026. The Bombers will travel to St. Lawrence University and compete May 1 and May 2. Emerging first in the 2026 indoor championships with 212 points, the Bombers have an opportunity to carry the momentum outside and solidify themselves at the top team of the year. The Bombers have a roster with multiple stars, but also have the depth surrounding them. Junior pole vaulter Talia Hutchinson jumped her best performance of 4.01, the fifth best in Division III April 25. In the 100–meter hurdles, Senior hurdler Rachel Larson set the third best time nationally of 13.76 seconds April 17. Graduate student thrower Lily Seyfert earned women’s field performer of the week April 20 for her performance in the shot put, discus, hammer and javelin