Four members of the Cortland women's lacrosse team have been honored on the 2026 Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Division III All-Empire Region team. Junior defender Bridie McGuire (Manorville/Eastport-South Manor) and junior attack Ashley Melillo (Massapequa) were named to the all-region first team, while junior defender Lexi Caron (Manlius/Fayetteville-Manlius) and freshman attack Sydney Elizalde (Ronkonkoma/Connetquot) were second-team awardees.
 
McGuire earns her first all-region honor of her career. The junior started all 20 games during the season for Cortland, leading the team with 68 draw controls and 48 ground balls, while also contributing 21 caused turnovers and two points on one goal and one assist. McGuire had at least one ground ball in 17-of-20 games, and was part of the Cortland team that ranked 15th nationally in scoring defense and 20th in the country in draw control percentage. 
 
Melillo is also an all-region selection for the first time. Starting all 20 games for the Red Dragons, she led the team with 72 points on 42 goals and 30 assists, had the most caused turnovers on the team with 41, and scooped up 43 ground balls and added seven draw controls. Melillo recorded multiple points in 19-of-20 games, and had at least one caused turnover in 18-of-20 contests. 
 
Caron earns her second straight all-region nod, also being named to the second team last year. The junior started all 20 games, providing 39 draw controls, 33 ground balls, and 25 caused turnovers, while also adding one goal. She helped Cortland rank 15th in the country in scoring defense, and had at least one ground ball in 16 games and at least one caused turnover in 14 contests.
 
Elizalde earns her first all-region honor after a debut campaign that finished with the most points by a Cortland freshman since 2014, registering 70 points on 53 goals and 17 assists over 20 games with 19 starts. She also added 37 ground balls with 19 caused turnovers. Elizalde ranked ninth in the nation with a .631 shooting percentage for the season, and scored at least two goals in 16-of-20 contests.  

Cortland finished the season with a 15-5 overall record. The Red Dragons won the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) tournament title to earn their fourth trip to the NCAA Div. III playoffs in the last five seasons, finishing the year tied for 17th nationally.