University of Canterbury Claims Lacrosse Title

The 2026 New Zealand Universities Lacrosse Tournament was also played over Matariki weekend, with the University of Canterbury hosting the three-day event at the UC Recreation Centre in Christchurch. The annual mixed tournament welcomed teams from the University of Canterbury and the University of Auckland.

The tournament featured four teams competing in a round-robin format before the top two sides advanced to the championship final. Host club University of Canterbury fielded three teams - UC Embers, UC Frost and UC Eagles - while the University of Auckland travelled south to contest the title.

Dominant Round-Robin Performance

The opening day produced several exciting contests as teams battled for a place in Sunday's finals.

UC Embers stamped themselves as the team to beat from the outset, opening the tournament with a commanding 30–5 victory over UC Eagles, before defeating the University of Auckland 17–4 and UC Frost 12–3 to finish the round robin unbeaten.

The University of Auckland secured its place in the championship match with a hard-fought 6–5 win over UC Frost, while UC Eagles claimed a convincing 14–6 victory over Auckland before edging UC Frost 9–8 in a thrilling bronze medal match.

UC Embers Crowned 2026 Champions

The championship final saw the unbeaten UC Embers take on the University of Auckland in a closely contested match.

After three days of competition, the hosts completed a perfect tournament, defeating Auckland 8–6 to be crowned 2026 UTSNZ New Zealand Universities Lacrosse Champions.

The final standings were:

1. UC Embers
2. University of Auckland
3. UC Eagles
4. UC Frost

Individual Honours

Several players produced standout performances across the tournament.

Haya Symons (UC Embers) finished as the tournament's leading scorer with 20 goals, ahead of Thomas Bentley (University of Auckland) with 11 and Takato Symons (UC Embers) with 10.

In the assists category, Jae Duguid (UC Embers) led the tournament with eight assists, while Charlotte Scott (UC Embers) recorded four assists, alongside teammate Thomas Laney.

Thank You to the Hosts

UTSNZ congratulates UC Embers on claiming the 2026 title and acknowledges all players who contributed to another successful New Zealand Universities Lacrosse Tournament.

A special thank you goes to the University of Canterbury Lacrosse Club for hosting the tournament and delivering an outstanding event. The commitment of the organising committee, volunteers, officials and participants ensured another memorable weekend of university sport and highlighted the welcoming and inclusive culture that continues to define university lacrosse in New Zealand