The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association released postseason brackets last week for the 2026 girls lacrosse state tournament.
Regional play begins May 26, followed by regional semifinals May 28 and regional finals June 2. Sectional semifinals are scheduled for June 4, with sectional finals taking place June 6 to determine the two state qualifiers for the 2026 WIAA state girls lacrosse championship June 13 in Sun Prairie.
Kettle Moraine took home the inaugural WIAA state title in the first sanctioned season by the association in 2024. The Lasers came within a goal of repeating in 2025, but fell 10-9 to Hudson in the state final.
Here are three Milwaukee-area girls lacrosse programs with the best chance to win a state title in 2026.
Brookfield
Stat leaders: Tess Lee (145 points, 70 goals, 75 assists); Yulina Kanda (69 PTS, 55 G, 14 AST); Chloe Georg (66 PTS, 45 G, 21 AST); Sarah Prudlow (108 draw controls, 29 ground balls); Helen Zgonc (5-2, 86 saves, 53.1%).
Seed, regional semifinal matchup: No. 2 seed, facing winner of No. 15 Wauwatosa and No. 18 Oak Creek.
The argument for Brookfield boils down to the simple fact that its lineup is led by the likely state player of the year in Tess Lee. At regular season’s end, Lee is second in goals and assists while leading the state in points by 24. She has been an offensive machine for Brookfield as both a scorer and facilitator, leading an offense that has been held under 11 goals just once this season while scoring 20 or more six times. Brookfield did drop games to the other two teams on this list as well as reigning state champion Hudson amid a 13-3 season, but the first two were in early April while the May 6 loss to Kenosha was by a single goal in a 16-15 final. The offense led by Lee can score with any in the state, but it remains to be seen whether this team can maintain runs against top competition.
Kenosha
Stat leaders: Sophia Olden (75 PTS, 63 G, 12 AST, 94 DC); Tayler Lother (75 PTS, 54 G, 21 AST, 66 GB); Emma Amos (53 PTS, 34 G, 19 AST); Sofie Mucklin (11-3, 153 SV, 57.1%).
Seed, regional semifinal matchup: No. 3 seed, vs. No. 14 Homestead.
The aforementioned one-goal win over Brookfield is the feather in the cap of the Greater Metro/Midwest Classic Conference champions, but this team may still have something to prove this postseason. Kenosha has the state’s third-leading scorer in the regular season in Olden, who is also eighth in draw controls. Lother is a top-10 turnover creator in the state, which will prove valuable as the screws tighten for teams in the playoffs. Mucklin has been solid in goal, but the number of saves suggests some defensive vulnerabilities in front of her that may rear their head later in the postseason. After earning No. 8 seeds in the past two postseasons that prefaced early exits, this Kenosha team looks like one ready to break through with a much longer run in 2026.
University School of Milwaukee
Stat leaders: Sofie Bucher (121 PTS, 84 G, 37 AST); Darcy Doyle (107 PTS, 91 G, 16 AST, 139 DC); Gabi Ortiz Fleet (44 PTS, 34 G, 10 AST); Carson Markgraf (46 GB); Alice Gardner (12-3, 88 SV, 39.8%).
Seed, regional semifinal matchup: No. 1 seed, facing winner of No. 16 Cedarburg and No. 17 Hamilton.
The Wildcats have been right there among the top teams in the state in the first two seasons of WIAA-sanctioned play, and a third straight season with a top seed shows that trend is in no danger of slowing down. The dynamic duo of Bucher and Doyle provides the engine that makes this team go, as Doyle leads the state in goals and Bucher has the most assists at the end of the regular season. Bucher and Doyle’s point totals are second and third, respectively, in the state, while Doyle is also second in draw controls. USM won its first 10 games of the season before losing three of four earlier this month. Two of those were out-of-state losses to Illinois and Minnesota programs, and the third was to reigning state champion Hudson 17-7 on May 16. Those two would not meet again until a potential state final this year, which could very well be in USM’s future.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brookfield, Kenosha, USM top girls lacrosse state title contenders
Reporting by Zac Bellman, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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