DUDLEY, Mass. (6/4/2026) - The 2026 Nichols College men's lacrosse team took a significant step forward, returning to the Conference of New England (CNE) Championship Tournament and laying the foundation for continued success under fourth-year head coach, Shayne Lynch.

After finishing outside the playoff picture in 2025, the Bison rebounded with an 8-10 overall record and a 4-5 mark in conference play, securing the No. 6 seed in the CNE Tournament - the program's eighth postseason appearance. Nichols clinched its playoff berth with an 11-8 victory over Curry in the regular-season finale before advancing to the conference quarterfinals.

The Bison showcased one of the conference's most balanced statistical profiles throughout the season. Nichols finished with 182 goals (10.7 per game) while ranking among the CNE leaders in several categories, including first in both man-up (23) and man-down (3) goals, second in faceoff percentage (.609), third in caused turnovers (180), and fourth in ground balls (621).

Offensively, senior attacker Conor Doherty paced the Bison with a team-best 38 goals, 17 assists, and 55 points, ranking him among the conference leaders in scoring. The Bison senior also eclipsed the 100-career point milestone during a standout five-goal, two-assist performance against CNE opponent Gordon College, where the team defeated the Fighting Scots by a lopsided 23-10 margin. Earlier in the campaign, the Bison also turned in a 24-7 triumph over Anna Maria College, their highest single-game scoring performance since the spring of 2022.

The season featured several other key victories, including a dramatic comeback win in their season opener against Lasell University, 12-10 at Vendetti Field, with the Bison scoring five unanswered goals to erase a three-goal deficit late. Nichols also earned a 14-12 spring break win over Alfred University, a 9-5 win at Manhattanville University, and a 10-8 win over the University of New England in the team's CNE opener, in addition to their postseason-clinching triumph over Curry in the regular season finale.  

At the faceoff X, senior Travis Arnold delivered a historic season, helping Nichols finish among the conference's top teams in possession metrics, while also setting the program's all-time record for both single-season and career ground balls, and the all-time leader for career faceoff wins.

Both Doherty and Arnold were recognized with post-season honors following the campaign, with Doherty earning All-CNE Second Team recognition, marking the second all-conference selection of his career, and Arnold receiving All-CNE Third Team after his breakout season.

SEASON LEADERS
Goals: Conor Doherty (38)
Assists: Conor Doherty, Kane Williams (17)
Points: Conor Doherty (55)
Ground Balls: Travis Arnold (141)
Faceoff Wins: Travis Arnold (244)
Caused Turnovers: Cam Ayotte (24)
Man-Up Goals: Conor Doherty (7)
 
SEASON AWARDS
CNE Offensive Player of the Week (3/2): Tyler Olivo
CNE Specialist of the Week (3/2): Travis Arnold
CNE Defensive Player of the Week (3/23): Carter Renaud
NEILA Team of the Week (3/30): Conor Doherty, Shea Ullo
CNE All-Conference Second Team: Conor Doherty
CNE All-Conference Third Team: Travis Arnold
CNE Community Service Team: Jackson Hernandez