2026 College of Lake County Athletics Fall Preview
The fall season is officially underway, and College of Lake County Athletics is ready to showcase another exciting group of Lancers. With competition across the volleyball court, soccer field, tennis courts and golf course, CLC enters the 2026-27 athletic year with a combination of returning experience, talented newcomers and new leadership.
From postseason-tested programs to teams building toward their next step forward, there will be plenty to follow this fall.
Women's Volleyball
The CLC Women's Volleyball team enters the 2026 season under the leadership of Head Coach Sam Choy, looking to establish an identity early and compete throughout a challenging Region 4 schedule.
The Lancers open their season at the Rock Valley Tournament on August 21 before beginning regular competition against familiar regional opponents. The early portion of the schedule includes matchups with Elgin Community College and McHenry County College, giving CLC an immediate opportunity to test itself against strong competition.
With a long season ahead, the focus will be on building consistency, developing chemistry and continuing to improve as the team moves toward conference and postseason play.
Men's Soccer
A new era of CLC Men's Soccer began in 2025 under Head Coach Brad Earnest.
The Lancers will look to build on the foundation of last year's team while welcoming a new group of student-athletes ready to make an impact. The 2025 squad showed flashes of its potential, earning victories over Dominican University, South Suburban College, Wilbur Wright College and Malcolm X College.
With a new season comes a new opportunity to establish the program's identity. The focus will be on continued development, competitiveness and building momentum throughout the fall as the Lancers take on a demanding slate of Region 4 opponents.
Women's Soccer
The CLC Women's Soccer program is coming off a competitive 2025 season that included a trip to the NJCAA Region 4 Tournament and a first-round postseason victory over Milwaukee Area Technical College.
The Lancers finished the regular season with several impressive performances, including victories over Harper College, Prairie State College, Triton College, Oakton College and nationally ranked Lincoln Land Community College. CLC's 2-0 victory over No. 19 Lincoln Land highlighted the team's ability to compete with some of the top programs in the region.
Head Coach Kevin Talbot returns to lead the program, and the 2026 roster features a blend of returning sophomores and incoming talent. With 6 returning sophomores, alongside a group of newcomers that includes 14 freshman joining the program, the Lancers will look to continue building on last season's postseason appearance.
Women's Tennis
The CLC Women's Tennis team enters the fall with a talented roster featuring a strong mix of returning players and freshmen.
Sophomores Melanie Garcia and Valerie Mendoza provide experience, while Sophie Lelchuk, Reagan Mohr, Ananya Murli and Emeri Oliver join the program as newcomers. The combination gives the Lancers both continuity and new depth heading into the fall season.
Under Head Coach Betsy Poggensee, CLC will look to build throughout its regular-season schedule and prepare for the always competitive NJCAA Region 4 Championship. The program showed its ability to compete last season with wins over Elgin Community College, Waubonsee Community College and College of DuPage, and the Lancers will look to take another step forward in 2026.
Men's Golf
The CLC Men's Golf team returns to the course under Head Coach Chris Wyniawskyj with a young group that gained valuable experience during the 2025-26 season.
The Lancers' roster includes two returning freshmen from last season: Jack Calhoun of Grayslake and Adam Joseph of Libertyville. That local core gained experience competing against some of the top programs in Region 4 and will look to continue its development heading into the new season.
CLC's fall schedule traditionally features a demanding collection of events against regional competition, with tournaments and conference competition providing opportunities for the Lancers to measure their progress throughout the semester. The goal will be continued improvement this fall while building toward the NJCAA Region 4 Championship later in the academic year.
A Big Fall Ahead for the Lancers
The 2026 fall season represents another exciting chapter for College of Lake County Athletics. Across five programs, the Lancers will feature experienced student-athletes, promising newcomers and coaches committed to helping their teams compete at a high level.
As the season gets underway, fans can follow schedules, results, rosters and the latest news through the official College of Lake County Athletics website.
It's a new season, new opportunities and another chance for the Lancers to compete, grow and represent College of Lake County with pride. #TheLancerWay
