2026 Season Preview
The 2026 NCAA Division III field hockey season is poised to open with Tufts and Johns Hopkins emerging as the early favorites, following Tufts' historic championship that ended a seven‑year title drought.
Hannah Biccard, who scored the decisive goal in the 2025 title game against Johns Hopkins, returns as a central figure after being crowned the 2025 National Player of the Year and graduating in the spring of 2026. Her clutch performance not only secured the championship but also earned her the 2025 National Player of the Year honor, a milestone that will loom over the upcoming campaign.
Coach Tina Mattera, who guided the team to that breakthrough, added a Bronze Medal at the 2025 Masters Indoor World Cup, underscoring her growing influence on the program.
Johns Hopkins, meanwhile, closed the 2025 season with a 22‑2 record and a 4‑1 victory over Dickinson that clinched their seventh straight conference title, setting a high bar for their rivals.
Among the standout returnees for the Blue Jays is Caeli Robinson, an All‑American midfielder who earned First Team NFHCA All‑Region and First Team All‑Centennial Conference accolades last year.
Middlebury, a program with eight national championships and ten NESCAC titles since 2001, will again be a threat, led by forward Katharine DeLorenzo and third‑team All‑American midfielder Megan Fuqua, who netted 14 goals in 2025.
Christopher Newport, entering the season without a formal conference affiliation, will rely on Courtney Hughlett, a NFHCA First Team All‑American defender, to anchor their back line.
Bates College celebrated its first NESCAC championship in program history this past spring, with Haley Dwight earning Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Finally, WPI broke a long‑standing drought by securing its first NCAA tournament win since 1993, defeating Stevenson before falling to Johns Hopkins in the second round.