Congratulations 2025 College Division II Conference Winners
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With post-season conference tournaments taking place this past weekend, USA Field Hockey is highlighting each conference champion in Division II.
Photo by Jim Stankiewicz
Northeast-10 Conference: Saint Anselm
For the first time since 1996, the Northeast-10 (NE10) Championship was decided in double overtime, and once again, Saint Anselm proved it thrives under pressure. Senior Maggie Burchill buried the game-winner with 1:43 remaining in the second overtime to lift the Hawks past Bentley, 3–2, on Sunday afternoon at Grappone Stadium, securing the program’s third NE10 title and eighth NCAA Championship appearance.
Burchill, who also netted the equalizer late in the third quarter, was named Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. The honor marked a family milestone, her mother, Diedre, twice earned All-NE10 Championship recognition while at Assumption, and Maggie herself made the team in 2023. She now has three goals on the year, all in the last three games.
Saint Anselm’s championship run was built on resilience. The Hawks never held a lead in either the semifinals or the final, yet found ways to survive both in double overtime, marking the first extra-time contests in the NE10 Championship since 2022.
Bentley struck first, grabbing a 1–0 edge just over six minutes in, but Saint Anselm answered less than two minutes later as Marissa Politano redirected a shot from Laurentien van den Akker to even the score. After another Bentley goal made it 2–1 at halftime, the Hawks unleashed relentless pressure in the third quarter, earning nine corners and peppering the cage until Burchill finally broke through to tie it at 2–2.
From there, the Hawks’ defense and junior goalkeeper Mackenzie Wehrum took control. Wehrum made three saves, including a crucial stop in the first overtime, before the offense sealed it late in double OT. On Saint Anselm’s 16th penalty corner of the day, freshman Audrey Payeur gathered a loose ball and slipped it to Burchill, whose low strike slipped through Bentley goalkeeper Annie Lorenz’s pads for the championship clincher.
The victory extended Saint Anselm’s dominance over Bentley to 13 straight wins dating back to 2015. The matchup also marked Bentley’s first title-game appearance since 2009 and continued a streak that has seen either Saint Anselm or Assumption reach six of the last seven NE10 finals.
Photo by Andrew Miller, SU Sports Info
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference: Shippensburg
For the second straight season — and fourth time in program history — Shippensburg University stands atop the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, defeating previously unbeaten Kutztown, 2–1, in front of a packed crowd at Andre Reed Stadium on Sunday. The victory delivered the Raiders their first-ever back-to-back PSAC titles and capped a postseason “revenge tour” that saw them take down every team that had beaten them during the regular season.
Under first-year head coach Rayell Wallace, the Raiders (17–3) became the first PSAC team since 2022 to win three straight tournament games en route to the championship. Their path ran through Bloomsburg (2–0) in the quarterfinals, East Stroudsburg (4–3) in the semis, and finally No. 1 Kutztown (19–1) in the final — the Golden Bears’ first loss of the year.
Shippensburg controlled much of the championship from the start, dominating possession and earning eight first-half corners to build a 2–0 lead. Senior Kayla Snyder opened the scoring with a blistered penalty stroke into the top-left corner, her third conversion of the season, before Carme Caracotche Picone doubled the advantage in the 21st minute off a quick exchange with Lilly Cantabene.
Kutztown’s Erin Gonzalez, the conference’s leading scorer, cut the deficit in half with her 18th goal of the year in the final minutes, sparking a late surge. But the Raiders’ composure held, closing out the match without allowing another shot on goal.
Junior Hannah White was named PSAC Tournament MVP, her defensive leadership and poise anchoring a backline that kept Kutztown largely in check. Goalkeeper Emma Albee made three saves to claim her third career PSAC title, the only active Raider with that distinction.
Shippensburg outshot the Golden Bears 10–9 and held a 9–7 edge in penalty corners, reflecting the balance and discipline that defined its postseason. The Raiders have now won five straight PSAC Tournament games, their longest streak in program history, and improved to 4–0 all-time against Kutztown in conference postseason play.
In her debut season, Wallace guided a team that faced nationally ranked opponents in 14 of 20 contests, winning 11 of them, and restored Shippensburg’s place among Division II’s elite. The Raiders’ eight goals across the 2025 conference playoffs were their most since their first title run in 2005.
Newberry Athletics
South Atlantic Conference: Newberry
History was made at Setzler Field on Sunday afternoon as Newberry captured its first-ever South Atlantic Conference Championship, defeating Lander 3–0 to complete a perfect 18–0 season and earn an automatic berth to the NCAA Division II Tournament.
The victory capped a storybook year for the Wolves and head coach Hannah Dave, who not only guided her team to an undefeated record but also celebrated her 100th career win. In just 13 seasons since the program’s inception, Newberry has gone from winless in its debut year to conference champions and the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Newberry wasted no time asserting control in the title match. Less than nine minutes in, junior forward Wibien Dahmen opened the scoring to ignite the home crowd. Four minutes later, Parker Keeler doubled the lead off an assist from Lieke Varenkamp, and the Wolves were firmly in command. In the second quarter, freshman Amber Tozana added the finishing touch, converting a feed from Keeler to make it 3–0. From there, the defense and goalkeeper Ayanda Mangenah handled the rest, Mangenah recorded five saves to secure her sixth shutout of the season and the team’s 10th overall.
The championship performance reflected the balance and depth that have defined Newberry’s season. The Wolves outshot Lander 21–9 and earned 13 penalty corners while holding their opponents to just one.
The triumph also underscored how far the program has come under Dave’s leadership. Since taking over in 2017, she has transformed Newberry into a consistent contender, leading the team to seven consecutive winning seasons and back-to-back SAC regular season titles. The 2025 squad, featuring eight All-Conference honorees.
Images courtesy of Jim Stankiewicz / Saint Anselm Athletics, Andrew Miller (SU Sports Info), Newberry Athletics
