2026 NCAA Field Hockey Season Preview: Division II
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by Allison Keefe / The Field Hockey Analyst
It’s been a busy offseason for Division II Field Hockey, with the addition of Dominican University of New York and the East Coast Conference (ECC) officially sponsoring the sport. With so much change to the Division II landscape in the past few years, it’s more exciting than ever. You can catch the action starting Thursday, September 3, and get ready by reading below!
Shippensburg
The reigning NCAA Division II Champions are looking to run it back again this year, in what would be their seventh NCAA championship. The Raiders' run to the National Championship last season was led by Rayell Wallace, who was in her first season as head coach at Shippensburg. As she enters her second season at the helm, she has a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship, NCAA Championship, four All-Americans, and seven All-PSAC players on her resume.
The team faced some big losses this offseason, most notably goalkeeper Emma Albee and forward Lilly Cantabene, both named First Team All-Americans, and Second Team All-American Agus Garibaldi. Albee was second in the nation for save percentage and third for goals-against average last fall.
In the PSAC Preseason Poll, the Raiders were picked to finish second, while receiving two first-place votes. Leading the charge to end with a better finish are captains McKenna Boyle, Kayla Snyder, and Hannah White.
Shippensburg has eight newcomers joining them this fall, with Jordan Bilbo, Juana Caracotche Picone, Adriana Hopple, Alexis McKenzie, Kate Page, Isabel Rios, Liv Schweighart, and McKenna Turner.
Newberry
The Wolves made history last fall as the team earned its first trip to the NCAA championship game, marking just the second time in history a South Atlantic Conference (SAC) team has qualified for the tournament. They fell just short of the championship, due to an overtime goal from Shippensburg.
With their efforts so close last season, Newberry is looking to head back to the championship this year and return as a very hungry squad. Leading the charge is Parker Keeler, who was named the NFHCA Player of the Year last season. Player of the Year is just one note on her long list of accomplishments last fall, which includes NFHCA First Team All-American, Synapse Sports All-American, Synapse Sports National Offensive Player of the Year, NFHCA Atlantic Region Player of the Year, and SAC Offensive Player of the Year. Keeler will be joined by her twin sister, Payton Keeler, who was the MVP of the 2025 SAC Tournament and a Second Team All-American. Also returning for the Wolves is goalkeeper Ayanda Mangenah, along with Amber Tozana, who both represented Zimbabwe at the 2025 Junior World Cup.
Newberry is led by the 2025 NFHCA Coaching Staff of the Year, including head coach Hannah Dave, who took over the program in 2017.
Kutztown
Picked to finish first in the PSAC, the Golden Bears made it to the NCAA semifinals last fall, where they lost to eventual champions Shippensburg. While they did not end with a title, the 2025 season was record-breaking for Kutztown, with the program having its most wins in a single season and longest winning streak.
Returning in the Maroon and Gold are First Team All-Americans Olivia Kirkpatrick, Julia Traynor, and Marissa Rice. In her redshirt sophomore campaign, Kirkpatrick was named the PSAC Defensive Athlete of the Year. In goal for Kutztown is Tess Adolf, who was named the 2025 PSAC Rookie of the Year.
Kutztown boosts a large incoming class, with eleven first-years joining them. The incoming class is full of local talent, with eight of the athletes coming from Pennsylvania.
West Chester
West Chester was picked to finish 3rd in the PSAC Preseason Poll, earning one first-place vote. Returning for the Golden Rams are First Team All-Americans Gianna Funari and Veerle Hersman. Also returning is Third Team All-PSAC honoree, Sofia Brown.
Assumption
Assumption was tabbed to finish first in the Northeast 10 Conference (NE10) Preseason Poll. In the 2025 season, the Greyhounds finished with a 13-7 record, falling to Bentley in the NE10 Semifinals and to Kutztown in the NCAA Quarterfinals. Seniors Daisy Stone and Julia Carbone will be returning this fall; both had over 20 points last season.
Dominican (NY)
Dominican University will be taking the pitch for the first time this year. The team in Orangeburg, NY, will be joining the East Coast Conference (ECC), which will be sponsoring field hockey for the first time this season. They will be led by Evan Drauschak, who was previously the head coach of Marian University (DIII).
