2026 NCAA Field Hockey Season Preview: Division III

Consistently one of the strongest programs in Division III, Johns Hopkins has been picked first in the 2026 Centennial Conference Preseason Poll. In 2025, the team finished with a 22-2 record, with their losses coming in opening weekend against Christopher Newport and then in the National Championship match against Tufts. The team earned its seventh straight conference title with a 4-1 win over Dickinson.

Returning for the Blue Jays is All-American Second Team honoree, Caeli Robinson. Robinson is a senior midfielder who was also named First Team NFHCA All-Region and First Team All-Centennial Conference last fall. Also back are goalkeeper Aubrey Kilgore, who was named First Team NFHCA All-Region, and Ada Farmer, who was named Second Team NFHCA All-Region.

A big name missing for Johns Hopkins this fall is Jenna Halpin, who was the 2025 NFHCA Defensive Player of the Year. She will be joining the team on the sidelines as an assistant coach this season.

The 2025 season was the first time since 2017 where the Panthers did not end as the NCAA Champions. They’ll be looking to bounce back to the top this fall, and reclaim their throne in both the NESCAC and NCAA.

The Panthers are led by Katharine DeLorenzo, who has been at the helm since 2001. In her tenure, she has won eight National Championships, ten NESCAC Titles, and led the NFHCA DIII Coaching Staff of the Year eight times. Their assistant coaches are Jackie Mountford, who has been with the team since 2023, and Noah den Hartog, who joins the team this year after spending last season at Dartmouth.

On the pitch, Third Team All-American, Megan Fuqua will be holding down the midfield. The First Team All-Region player started in all 17 matches last season, contributing 14 goals. Also in the midfield is second-year, Addie Chandler, and senior, Claire McMichael, who combined for 37 points for Middlebury.

The Captains return an arsenal of talent to Virginia this year, including Courtney Hughlett, whose resume includes NFHCA First Team All-American, Synapse Sports National Defensive Player of the Year, and VaSID All-State Player of the Year. Also returning is Caroline Hughlett, who was named NFHCA All-American, and Lindsey Loar, who earned Third Team All-American honors.

Christopher Newport enters the season conference-less for the second season in a row, and will need an at-large bid to advance to the NCAA tournament. Last season they were able to achieve this, and earn themselves a place in the semifinals, where they fell to eventual champions, Tufts.

Bates earned its first NESCAC championship in program history, shutting out Wesleyan 2-0 last November. They will be returning First Team All-American, Haley Dwight. Dwight is a defender for the Bobcats, being named the NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year. In goal for Bates will be Ava Donohue, who led the NESCAC in shutouts last fall.

Finishing first in the NEWMAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll, the Beavers are looking to earn their sixth-straight conference title this year. Junior Penny Baroni was named a Second Team All-American last season, finishing second on the team in scoring. Also returning for the Beavers is sophomore Anna Bonazzoli, who earned All-Region I First Team, while holding down the backfield.

The Sea Gulls took home the SUNYAC title last fall, during their first year in the conference. While they graduated NFHCA Region II Player of the Year Marli McDorman, they are bringing in eleven first-years to the squad. They also return Regan Worley, who earned Second Team All-SUNYAC honors last season.

WPI had a historic fall, earning their first trip to the NCAA tournament since 1993 on an at-large bid. They went on to have their first tournament win since 1989 against Stevenson, before falling to Johns Hopkins in the second round. Headlining the returning athletes from WPI is goalkeeper Myles Lakin, who was named the NEWMAC Defensive Player of the Year, along with All-Region I First Team.