Tufts field hockey sits atop Division III NFHCA college field hockey poll
Tufts opens its NCAA Division III college field hockey season hosting Trinity College. Photo: Jana Benscoter
The Tufts field hockey program won its second national title in 2025, defeating Johns Hopkins 2-1 in overtime.
The Jumbos finished the season 19-3, with losses to Williams College, Babson College and Wesleyan University.
The National Field Hockey Coaches Association has Tufts ranked No. 1 in the organization’s preseason Division III college field hockey poll. The preseason poll was published Tuesday.
Babson is ranked No. 3, and Wesleyan sits at No. 8.
Tufts starts its season on Sept. 5, when the Jumbos host Trinity College in a New England Small College Athletic Conference game.
Johns Hopkins, which is ranked No. 2, kicks off its 2026 campaign against Lynchburg, following two scrimmages scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 25, against Catholic and Aug. 28 against Stevenson.
The Blue Jays’ Division III opener is Sept. 1 against Lynchburg at Shenandoah University.
Hopkins went 22-2 last season, losing to Christopher Newport 5-3 and then to Tufts in the national championship.
Babson College plays its first official game of the college field hockey season on Sept. 1 at Endicott.
The Beavers had an identical record to Hopkins at 22-2. Last year’s squad lost to Middlebury and then to Johns Hopkins, 2-1 in overtime, in the NCAA Division III semifinals.
According to the NFHCA, “the poll is intended to provide a weekly snapshot of the nation’s top-performing programs based on results, strength of competition, and insight from the sport’s coaching community. Beginning after the second week of regular-season competition, teams must maintain a .500 record or better to be eligible for ranking consideration.
“These rankings reflect the collective assessment of the designated voting coaches each week and are designed to spotlight performance on a national scale. The Coaches Polls are independent of the NCAA Championship selection process and are not intended to predict or determine postseason qualification or seeding.”
Here is the list of DIII college field hockey teams with the most votes from the NFHCA’s preseason coaches poll:
25. The College of New Jersey
24. Worcester Polytechnic Institute
23. Washington and Lee
22. Messiah
21. Haverford
20. Shenandoah
19. Amherst College
18. Lynchburg
17. Stevenson
16. Franklin & Marshall College
15. Bowdoin College
14. Rowan
12. Stevens Institute of Technology
12. Hamilton College
11. Williams College
10. Endicott College
9. Dickinson College
8. Wesleyan
7. Middlebury College
5. Salisbury
5. Bates College
4. Christopher Newport
3. Babson College
2. Johns Hopkins
1. Tufts
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