Marlborough, Mass. - October 31, 2026 - The 2026 New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) field hockey regular season has been completed and the six-team NEWMAC Championship Tournament field has been set.

MIT, which finished the 2026 regular season with an overall record of 8-1 following Saturday's final day of the regular season, clinched the NEWMAC's regular season title for the first time since 2011 and for just the third time in program history. The Engineers handed then ranked No. 9 Babson its first NEWMAC regular season loss since 2015, a stretch of 80 matches, back on October 6 en route to its 9-0 mark in conference play this fall. The Engineers will await the winner of #4 Smith vs. #5 WPI for a semifinal matchup on Thursday, November 5 at 6:00 pm in Cambridge. MIT defeated both Smith (2-1) and WPI (3-1) during the regular season.

Fourth-seeded Smith will enter the tournament with a record of 5-4 in conference play following Saturday's 2-0 win over WPI in Northampton. The victory this afternoon for the Bears secured a home game for Smith and will have a rematch with Worcester's Engineers on Tuesday evening at 7:00 pm.

Babson, now ranked 18th in the latest National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division III national poll, earned the second seed in this year's tournament. The Beavers have won five straight NEWMAC championships and have won ten consecutive conference tournament contests since 2021 surrendering just two goals over that stretch - both to MIT - one in each of the 2022 and 2023 NEWMAC championship matches. Should Babson and MIT meet in the NEWMAC final this year, it would mark Babson's first road conference tournament game since 2014 when the Beavers fell to Wellesley in the semifinal round.

Babson will await the winner of #3 Wellesley vs. #6 Springfield for a semifinal matchup on Thursday, November 5 at 6:00 pm. This year's #3 seed belongs to Wellesley College, its highest finish in the conference standings since 2021. The Blue are slated to take on sixth-seeded Springfield in a quarterfinal match on Tuesday, November 3 at 6:00 pm on the campus of Wellesley College. During the regular season Wellesley edged the Pride, 1-0, on the road.

A champion will be crowned on Saturday, November 7 at the site of the highest remaining seed. The winner will receive the NEWMAC's automatic berth to the 2026 NCAA Division III Field Hockey National Championship Tournament. 

Babson will enter next week's tournament as winners of five straight NEWMAC field hockey titles. Since the NEWMAC began in 1998, Babson and Springfield have both won the most NEWMAC field hockey championships with seven apiece. MIT, which has five NEWMAC titles, will be searching for its first conference championship since 2019. Wellesley has four, Mount Holyoke has three and Smith has one, which came at the conclusion of the 2018 season.

All games next week will be streamed on FloCollege. If you haven't done so already, you can purchase your subscription here: flosports.link/464f4pc.

If attending games on campus, all tickets will be $10. NEWMAC students will be admitted free of charge with the proof of a student ID.

Be sure to check the NEWMAC website on Monday for a complete preview of this year's NEWMAC Field Hockey Championship Tournament.

QUARTERFINALS | Tuesday, November 3 | at Higher Seeds
Game 1	#4 Smith vs. #5 WPI	7:00 pm
Game 2	#3 Wellesley vs. #6 Springfield	6:00 pm
SEMIFINALS | Thursday, November 5 | at Higher Seeds
Game 3	#1 MIT vs. Winner of Game 1	6:00 pm
Game 4	#2 Babson vs. Winner of Game 2	6:00 pm
CHAMPIONSHIP | Saturday, November 7 | at Highest Remaining Seed
Game 5	Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4	Time TBA

About the NEWMAC
The NEWMAC is an association of 13 selective academic institutions: Babson College, Clark University, U.S Coast Guard Academy, Emerson College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Saint Anselm College (beginning reclassification process with NCAA in 2027-28), Salve Regina University, Smith College, Springfield College, Wellesley College, Wheaton College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, that are committed to providing high quality competitive athletic opportunities for student-athletes within an educational and respectful environment that embodies the NCAA Division III Philosophy. The conference also partners with seven Associate Members: New York University (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), Norwich University (Football), Simmons College (Rowing), SUNY Maritime College (Football), SUNY New Paltz (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Football), and Vassar College (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), while sponsoring 21 sports.