Marlborough, Mass. - November 3, 2026 - With the 2026 New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Field Hockey Championship Tournament beginning this evening at 6:00 pm, below you can find a complete preview of this year’s playoff field.
2026 Tournament Central Page: https://newmacsports.com/tournaments/?id=108
2026 Tournament Bracket: https://shorturl.at/2gYZ4?
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No. 1 MIT (12-6)
MIT earned the top seed in the NEWMAC Field Hockey Tournament for the first time since 2011 and for just the third time in program history. The Engineers have competed in every conference tournament since the NEWMAC began in 1998 and have a record of 25-22 in 47 total games. MIT has reached the championship final 12 times which included a run of eight straight years from 2016-24 and won the team title in both 2017 and 2019. The Engineers are led offensively by Ingrid Tomovski (Bosch en Duin, Netherlands), who has totaled ten goals and eight assists for 28 points. Janie Thomas (Houston, Texas) and Meredith Wu (Southborough, Mass.) have also notched double-digit point totals. In the cage, first-year Alexia Ninios (London, England) has earned 12 wins and has made 79 saves in over 1100 minutes in the cage. MIT ranks sixth in Division III in penalty corners per game (11.00).
No. 2 Babson (13-6)
Babson, ranked 17th in the latest NFHCA Division III national poll, has won five straight NEWMAC titles and enters the conference tournament for the 28th time. The Beavers have reached the championship finals in eight of the past nine seasons and has not played a conference tournament game away from Babson Park since 2014. Should Babson and MIT meet in the title game it would only be Babson’s 11th road tournament game in 46 total games played. Babson’s potent offense is guided by Penny Baroni (Dennis, Mass.), who has 23 goals and nine assists for 55 points this year. Helen DiGiovanni (Harwich, Mass.) and Kate Schneider (Walpole, Mass.) also have 20+ points for Babson this fall as the Beavers have totaled 75 goals as a team. In the cage, Madison Tibbals (Gorham, Maine) has played over 900 minutes and has made 34 saves on 51 total shots faced. Babson ranks seventh in Division III in assists per game (2.79), seventh in points per game (10.68) and eighth in goals per game (3.95). Baroni individually ranks eighth nationally in goals per game and ninth in points per game, while Grace Mullaney (Boxford, Mass.) sits 19th in assists per game (0.58).
No. 3 Wellesley (7-10)
Wellesley has a deep history in the NEWMAC Tournament having won eight conference titles and 11 regular season championships. The Blue have reached the NEWMAC semifinal round three times since 2017 and will be looking for their first conference title since 2014. Wellesley has won 46 NEWMAC Tournament games in its history. Wellesley has won four straight games heading into tonight’s game against Springfield including a historic victory over MIT on Saturday as the Blue topped the Engineers for the first time since 2018. Wellesley is led by Madeline Hamstra (Houston, Texas) and Gabi Chen (Mountain View, Calif.), who both have tallied a team-best four goals this fall. In the cage, Hannah Simmonds (Austin, Texas), the most recent NEWMAC Defensive Athlete of the Week, has made 53 saves and has produced four shutouts for the Blue in 2026. Simmonds ranks 43rd in Division III in goals against average and 44th in save percentage heading into the NEWMAC Tournament.
No. 4 Smith (8-10)
Smith is making its ninth appearance in the NEWMAC Tournament since 1998 and for the first time since 2023. The Bears claimed their first and only conference championship title in 2018 when Smith topped MIT, 2-1, in overtime eventually reaching the second round of the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament. Smith sports a balanced offense as four student-athletes have recorded six or more goals. Megan O’Connor (Portsmouth, R.I.) and Molly van Brunschot (Amsterdam, Netherlands) have both tallied a team-best 20 points. In the cage, Iseul Park (Ann Arbor, Michigan) had made 108 saves and has a .730 save percentage this fall for the Bears. Smith ranks 65th in Division III in goals per game (2.39).
No. 5 WPI (7-10)
WPI is making its eighth straight trip to the NEWMAC Field Hockey Tournament and is coming off a historic 2025 run that saw the Engineers reach the conference final for the first time in program history. Prior to the NEW8 becoming the NEWMAC in 1998, WPI won conference titles in 1988, 1990, 1991 and 1992. This season, WPI’s balanced offense has seen seven student-athletes tally two or more goals led by a four goal performance by Madeline Chase (Danvers, Mass.). Emma Barton (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) has also recorded a team-best ten points in 2026. In the cage, Myles Lakin (Reading, Mass.) has made 110 saves and has recorded three shutouts to go along with an .815 save percentage for the Engineers in nearly 1000 minutes of action. WPI ranks 40th in the country in save percentage thanks to Lakin’s play. Lakin is also the NEWMAC leader in save percentage, ranking 24th nationally in that category.
No. 6 Springfield (11-7)
Springfield is making its fifth straight appearance in the NEWMAC Field Hockey Tournament in 2026 and is looking for its NEWMAC-leading eighth conference tournament title. The Pride and the Beavers of Babson lead the conference in NEWMAC titles with seven apiece since 1998. Springfield won five straight tournaments from 2004-2008. Springfield is 2-2 in the NEWMAC Tournament since 2022 after a 2-1 win over Salve Regina in the quarterfinals last year. Rachel Simkewicz (Westminster, Mass.) leads the offensive efforts for the Pride with 11 goals and five assists for 27 points. Ava Coppola (Southington, Conn.), Clare Moore (New Preston, Conn.) and Lily Bialack (Bridgewater, Conn.) have all also scored five or more goals in 2026. Moore has also been the backbone of Springfield’s defensive unit this year. In the cage, Sam Orcutt (Forestdale, Mass.) has played over 1100 minutes and has made 87 saves (.757 save percentage) in ten victories for the Pride in 2026. Orcutt ranks 50th in Division III in goals against average.
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.