Indianapolis, Ind. - November 8, 2026 - After winning the 2026 New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) field hockey title on Saturday, 17th ranked Babson College has been selected to compete in the Division III National Championship Tournament as the league’s automatic qualifier for the sixth straight year as the NCAA announced on its selection show late on Sunday evening.
The 2026 NCAA Division III Field Hockey National Championship bracket features 28 programs from across the country - 18 of which earned their respective conference’s automatic berth via championship title and ten via at-large selection per the NCAA National Power Index (NPI).
Babson (15-6), ranked 17th in the latest National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division III national coaches poll and 14th in the final NPI ranking, will host Union College (NY) in a first round game on Wednesday, November 11 at 3:00 pm on MacDowell Field in Babson Park. Union, the 25th ranked team in the NPI, earned its way to the national tournament after winning the Liberty League title on Saturday against 20th-ranked RPI.
The winner in Babson Park will travel to No. 2 nationally-ranked Middlebury College for second and third round play on Saturday, November 14 and Sunday, November 15. The rest of Middlebury’s quadrant of the bracket features Hamilton College, the University of Southern Maine, Wesleyan University (CT) and SUNY Geneseo. Hamilton and Wesleyan, ranked seventh and tenth, respectively, in the NPI were at-large selections, while Southern Maine won the Little East Conference title and SUNY Geneseo won the Empire 8 championship.
Babson has a deep history in the NCAA Division III Field Hockey National Championship Tournament as the Beavers reached the Final Four in 2016, 2023 and 2025. This fall will mark Babson’s 11 all-time appearance on the national stage with a record of 12-10 in 22 contests dating back to 2005. Babson has hosted at least one game in every NCAA Tournament it has reached.
The national semifinal and championship games will be hosted in Geneva, New York at McCooey Field on the campus of William Smith College on November 20 and November 22.
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.