The NCAA Division I field hockey tournament is an American intercollegiate field hockey tournament that is conducted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and it determines the Division I national champion. The tournament has been held annually since 1981.
The championship is contested exclusively by the women's teams and there is no equivalent NCAA men's field hockey championship.
The most successful team is the North Carolina Tar Heels, who have eleven titles. In addition, North Carolina has finished national runner-up an NCAA record eleven times.
The most recent championship, in 2025, was won by the Northwestern Wildcats.
History
Field hockey was one of 12 women's sports added to the NCAA championship program for the 1981–82 school year, as the NCAA engaged in battle with the AIAW for sole governance of women's collegiate sports. The AIAW continued to conduct its established championship program in the same 12 (and other) sports; however, after a year of dual women's championships, the NCAA overcame the AIAW and usurped its authority and membership. The first NCAA women's national championship events were staged November 21–22, 1981, in cross country and field hockey.
The tournament originally began with six teams but it has since expanded to currently with 18 schools; at different times a third-place game has been played as well. Under the tournament's current format, the 18 teams qualify for the tournament with two play-in games. The play-in games and first two rounds are played at the home turf of the higher seeds in each matchup. The final four teams then move on to the championship rounds at a predetermined site.
AIAW champions 1975: West Chester State 1976: West Chester State (2) 1977: West Chester State (3) 1978: West Chester State (4) 1979: Long Beach State 1980: Penn State 1981: Penn State (2)
Past champions NCAA Division I Field Hockey ChampionshipYear Site(Host Team)StadiumChampionshipThird Place Final / SemifinalistsChampionScoreRunner-upThird-placeScoreFourth-place1981 DetailsStorrs, CTMemorial StadiumUConn4–1Massachusetts Old Dominion 2–1(2OT, PS)Long Beach State1982 DetailsPhiladelphia, PAGeasey Field Old Dominion 3–2 UConn Delaware4–0Penn State1983 DetailsPhiladelphia, PAFranklin Field Old Dominion (2) 3–1(3 OT) UConnMassachusetts 2–1(2OT, PS)Northwestern1984 DetailsSpringfield, MAStagg Field Old Dominion (3) 5–1 IowaTemple, UConn1985 DetailsNorfolk, VAForeman Field UConn (2) 3–2 Old DominionNorthwestern5–0Boston U.1986 DetailsNorfolk, VAForeman Field Iowa 2–1(2 OT) New HampshireNorth Carolina4–0Penn State1987 DetailsChapel Hill, NCNavy Field Maryland 2–1(OT) North CarolinaMassachusetts 3–1Iowa 1988 DetailsPhiladelphia, PAFranklin Field Old Dominion (4) 2–1 IowaNortheastern1–0Penn1989 DetailsSpringfield, MAStagg Field North Carolina 2–1(3OT, PS) Old DominionNorthwestern2–1Iowa 1990 DetailsPiscataway, NJBauer Field Old Dominion (5) 5–0 North CarolinaIowa 1–0Penn State1991 DetailsVillanova, PAVillanova Stadium Old Dominion (6) 2–0 North CarolinaMaryland2–1(OT)Penn State1992 DetailsRichmond, VACary Street Field Old Dominion (7) 4–0 IowaNorth Carolina, Massachusetts 1993 DetailsPiscataway, NJBauer Field Maryland (2) 2–1(2OT, PS) North CarolinaPenn State, Iowa 1994 DetailsBrookline, MAParsons Field James Madison 2–1(2OT, PS) North CarolinaNorthwestern, Iowa 1995 DetailsWinston-Salem, NCKentner StadiumFacilities. Kentner Stadiumwakeforestsports.com North Carolina (2) 5–1 MarylandJames Madison, Northeastern1996 DetailsChestnut Hill, MAAlumni Stadium North Carolina (3) 3–0 PrincetonOld Dominion, Northeastern1997 DetailsStorrs, CTGeorge J. Sherman Family-Sports ComplexNorth Carolina (4) 3–2 Old Dominion·Virginia, Princeton1998 DetailsPhiladelphia, PAFranklin Field Old Dominion (8) 3–2 PrincetonUConn, Virginia1999 DetailsBrookline, MAParsons Field Maryland (3) 2–1 MichiganIowa, UConn2000 DetailsNorfolk, VAForeman Field Old Dominion (9) 3–1 North CarolinaWake Forest, Maryland2001 DetailsKent, OHDix Stadium Michigan 2–0 MarylandWake Forest, Princeton2002 DetailsLouisville, KYTrager StadiumFacilities. Marshall Centergocards.com Wake Forest 2–0 Penn StateOld Dominion, Michigan State2003 DetailsAmherst, MARichard F. Garber Field Wake Forest (2) 3–1 DukeMaryland, Michigan2004 DetailsWinston-Salem, NCKentner Stadium Wake Forest (3) 3–0 DukeMaryland, Michigan State2005 DetailsLouisville, KYTrager Stadium Maryland (4) 1–0 DukeOld Dominion, Wake Forest2006 DetailsWinston-Salem, NCKentner Stadium Maryland (5) 1–0 Wake ForestDuke, UConn2007 DetailsCollege Park, MDMaryland Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex North Carolina (5) 3–0 Penn StateUConn, Wake Forest2008 DetailsLouisville, KYTrager Stadium Maryland (6) 4–2 Wake ForestIowa, Syracuse2009 DetailsWinston-Salem, NCKentner Stadium North Carolina (6) 3–2 MarylandPrinceton, Virginia2010 DetailsCollege Park, MDMaryland Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex Maryland (7) 3–2(2OT) North CarolinaVirginia, Ohio State2011 DetailsLouisville, KYTrager Stadium Maryland (8) 3-2(OT) North CarolinaOld Dominion, UConn2012 DetailsNorfolk, VAL.R. Hill Sports Complex Princeton 3–2 North CarolinaMaryland, Syracuse2013 DetailsNorfolk, VAL.R. Hill Sports Complex UConn (3) 2–0 DukeNorth Carolina, Maryland2014 DetailsCollege Park, MDMaryland Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex UConn (4) 1–0 SyracuseAlbany, North Carolina2015 DetailsAnn Arbor, MIPhyllis Ocker Field Syracuse 4–2 North Carolina Duke, UConn2016 DetailsNorfolk, VAL.R. Hill Sports Complex Delaware 3–2 North CarolinaPrinceton, UConn2017 DetailsLouisville, KYTrager Stadium UConn (5) 2–1 MarylandNorth Carolina, Michigan2018 Details North Carolina (7) 2–0 Maryland Wake Forest, Princeton2019 DetailsWinston-Salem, NCKentner Stadium North Carolina (8) 6–1 Princeton Boston College, Virginia2020 DetailsChapel Hill, NCKaren Shelton Stadium North Carolina (9) 4–3(OT) Michigan Iowa, Louisville2021 DetailsAnn Arbor, MIPhyllis Ocker Field Northwestern 2–0 Liberty Harvard, Maryland2022 DetailsStorrs, CTSherman Complex North Carolina (10) 2–1 Northwestern Penn State, Maryland2023 DetailsChapel Hill, NCKaren Shelton Stadium North Carolina (11) 2–1(2OT, PS) Northwestern Duke, Virginia2024 DetailsAnn Arbor, MIPhyllis Ocker Field Northwestern (2) 5–0 Saint Joseph's North Carolina, Massachusetts2025 DetailsDurham, NCWilliams Field at Jack Katz Stadium Northwestern (3) 2-1(2OT) Princeton Harvard, North Carolina2026Louisville, KYTrager Stadium2027Chapel Hill, NCKaren Shelton Stadium
Team titles
Team Number Winning years 11 1989, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2007, 2009, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023 9 1982, 1983, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1998, 2000 8 1987, 1993, 1999, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011 5 1981, 1985, 2013, 2014, 2017 3 2002, 2003, 2004 3 2021, 2024, 2025 1 1986 1 1994 1 2001 1 2012 1 2015 1 2016
Statistics Most Goals, Game: 10 Old Dominion (1984; Old Dominion–10 vs. Virginia–0) Most Goals, Both Teams: 13 Maryland (2008; Maryland–8 vs. Duke–5) Most Goals, Tournament: 20 Maryland (2008, four games) Goals Per Game, Tournament: 5.67 Old Dominion (1984) Fewest Goals Allowed Per Game, Tournament: 0.00 Old Dominion (1990, three games) Old Dominion (1992, three games) Wake Forest (2002, four games) Penalty Corners, Game: 31 Old Dominion (1984; vs. Virginia)
Individual records Year Player Goals Assists Points 2006 Michelle Kasold, Wake ForestLauren Crandall, Wake Forest 14 71 9 2007 Katelyn Falgowski, North CarolinaShaun Banta, Penn State 33 11 7 2008 Hilary Moore, Wake Forest 7 2 16 2009 Katie O'Donnell, Maryland 6 6 18 2010 Katie O'Donnell, Maryland 4 4 12 2011 Kelsey Kolojejchick, North Carolina 4 2 10 2012 Charlotte Craddock, North CarolinaKathleen Sharkey, Princeton 66 22 14 2013 Emmie Le Marchand, Duke 5 4 14 2014 Charlotte Veitner, UConn 5 1 11 2015 Alma Fenne, Syracuse 5 2 12 2016 Greta Nauck, Delaware 4 1 9 2017 Charlotte Veitner, UConn 6 1 13 2018 Erin Matson, North Carolina 4 5 13 2019 Erin Matson, North Carolina 4 0 8 2020 Erin Matson, North Carolina 4 1 9 2021 Charlotte Vaanhold, Liberty 4 3 6 2022 Erin Matson, North Carolina 6 2 14 2023 Paityn Wirth, North Carolina 4 2 14 2024 Ashley Sessa, Northwestern 3 6 12 2025 Ashley Sessa, NorthwesternSage Piekarski, HarvardBeth Yeager, PrincetonMaddie Zimmer, Northwestern 2331 3115 7
Most Goals, Single Game: 5 Paula Infante, Maryland (2004; Maryland–5 vs. Delaware–2) Maartje van Rijswijk, Old Dominion (2012; Old Dominion–6 vs. Michigan–1) Most Goals, Tournament: 11 Marina DiGiacomo, Old Dominion (2000; four games) Most Assists, Game: 6 Cheryl Van Kuren, Old Dominion (1984; Old Dominion–10 vs. Virginia–0) Most Assists, Tournament: 8 Adrienne Yoder, Old Dominion (2000; four games) Saves, Game: 36 Missy Farwell, Virginia (1984; Virginia–2 vs. North Carolina–1) Fewest Goals Allowed Per Game, Tournament: 0.00 Kathy Fosina, Old Dominion (1990; three games) Kim Decker, Old Dominion (1992; three games) Katie Ridd, Wake Forest (2002; four games) Sam Swenson, Michigan (2017; three games)
Result by school and by year
60 teams have appeared in the NCAA Tournament in at least one year starting with 1981 (the initial year that the post-season tournament was under the auspices of the NCAA). The results for all years are shown in this table below. Conference affiliations reflect those for the upcoming 2025 season.
The code in each cell represents the furthest the team made it in the respective tournament: National Champion National Runner-up Semifinals Quarterfinals (Two teams in 1981, four teams thereafter) , Round of 16 (Only 12 teams, 1982-1998) Play-In Round (Starting 2013)
School Conference(as of 2026) # QF SF CG CH ACC 42 35 29 22 11 Big East 32 26 17 12 9 Big Ten 36 32 21 13 8 Big East 34 27 15 7 5 ACC 19 13 10 5 3 Big Ten 21 18 9 5 3 Ivy League 27 20 10 5 1 Big Ten 29 21 12 4 1 Big Ten 20 13 5 3 1 ACC 19 14 4 2 1 MAC 9 4 2 1 1 MPSF 14 2 2 1 1 ACC 21 17 7 4 - Big Ten 35 21 8 2 - MAC 27 12 5 1 - America East 11 3 1 1 - Atlantic 10 8 2 1 1 - Big East 6 1 1 1 - ACC 29 15 6 - - CAA 16 8 3 - - Big Ten 9 7 2 - - Ivy League 10 5 2 - - Big East 6 5 1 - - ACC 13 4 1 - - Patriot 15 3 1 - - ACC 11 3 1 - - Big Ten 7 2 1 - - America East 7 2 1 - - Ivy League 5 2 1 - - defunct 1 1 1 - - Big Ten 5 3 - - - MAC 4 3 - - - ACC 18 2 - - - Patriot 12 2 - - - Big East 3 2 - - - ACC 11 1 - - - MAC 10 1 - - - defunct 4 1 - - - CAA 3 1 - - - defunct 2 1 - - - Big Ten 2 1 - - - defunct 1 1 - - - Patriot 1 1 - - - MAC 8 - - - - Atlantic 10 8 - - - - CAA 7 - - - - CAA 4 - - - - Patriot 3 - - - - MAC 3 - - - - CAA 3 - - - - defunct 2 - - - - NEC 2 - - - - Division II 1 - - - - Ivy League 1 - - - - NEC 1 - - - - Atlantic 10 1 - - - - America East 1 - - - - Patriot 1 - - - - NEC 1 - - - - America East 1 - - - - Ivy League 1 - - - -
All-time record Note: as of end of 2025 championship indicates schools belong to Division II. indicates schools that no longer sponsor field hockey. School indicates they have win at least one championship. Other bold indicates most in respective column.