“If you say ‘we can do hard things,’ we will do hard things.”
The star forward and co-captain of the Tufts field hockey team, graduating senior Hannah Biccard, said she “didn’t have a doubt in [her] mind” that this mindset was what drove Tufts’ women’s field hockey team to win the national championship.
Her time at Tufts was nothing short of impressive.
This champion athlete has been playing field hockey since fifth grade in her home country of South Africa. Sacrificing proximity to her family, Biccard committed her high school years and young adult life in pursuit of education and higher-level field hockey opportunities in the United States.
As a dominant player on the team at The Hotchkiss School, Biccard was given offers to play field hockey at the collegiate level. She wanted to be in a city and to pick a team that looks after each other — Tufts checked those boxes.
In her debut season, Biccard appeared in seven games and played in both NCAA tournaments. Her first career goal was recorded in the NCAA tournament second-round — also the season-ending game — against Messiah University. Biccard remarked that while winning the championship her senior season made it her favorite, she wanted to give recognition to her first-year season. The connections she made, along with the mentorship from the upperclassmen, made her initial season feel very special.
Biccard started in all 19 games for her sophomore year. Putting up 20 points in the season, she tallied the second most in goals and assists within the team. Impressively, the only hat trick in the entire season from the team was recorded by her against the Hamilton Continentals. With three game winning goals, Biccard delivered a striking breakout season. She played and contributed in all three NCAA tournament games, helping the team reach the second round in 2023.
In her junior season, Biccard was instrumental in guiding her team to the national championship. Coming in third for points, goals and assists, her third year on the team was monumental. She secured four game winning goals — the most on the team. From making NESCAC champions to NCAA runners-up, the Jumbos had a successful season, ending with a 19–3 record.
For Biccard’s senior season, she was named co-captain along with her best friend, graduating senior Gabby Sousa. These women were ready to lead the Jumbos to victory, especially fueled after coming up short of a national championship the previous year. Biccard’s natural leadership is recognized by many.
In an article highlighting Biccard’s nomination for DIII Honda Athlete of the Year, coach Tina Mattera stated that “[Biccard] is extremely hard-working and also very humble. She did her best to lead by example and was supportive of her teammates. She was selfless and composed under pressure and she earned the respect of the entire team and coaching staff.”
Starting and playing all 22 games, this co-captain was a force. Coming first in goals, with 17, and in points, with 40, by a wide margin, Biccard was by far one of the most dominant players on the field in every game. For example, Biccard put up a career-high five goals against Colby, marking a team history for most goals in one game and third for points in one game. She was named NESCAC Player of the Week on Sept. 15, 2025.
Her hard work all season helped lead the Jumbos to the NCAA tournament. The Jumbos swept the Dean College Bulldogs 11–0 in the NCAA first round, but every round after that was a hard-earned win, with the second round against the Williams Ephs going into double overtime.
“The reason we succeeded last season was because everyone wanted it. The team was there together socially. Everyone wanted it for each other,” Biccard said.
The Tufts field hockey team put their all into each and every game, doing it for the person next to them. Their love for each other paid off on the field: For a second season in a row, the field hockey team made it to the national championship.
The national championship against Johns Hopkins was a battle. Both teams scored one goal in the first period, but no more were scored in regular playing time. The possession went back and forth between all four periods among both teams, leading the game to overtime.
One minute into overtime, however, Biccard scored the game-winning goal, assisted by graduating senior Camille Clark, making Tufts field hockey national champions. It’s one of those moments that no one on the field hockey team will forget. Winning that championship — and making history — with teammates they loved so much was a highlight for Biccard. The goal brought her season total to 17 — recording fifth in team history — and her career total of 33 ranks her fourth all-time in scoring.
Biccard said that the quote of the season was, “We can do hard things.” She said while “there’s luck involved,” she felt that this mindset of believing in themselves is what pushed them to the win.
Her senior season ended in numerous awards, including NFHCA All-Region II Player of the Year and NFHCA All-American and All-NESCAC First Team recognitions.
It was even more special that she got to do it with her best friend. When asked about her favorite part of being captain, her response was, “Being captain with my co-captain.”
“[In our first] year, we lived next to each other on the third floor of [Hodgdon Hall],” she said. “So it was like having this full circle moment, being captains together. [Winning the national championship] was a great thing to do with my best friend.”
“[Sousa and I] were able to work better together. Sometimes she would voice what I had to say in a better way for an athlete. Pushing people to be better was for sure another favorite part,” Biccard said.
In addition to winning the national championship, another one of Biccard’s favorite memories with the team was a bus ride to Middlebury. The bus had broken down on the drive there, but she said she didn’t want to stop her teammates who were ready to push the bus to Middlebury. The game was tense with the Jumbos almost losing, but they ended up winning. In the past, they had lost to Middlebury, so to win with the chaotic bus ride was a top moment for Biccard.
One has to wonder, what challenges did such a talented player overcome to be where she is now? The greatest roadblock was internal for Biccard: doubting herself. It was what she battled with the most. Over the past four years, she has grown to know, “I am worthy.”
Being an international student made her doubt herself but gave her a greater perspective. “Everything I had been through put me where I [am].”
Having majored in international relations and economics, she will now go on to pursue a Master of Science in Foreign Service at Georgetown University.
Biccard’s leadership and talent have forever made an impact — and history — on the field hockey team, and she will be greatly missed by the Jumbos.
