After a thrilling overtime win over the Johns Hopkins Bluejays in last year’s NCAA title game, the Jumbos look to maintain their status as field hockey champions. The 2-1 victory by a golden goal was Tufts’ second national title in field hockey history. The Jumbos were ranked first in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association’s preseason poll.
The team finished the 2025 season with a 19-3 overall record and 9-1 in the NESCAC. The Jumbos scored a total of 73 goals, led by forwards Hannah Biccard (LA’25), who scored 17, and Eleanor Helm, a sophomore with 13. Tufts allowed their opponents to score a mere 22 goals against them, thanks in part to goalkeeper Lydia Eastburn’s (LA’25) 66 saves.
The impressive season led to several honors for the squad’s members. Biccard, Eastburn and senior defender Claire Casey were named to the NFHCA Division III All-American team while Biccard was named NFHCA Division III national player of the year. The trio, along with junior midfielder Eleanor Luft, received NFHCA All-Region honors.
Helm joined Biccard, Casey, Eastburn and Luft in earning all-conference honors after the team made it to the NESCAC semifinals. The squad’s coaching staff was named NFHCA National Staff of the Year for the second year in a row and it was recently announced that head coach Tina Mattera would be inducted into the NFHCA Hall of Fame for her impressive career.
Despite graduating five outstanding seniors, the squad has many returning players with plenty of high-caliber experience under their belts. The senior and junior class played in last year’s national championship game and NESCAC semifinal, as well as the national title game of 2024 and the 2024 NESCAC championship, in which they emerged victorious. Casey, Helm and Luft have been placed on the 2026 NFHCA Collegiate Watch List and show great promise as leaders for the upcoming season.
The squad is welcoming eight new teammates who play across the pitch. The incoming first-year class includes two forwards, two true midfielders, three defensive mids and a goalkeeper. The versatility of the incoming midfielders may become a useful tool for the team, adding to the bench’s depth.
“Winning last year does not mean we stop working hard or change our plan of attack,” junior midfielder Ellie Wilkins wrote to the Daily. “At the end of the day, our goal is to be the best team there is, and have fun and support each other along the way.”
The Jumbos will face their usual rigorous schedule, including their conference opponents. Many NESCAC opponents are also in the top 25 ranked teams by the NFHCA, including Bates at No. 5, Middlebury at No. 7, Wesleyan at No. 8, Williams at No. 11, Hamilton at No. 12, Bowdoin at No. 15 and Amherst at No. 19. Tufts will also play the third-ranked Babson College in the first half of the season.
“We will combine our individual strengths as one to make this team the best it can be. Keeping the standard high and holding each other accountable in practices is key to our strategy so that come game day, we are more than prepared,” Wilkins added. “If we want to be the most competitive version of ourselves, we cannot be satisfied by winning in the past but rather be hungry to do it again.”
The team will begin their season with a home opener against Trinity College on Saturday, Sept. 5.
