The #1 Middlebury field hockey team is set to defend its six-straight NESCAC Championships when the tournament gets underway on Saturday. The Panthers earned the top seed for the seventh-consecutive year and host eighth-seeded Hamilton at 11:00 a.m. on Peter Kohn Field. 
 
ABOUT MIDDLEBURY

• Middlebury is the only school to qualify for every conference tournament since its inception in 2000.
• The Panthers are the perennial powerhouse, having captured the last six (2017-2023) NESCAC titles.
• The program leads the league with 10 total crowns, while the Polar Bears have eight.
• Middlebury has an impressive 77-1 record on Peter Kohn Field over the last 78 games, with its lone loss during that span coming at the hands of Trinity in 2022. 
• The Panthers are riding a 24-game home winning streak, including a 7-0 mark this fall.
• Middlebury ranks first in the NESCAC rankings in a plethora of categories including scoring average (5.53 goals per game), scoring margin (+4.80) and penalty corners (165).
• The Panthers have recorded six shutouts this season and limited opponents to just 11 goals this fall.

PANTHERS TO WATCH

• The trio of Caroline Segal, Georgianne Defeo and Amy Griffin lead a potent offense this year. Segal paces the conference in goals (16) and points (40), while Defeo is right behind with 14 tallies and 32 points to rank second and third, respectively, among league peers. Griffin has 28 points with eight goals and a team-best 12 assists to place her second in the league. The senior also ranks second on Middlebury's career assists list with 47. 
• Also packing a powerful punch at the forward position is Hanna Medwar. The Panther is third on the squad with nine tallies to go with five helpers for 23 points.
• The midfield is anchored by Lilly Branka, Ellie Hughes and Katherine Lantzy who have each started in all 15 games this season and combined for 10 goals and seven assists.
• Emily Stone, Kelly Cooper, Grace Keefe and goalie Izzy Redzic have held down a strong defensive unit this season, each playing in over 400 minutes of action. Stone has come forward on penalty corners and posted four goals and six assists, while Redzic is 13-1 with a 0.83 goals against average in nearly 722 minutes of action.

ABOUT HAMILTON

• Hamilton is making its 10th appearance in the NESCAC Tournament and is searching for its first conference crown.
• The Continentals have picked up two wins in the league postseason with a quarterfinal win in 2016 over Amherst (1-0) and an upset triumph in the same round in 2019 against Bowdoin (2-1).
• Hamilton ranks fifth in the NESCAC with 83 saves.

CONTINENTALS TO WATCH

• Pacing the squad up front is Lydon Kelley, who leads the team in points (13) and goals (6). Kelley scored Hamilton's lone goal in a 3-1 Middlebury victory on September 7 in Vermont. 
• Claire Tratnyek (4G, 2A) and Lilly Truchon (5G) both have double-point totals with 10.
• Isabelle Nahon, Kenna White, Sydney Familo and Morgan Clarke anchor the defensive unit, playing well over 720 minutes each this season and have combined for five defensive saves.
• Goalie Abby Griffin has started 14 contests with a 4-4 record, 36 saves and a 1.57 GAA in 420 minutes. Kelly Janssen has appeared in all 15 games with a start and 42 saves in 464 minutes. 

SERIES HISTORY

• The quarterfinal contest will be the 26th time that the programs play with the Panthers owning a 21-4 advantage against the Continentals.
• The programs have played four times in the NESCAC Tournament with Middlebury winning each contest, including victories in the quarterfinal round in 2015 (8-1) and 2022 (5-1).

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION

• Championship Central
• NESCAC Championship Records

The four quarterfinal winners will square off in the semifinal round on Saturday, November 9 at the highest remaining seed. The championship game is set for Sunday, November 10 at the site of the semifinal host.