The ninth-ranked Middlebury field hockey team has secured an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Panthers will host an opening-round contest against Westfield State on Wednesday, November 12 at 4:30 p.m. from Peter Kohn Field. The winner advances to Saturday's second round on the campus of #2 Johns Hopkins.

ABOUT MIDDLEBURY

• The seven-time defending national champions earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament with a 12-5 record.
• The program makes its 25th NCAA Tournament appearance with a 61-16 overall record. Those 61 victories rank second among all Division III field hockey programs.
• Middlebury searches for its eighth-consecutive and 10th overall NCAA Title. The team's nine championships stand as the second most in Division III behind The College of New Jersey (11).
• The Panthers are fifth nationally in penalty corners per game (11.18) and boast a 0.84 goals against average (GAA), which is 12th in Division III. The team also ranks second in the NESCAC in goals per game (2.41) and scoring margin (1.31).
• Middlebury owns an 85-5 record in its last 90 battles on Peter Kohn Field.
• The Panthers have conceded 18 goals this fall with six shutouts.
• The squad has competed in nine games that have gone to either overtime or a shootout, nearly double Middlebury's prior record for the most in the NESCAC era of five set in 2002.

PANTHERS TO WATCH

• Izzy Redzic has started 16 of 17 contests in the cage for the Panthers, boasting a 0.89 GAA that sits second in the NESCAC and 13th nationally. She owns 12 wins and five total shutouts.
• Grace Keefe, Tessa Herbst and Lily Stockwell anchor the backline this season. Keefe is one of five Panthers to eclipse 1,000 minutes and has tallied 11 points (four goals, three assists). Herbst has started all 17 games and leads the team with 1,143 minutes of action. Stockwell has also started every contest, logging 882 minutes.
• The Panthers have had sizable contributions from the midfield trio of Megan Fuqua, Addie Chandler and Emma McCann. Fuqua owns team-leading totals of nine goals and 20 points, while Chandler has found the back of the cage on seven occasions and added two assists in her initial season as a Panther. McCann has fired six goals, with two in her prior four games, alongside two helpers.
• Claire McMichael has served as the team's top distributor, dishing out six assists. She is one of five Panthers with double-digit points and tallied the overtime game-winner in the NESCAC Quarterfinals against Bowdoin.
• Ellie Harrison and Georgianne Defeo round out the top contributors. Harrison has scored twice and aided two scoring efforts in 17 appearances, while Defeo has started every game and recorded two helpers this fall.

ABOUT WESTFIELD STATE

• Westfield State claimed its second-straight Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Championship, earning the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with a 4-2 victory over Worcester State.
• The top-seeded Owls handled sixth-seeded Framingham State by a 2-0 decision to advance to the conference championship.
• Westfield State appears in its second-consecutive NCAA Tournament and third overall.
• The Owls have surpassed the 10-win threshold over the past three campaigns and broke the program victory record (18) in 2025.
• Westfield State enters Wednesday's contest with an 18-3 record, including a 12-0 mark in MASCAC play. The Owls have scored 3.62 goals per game, the ninth-best mark in Division III, and outscore their opponents by an average of two goals per contest.

OWLS TO WATCH

• Kaleigh Murphy has led the offensive charge for Westfield State, logging a team-high 44 points (18G, 8A) and seven game-winners in all 21 contests.
• Caroline Andrade has provided a boost in her return to the lineup, ranking second on the squad with 13 markers in just 15 appearances. Her seven helpers rank third on the team.
• Kacey Curran and Ashley D'Elia join Murphy and Andrade as the third and fourth Owl to record double-digit goals this fall. Curran shares the team lead with eight assists and ranks third with 32 total points, while D'Elia has scored 10 goals across 21 outings with three of the game-winning variety.
• Maddy Barry headlines the defensive efforts, logging 21 games and recording four defensive saves. She has also tallied a pair of markers and one assist in the campaign.
• Guarding the cage for the Owls has been Emma Gniadek, going 12-3 across 15 games with 99 saves. Olivia Labrie has made the starting lineup in seven of her eight outings, owning a 6-0 mark with 31 saves.

SERIES HISTORY VS. WESTFIELD STATE

• The Panthers and Owls meet for the first time.
• Middlebury has battled a current member of the MASCAC once in program history, playing to a 1-1 tie against Bridgewater State in 1974.

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION

• NCAA Championship Interactive Bracket
• NCAA Championship Selection Show
• Tickets will go on sale at Peter Kohn Field on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. Tickets are $6 for adults and $3 for students and seniors. Middlebury students can receive free admission with proof of college ID shown at the ticket office.