Denison University

2026 Season Preview: Field Hockey

8/31/2026 2:34:00 PM

Finishing 8-1 in conference play, with an NCAC Tournament Championship and an NCAA Tournament appearance, the Big Red field hockey team looks to get back to the top of the conference once again and compete for another postseason spot.

2025 Recap

The Big Red had a slow start to the 2025 season, losing their first three games, two of which were against nationally ranked teams. However, in conference play, the team bounced back and was relentless, going 8-1 in the regular season with their only loss coming to Ohio Wesleyan. They shut out seven of their nine opponents, and scored three or more goals in eight of those contests. In the NCAC Tournament, Denison avenged its loss to Ohio Wesleyan with a 2-1 championship-game victory, securing them a ticket to the NCAA Tournament. The Big Red faced Salisbury University in the first round, where they ultimately fell 5-0 to the hosts.

NCAC Preseason Poll

The Big Red were slotted at the top spot in the NCAC preseason poll, gathering 115 points with six first-place votes. Rounding out the top-five were Ohio Wesleyan (111), DePauw (98), Wittenberg (80), and Kenyon (77).

2026 North Coast Athletic Conference Field Hockey Coaches' Poll

Rank	School (1st Place Votes)	Points
1	Denison (6)	115
2	Ohio Wesleyan (3)	111
3	DePauw (2)	98
4	Wittenberg	80
5	Kenyon	77
6	Allegheny	61
7	Washington & Jefferson	49
8	John Carroll	43
8	Oberlin	43
10	Wooster	31
11	Transylvania	18

Key Returners

Denison returns their NCAC Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Newcomer of the Year for the 2026 season. Emma Gebhart was named first-team All-NCAC and Player of the Year for the second consecutive season after a spectacular offensive showcase. She led the conference in goals (22), assists (9), and points (53). Gebhart also had five multi-goal games and ranks third in program history in career points (107) and goals (46).

Tabitha Chandler was also named first-team All-NCAC and Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. Chandler helped guide a Big Red defense to eight shutouts, allowing only three goals in conference play and 0.33 goals per game, both of which ranked second in the NCAC. The defense had seven games with four shots on target or fewer, and two games in which an opponent did not get a single shot off.

Lulu Keil earned second-team honors and Newcomer of the Year last season after an impressive rookie campaign. She scored 11 goals, dished off five assists, and had 29 shots on goal, five game-winning goals, and 27 total points.

A Look at the Home Schedule

Home Opener: Sept. 12 vs. Roanoke College at 11 a.m.
NCAC Opener: Sept. 16 vs. Wooster at 4:30 p.m.
Family Weekend: Sept. 26 vs. Ohio Wesleyan at 11 a.m. | Sept. 27 vs. Centre at 11 a.m.
Conference Play: Oct. 7 vs Oberlin at 4:30 p.m. | Oct. 10 vs Wittenberg @ 11 a.m. | Oct. 18 vs Allegheny College
Senior Day: Oct. 24 vs. Transylvania at 11 am

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