CLEVELAND, Ohio – The 2025 Mid-American Conference field hockey season gets underway today, with nine teams in competition on opening day. Conference play amongst all ten MAC schools begins on Friday, September 19.
The regular season will conclude on Sunday, November 2, with the top six teams in the conference moving on to the 2025 MAC Field Hockey Tournament. This year’s championship will be held in Harrisonburg, Virginia, hosted by James Madison University.
Below is a team-by-team preview for the 2025 MAC Field Hockey season.
Team-By-Team Previews
Appalachian State
The 2025 Mountaineer squad features three players who earned All-MAC selections in 2024. Midfielder Lise Boekaar earned All-MAC first-team honors and was also named to the NFHCA South Region First Team. Henriette Stegen was named to the All-MAC second team, while Frederique Grimbergen earned a spot on the All-MAC freshman team.
Six Mountaineers landed on the 2025 NFHCA Division I Watch List that was announced on Wednesday. App State's Sophia Baxter, Boekaar, Grimbergen and Stegen were among the honorees from the returning squad, while newcomers Kate Richardson and Calista Schwartz also received the honor. Baxter recently represented the Mountaineers at the Senior Nexus Championship this past summer.
Goalkeeper Claire Grenis, defender Sarah Perkins and forward Bridget Donovan will serve as captains for the 2025 squad.
Ball State
The Ball State field hockey team is set to open its 2025 season with back-to-back home contests against The Ohio State University (Friday) and Saint Louis (Sunday). The Cardinals' game against the Buckeyes will begin at 4 pm ET, while the competition versus the Billikens starts at 12 pm ET. Both games will be played at the Briner Sports Complex.
Ball State will be under the direction of fourth-year head coach Caitlin Walsh and her assistant Brooke Richards along with graduate assistant Emily Crawford, both of which are entering their second year on staff with the Cardinals.
The Cardinals return 13 players from last year's squad including first team All-Mid-American Conference recipient Emma van Hal. Ball State will also welcome eight newcomers.
Bellarmine
It is the beginning of a new era in Bellarmine field hockey in their 40th season as Toby Platt takes over as the 11th coach in program history.
Platt’s squad faces an 18-game schedule with eight home games in his debut campaign as head coach. Nonconference highlights include road battles with a pair of Big 10 programs, Michigan State and Michigan, and Louisville at Trager Stadium before their nine-game Mid-American Conference schedule. The MAC adds UMass Amherst, a national semifinalist from a year ago, to bring its total to 10 teams, though still only the top six earn bids to the conference championship.
In all, Bellarmine boasts a roster of 24 players in 2025, four more than in 2024, as a group of 10 newcomers—nine freshmen and one transfer—joins 14 returnees.
Central Michigan
Central Michigan returns to action on Friday afternoon, starting their season on the road at Drexel. The Chippewas bring back All-MAC First Team graduate forward Mallory Camryn, who paced the CMU offense with 10 goals and 24 points, which were good for fourth and third in the conference, respectively. All-Freshman forward Carolena Ryon also returns to Mount Pleasant after suiting up for 16 games and starting seven in her freshman season.
James Madison
James Madison field hockey was selected to finish second in the Mid-American Conference in a vote by the league's coaches, as announced by the conference on Wednesday afternoon.
The Dukes, who are coming off a 14-6 (7-1 MAC) season that saw the team tie for the regular-season MAC title and reach the league championship game, tallied 71 points with a pair of first-place votes in the preseason poll. Head Coach Christy Morgan returns for her 21st season at the helm of the program while Alice Roeper, the reigning MAC Offensive Player of the Year, is set for her senior campaign.
Kent State
Head Coach Heather Hefner begins her second season in charge of the Golden Flashes in 2025. Kent State improved steadily throughout the 2024 season, finishing with a 7-12 overall record and a 5-3 conference record in the MAC, placing fourth in the conference. A 1-0 overtime victory over Ball State in the quarterfinals saw the Flashes make the conference tournament semifinal in Hefner’s inaugural season, before falling just short to James Madison.
In 2024, midfielder Eva Usoz earned First Team All-MAC honors after leading the Flashes in points (22), goals (8), and assists (6). Delfina Larripa is the other returner who earned postseason MAC honors in 2024, claiming a spot on the conference’s All-Freshman Team.
Longwood
Sophie Mooldijk returns in the cage for Longwood after a sensational freshman season. The sophomore was the MAC Goalkeeper of the Year while also earning a spot on the All-MAC First Team and MAC All-Freshman Team. Mooldijk also earned VaSID All-State honors after making 118 saves while recording a 0.781 save percentage on the season. Senior Jane Ramsay returns to Longwood as the team's top returning scorer. Ramsay scored four goals and had a total of eight points on 24 shots. The Australia native also earned MAC All-Academic honors.
Massachusetts
University of Massachusetts field hockey was selected to finish no. 1 in the 2025 Mid-American Preseason Poll, entering their inaugural season in the conference as the preseason favorite.
Massachusetts comes into the 2025 campaign fresh off its fifth NCAA Final Four and 27th NCAA Tournament appearance overall. The Minutewomen received three NFHCA All-American and six All-Region honors including Northeast Region Coaching Staff of the Year.
Miami
Seven-time defending tournament champion, Miami, was picked third with one first place vote and a total of 68 points. The RedHawks return reigning Freshman of the Year forward, Henriette Schlueter, and grad student back Berta Mata. Both RedHawks were All-MAC First Team selections in 2024.
Miami will chase its eighth straight tournament title, and at least a share of the regular season championship for the eighth consecutive season.
Ohio
The Ohio field hockey teams opens the 2025 season Aug. 30-31 in Louisville, Ky. Ohio beings the season on Saturday, Aug. 30 against Big Ten opponent Michigan State. First touch is set for 11 a.m. ET at Trager Stadium. The Bobcats wrap up the weekend on Sunday, Aug. 31 at 1 p.m. when they take on host and ACC opponent Louisville. That match can be seen on ACCNX.
Last season Michigan State finished 8-10 overall and 1-7 in Big Ten play. The Bobcats defeated the Spartans last year in double overtime. Ohio finished last season 7-11 and 3-5 in MAC play. The Bobcats return All-MAC First Teams selection Anouk Plaehn and last season’s goals and points leader, Sasha Dikotla.
