WEST HARTFORD, Conn.  –  The University of Hartford field hockey team heads into 2026 excited for its second year in program history. The Hawks want to build on the success of the inaugural season with the hope of making the Conference of New England (CNE) Playoffs. 

Hartford would finish their first season with a 3-12 overall record while going 0-7 in CNE play. 

TEAM TWO
The Hawks will have 13 returners from last season coming back in 2026 including the top three point scorers. Prior to the start of the season the team announced that sophomore Kyra Benard (Agawam, Mass.), sophomore Natalie Haluch (Belchertown, Mass.) and junior Nicole Ciampa (Jefferson, N.J.) would be named as the team captains for the season. 

Benard was a CNE All-Conference 3rd Team selection in her freshman season as the Hawks leading point scorer. Kyra ended the year with seven goals and two assists and added a pair of game-winners in her first season. Benard goes into 2026 thinking Hartford can build on the foundation set during last season.

"The team's expectations heading into our second season are really to give 100% in everything we do and never give up, even when things get hard. I think last year we built a strong foundation of positivity and grit, and this year we are looking to carry that with us while making it even stronger and really displaying it when we play.

Some exciting things I have seen from the team during this preseason is our strong team chemistry and how much we have grown together. With having a year under our belt, the upperclassmen already had a strong connection, and the freshmen came in and fit right in. This year, I see a whole new team, and I am so excited for everyone else to see what we are capable of."

Haluch also returns as a key returner for the Hawks starting all 15 games last season in the back position. Natalie is also excited about year two of the program with the hope of more success in 2026. 

"Going into our second year as a field hockey program, I think the biggest things we learned in our first year were the importance of teamwork, dedication, and positive attitudes. This year, we plan to build on these positive takeaways from last year and come into the season stronger than we were the year before. We also have a better understanding of what to expect with practices, other teams, and with each other. This is why our main goal as a team is to build off the foundation we created last year and continue to grow together as a team."

Ciampa is one of three returning goalies for the Hawks. Last season Nicole played in seven games with three starts. Ciampa finished 1-2 with a 2.08 goals against average and 46 total saves. This season Nicole is in a leadership role as one of few upperclassmen and continues to maintain the excitement in the young program.

"The team benefits from being relatively young, so despite being an upperclassman, it still feels like we are all in this new experience together. All the returners have maintained their excitement for this program and brought the newcomers in with open arms. We all treat each other as if we have been together for years and have built a strong bond because of it.

As a team, our biggest goal is to just keep moving forward and improving as a program. Just within the time of preseason, we have already seen great improvements from last season, and we want to foster these positive changes and continuously improve together."

Other top returners include sophomore Ava Lipson (Colchester, Vt.), sophomore Ashley Taylor (South Deerfield, Mass.) and sophomore Carolyn Somers (Worcester, Mass.). Lipson ended the year with four goals and two assists in her first year ranking second on the team in points. Taylor had two goals and four assists on the year to rank third on the team in points. Somers was the starting goalie in 11 games in 2025. Carolyn ended the year with 99 saves and a 4.91 goals against average. 

FRESH FACES
Head Coach Rhonwen Peters bring in nine freshman to the team ahead of the 2026 season with plenty of minutes up for grabs on the field. 

"I'm really excited about this group and the direction we're headed", said Peters. "Now that we are in year two, we have a core group that understands what the Conference of New England is about and more importantly, what it means to be a Hartford Hawk. We are working hard to build a culture around unity, honesty, accountability, respect and trust, and I think that's what is going to make us a stronger team. Our newcomers have already stepped in and proved to be strong contributors and we're looking forward to continuing to grow, compete and push each other every day."

FULL INCOMING CLASS
Goalies (1): Leah Miller (Guilderland, N.Y.)
Back (3): Lily Valentino (Waterford, Conn.), Emma Sheldon (Simsbury, Conn.), Shannon Quaile (Mohegan Lake, N.Y.), 
Midfield / Back (2): Alexina Lentes (Agawam, Mass.), Kayla Anctil (Watertown, Conn.)
Midfielders (1): Amelia Nanowski (Burlington, Conn.), 
Forward / Midfield (1): Grace Hungerford (Thomaston, Conn.)
Forward (1): Olive Thatcher (Keene, N.H.)

SEASON OUTLOOK
The Hawks will have 18 regular season contests in 2026 with 10 games being played at Al-Marzook Field at Alumni Stadium. 

Hartford has 11 non-conference games in 2026 with five different conferences featured (GNAC, LEC, NEWMAC, NJAC, Atlantic East). Overall the Hawks will take on eight teams that had a record over .500 in 2025, with four being from the Conference of New England (CNE).

The 2026 season begins on September 2nd with a home game against Springfield College. The Hawks will have seven CNE games with the first coming on September 11th at Nichols College at 5:00 PM as Hartford looks to make its first postseason appearance in program history. The first home CNE contest comes on September 19th against Endicott College at 12:00 PM.  

This year all home games will be streamed on the CNE Network powered by HUDL, while other game coverage can be found on the 2026 schedule home page.

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