No. 11 Field Hockey Thrilled for 2026

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Williams College field hockey team has a rich tradition of excellence.

Success is always front in the center for the program under 27th-year head coach Alix Barrale '93, as the Ephs have qualified for 11 NCAA Division III Tournaments during her remarkable career. The Ephs were on the national stage in each of her first seven years at the helm from 2000-06 and also during the last four seasons from 2022-25. The 2022 unit made the program's first-ever Final Four, and then the squad repeated the feat again in 2024.

During Barrale's tenure on the sideline at Williams, the group has compiled a 269-160 overall record and a 142-97 mark in the highly competitive NESCAC. She has coached 21 All-Americans, with nine student-athletes earning the accolade on multiple occasions. Barrale was named the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) New England Region Coach of the Year in 2002.

From 2000-05, the Ephs reached the NESCAC Championship game in six consecutive years, while winning 3-of-4 conference crowns from 2001-04. In each of the last four seasons, Williams won and hosted at least one NCAA Tournament game, as the 2024 team earned a first-round bye, hosted second and third-round action at Williamson Field, and set program records in total wins (16) and NESCAC victories (9).

The 2026 season begins for the No. 11-ranked Ephs with an 11 a.m. showdown on Sunday, Sept. 5, against fifth-ranked and defending NESCAC champion Bates on Williamson Field. Williams hosts No. 19 Amherst on Saturday, Sept. 26, at 11:30 a.m., and then No. 1 Tufts on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 1 p.m. Over the last two years, the Ephs and Jumbos have met three times in postseason competition.

Williams hosts No. 2 Johns Hopkins on Sunday, Oct. 11, at noon, as the two programs crossed paths during the 2022 national semifinals. The unit travels to Little Three-rival and No. 8 Wesleyan on Saturday, Oct. 17, for a noon matchup in Middletown, Connecticut. The top-eight teams qualify for the 2026 NESCAC Tournament, with the higher seeds hosting quarterfinal-round action on Oct. 31. The highest remaining seed will host the semifinal and final rounds on Nov. 7-8.

"We are excited about this team and the opportunity in front of us," said Barrale, who was named NESCAC Coach of the Year in 2001, 2004 and 2024. "We have tremendous respect for the level of competition that we will face. We know nothing will be handed to us, and frankly, we would not want it any other way. This group is hungry to compete and willing to work."

The Ephs return junior goalkeeper Ellie Smith and senior forward and midfielder Claire Colvin. Smith was named NESCAC Rookie of the Year and to the All-Conference First Team in 2024, while garnering NFHCA All-American Second Team and All-Region II First Team honors. Colvin was recognized on the 2026 NFHCA Division III Watchlist.

"We have a strong senior class and I am excited to watch it lead," said Barrale. "They have experienced a lot during their careers here, including big wins, difficult losses and NCAA Tournament runs. They understand what it takes to compete at a high level. More importantly, they understand nothing is guaranteed and it has to be earned."

During the 2025 season, Colvin tallied six goals, four assists and 16 points, to go along with three game-winning tallies. The Ephs posted a signature win, as they defeated then-second-ranked Tufts, 3-1, on Sept. 6 in Medford, Massachusetts. The 2026 team has added assistant coach Ramsay Smith, while seniors Laura Ryan and Tess Everett will serve as captains.

"We are approaching this season as a new team," said Colvin. "Although we graduated incredible talent last year, I have no doubts about the strength of our returners. Our first years are wonderful as both a force on the field and a joy to have on the team. The eight have already found a way to weave themselves into the mesh of the Williams field hockey team's fabric, and it has been great to connect with this lively and confident bunch in the past few days. We look forward to getting to know them further, but already we can tell that, indisputably, their abilities, fresh insight and energy will be integral to the program's success this season. Overall, given the depth and dynamism of the 2026 team, we expect to go further than we have ever gone before in program history."