NORTH ATTLEBORO, Mass. - The Northeast 10 earned three bids to the 2025 NCAA Field Hockey Championship Sunday night. Defending national champion Saint Anselm earned the league's automatic qualifying spot by virtue of capturing the NE10 Championship title. The Hawks also earn the league's highest seed, slotting in at No. 6. Assumption and NE10 Championship finalist Bentley were positioned seventh and eighth in the eight team bracket.
Saint Anselm is set to make its fourth straight appearance in the NCAA Championship. The Hawks qualified as the No. 7 seed last year and became the lowest seed in history to win the whole thing. Saint A's beat Assumption in overtime in the opening round before knocking off PSAC foes East Stroudsburg and Kutztown en route to the national title. The Hawks needed to rebuild this fall, graduating nine of 11 starters from the title-winning team.
The Hawks draw the No. 3 seed, Shippensburg. It will be the second meeting between the two schools this year and the fourth overall. Saint A's won in 2023 when the teams met in Manchester, surging to a 2OT victory.
Assumption returns to the NCAA Championship, having qualified each year since 2019. The Greyhounds won the NE10 regular season, going 11-1 in league play. The Hounds only lost to two conference foes, SNHU and Bentley. Assumption also holds a win over PSAC opponent Millersville and played one-goal games with West Chester, ESU and Shippensburg. All three of those teams are in the NCAA field.
As the No. 7 seed, Assumption is set to battle the 2x defending NCAA finalist. Kutztown fell in the title game last year after winning it all in 2023. The two schools last met in the 2016 season opener.
Finally, Bentley makes a return to the NCAA field for the first time since 2021. The Falcons began 5-0 in NE10 play this fall and got hot again late, surging past No. 1 seed Assumption in the NE10 semifinals before falling to Saint Anselm in the league championship. The Falcons sit 13-8 (9-3) entering the NCAA bracket.
Bentley draws the most interesting matchup, No. 1 seed and unbeaten Newberry. The South Atlantic Champion is looking to be the first SAC team to make real waves in the national tournament. Newberry beat a ranked Lander team in the SAC Championship and holds a pair of PSAC wins this fall. It hasn't played an NE10 foe in 2025.
NE10 IN THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Nov 15, 1pm: Bentley at Newberry
Nov 15, 1pm Saint Anselm at Shippensburg
Nov 15: 6pm, Assumption at Kutztown
NCAA Championship contests are broadcast for free via NCAA.com. Live coverage can be found on the
NCAA's Championship Central.
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 10 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
Fans can subscribe via this link to follow NE10 NOW on FloSports this season. The partnership between the NE10 and FloSports works to provide funds back to the athletic departments of the Northeast-10 Conference in support of student-athletes while promoting the league on a national platform.