The Shadow
LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Liberty field hockey program enters the fall 2026 campaign ranked eighth in the nation. The National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) released its Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I Preseason National Coaches Poll on Tuesday morning, featuring the top 20 teams in the country.
This is the second highest Liberty has ever been ranked in a preseason national poll, behind only the 2022 squad, which was ranked sixth. The Lady Flames have begun the year as a nationally-ranked squad for a 10th straight year in which there was a national poll. There was no preseason poll during the spring 2021 campaign. Liberty is ranked among the top 10 teams in the country for an 11th straight national poll, dating back last year’s week one poll on Sept. 9, 2025.
Liberty, the defending BIG EAST champion, is one of two BIG EAST squads in the preseason rankings, along with No. 11 Connecticut. The Lady Flames were picked to finish first in the conference in the 2026 BIG EAST Preseason Coaches’ Poll.
Northwestern, the 2025 national champion, earned the No. 1 spot in this year’s preseason poll, followed by No. 2 North Carolina, No. 3 Princeton, No. 4 Harvard and No. 5 Virginia. This fall, Liberty will take on seven teams who appear in the 2026 preseason rankings, including: No. 2 North Carolina (Oct. 11, home), No. 5 Virginia (Sept. 11, home), No. 6 Duke (Oct. 25, home), No. 10 Miami (Ohio) (Sept. 19, home), No. 11 Connecticut (Sept. 25, away), No. 15 UMass (Saturday, second game of season, neutral site at Maine) and No. 20 Saint Joseph’s (Sept. 4, away).
The No. 8-ranked Lady Flames will open the 2026 Maine on Friday at noon. Liberty’s home opener is on Sept. 11 versus No. 5 Virginia (5 p.m.).
