PRINCETON, N.J. – For the first time in Ivy League history, three field hockey teams are headed to the NCAA Tournament as the Princeton Tigers, Harvard Crimson, and Yale Bulldogs all heard their names called during the NCAA Selection Show on Sunday evening.
Princeton (15–3) earned the Ivy League’s automatic bid by winning the Ivy League Tournament Championship on Sunday afternoon, while Harvard (17–1) and Yale (12–5) received at-large selections
Princeton is the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and will host the winner of Fairfield and Boston University on Friday, November 14, at noon. Harvard is the No. 3 seed and will host America East champion New Hampshire on Friday at noon as well. Yale heads to Northwestern to face the Big Ten Tournament champions on Friday at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Princeton (15–3) is making its second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance after reaching the NCAA Quarterfinals last season. This marks the Tigers’ 27th appearance in program history. Princeton finished the season with the nation’s second-strongest strength of schedule, went 10–3 in top-20 RPI matchups, and posted a perfect 8–0 record in games away from home. The Tigers handed both Northwestern (18–1) and Harvard (17–1) their only losses of the year.
The Crimson is making its 10th NCAA Tournament appearance following a record-breaking season that saw Harvard finish the regular season with a 17–0 mark. The Crimson captured the outright Ivy League title, went 7–1 against top-15 RPI teams, and matched a program record with 17 wins in a season. Harvard has reached the NCAA Quarterfinals in each of the past two seasons.
Yale continues its season of firsts with its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, following its inaugural Ivy League Tournament appearance over the weekend. The Bulldogs went 8–1 in non-conference play, earned three top-15 RPI victories, and have been nationally ranked for seven straight weeks.
The NCAA Tournament features an 18-team field, with 10 automatic qualifiers and eight at-large selections chosen by the NCAA Selection Committee. Opening-round games will be played at two of the four first- and second-round host sites, with the semifinals and finals taking place at Williams Field at Jack Katz Stadium in Durham, North Carolina.