In August of 2017, the Middlebury College field hockey program embarked on what seemed to be a normal season. The student-athletes arrived on campus during the heat of late summer, ready to begin preseason alongside their coaches. Determined as any team is at that stage in the season, it was impossible to predict what would unfold over the next eight years. 

It all began with one win. Using the fuel of falling in the 2016 NESCAC Championship, the team started the season with a commanding 12-1 triumph over Castleton. From there, the victory column grew and Middlebury took home the conference crown after thumping Trinity 5-0 in the title tilt. The team went on to tally three more shutouts that season, including a 4-0 triumph to earn the NCAA Championship. It all started with one. One game, one win, one season and one national championship snow-balling into one of the greatest modern-day sports dynasties in Division III.

Fast forward to the fall of 2024. The program was coming off its six-straight NCAA and NESCAC Championships. Middlebury had tallied  127 wins over those six campaigns, including a 22-0 mark from the season before. The pressure to continue at such an incredibly high level of excellence may have been palpable for most teams. But out on Peter Kohn Field during preseason, the only emotion that was evident was joy. This is because the threads that make up the fabric of the Middlebury field hockey program are the intangibles; it’s what you can’t find in the box score or a trophy case, but what you feel as a member of the team. The program is built on close-knit relationships and traditions that span generations. 

With joy at the core of every practice, game and conversation, it is no wonder that the program has had such sustained success. The 2024 squad, despite several challenges and setbacks, went on to claim the program’s seventh-straight NCAA Championship in November.

As for what’s next, only time will tell. For now, the Middlebury College field hockey team owns the longest active NCAA Championship streak at seven, with the only guarantee being that when they step onto Peter Kohn Field in August, they will do so with joy. 

The video was produced by Gina Driscoll ’25 who served as an Athletic Communications Intern during J-term 2025. Driscoll has also been working on a documentary of the field hockey program for over a year. The trailer for her documentary, Chasing Greatness, can be found here.