These 5 college programs have the most field hockey championships

The Connecticut Huskies won the very first NCAA Division I field hockey championship, defeating Massachusetts 4-1 in 1981. The Huskies quickly became a power in those early years, and 39 years later have five national championships to their name.

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In those 39 years of DII field hockey, five programs have won multiple national championships. Just six — Iowa (1986), James Madison (1994), Michigan (2001), Princeton (2012), Syracuse (2015), and Delaware (2016) —  are one-time winners.

Let’s take a look at which college field hockey programs have the most national titles.

9 — Old Dominion (1982-84, 1988, 1990-92, 1998, 2000)

NCAA Photos

Only three teams in the history of college field hockey have strung together three-straight national championships, and Old Dominion lays claim to two of them, first from 1982 to 1984 and then again from 1990 to 1992. Those titles have been harder to come by since the calendar flipped to the new century, but the Monarchs still set the bar in the history of the sport. 

8 (tie) — North Carolina (1989, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2007, 2009, 2018, 2019)

NCAA Photos

The Tar Heels — who have strung together consecutive undefeated seasons — are the reigning two-time champions heading into the 40th season of college field hockey. Like Maryland, North Carolina has had plenty of chances to increase its total, finishing as national runner-up an unprecedented 11 times. While the Maryland rivalry is more recent, the Tar Heels had some memorable bouts with Old Dominion back in the day, facing the Monarchs five times, winning twice.

8 (tie) — Maryland (1987, 1993, 1999, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010-11)

NCAA Photos

Maryland has finished as the national runner-up the past two seasons, and five times overall, so this number could be even higher. In 2018, the Terrapins were shutout by North Carolina, 2-0. Now, if you think the Duke-North Carolina rivalry has been going on for a long time, take a look at the history between Maryland and North Carolina in the college field hockey championship game. These two powerhouses have met seven times, with four of the championships being decided in overtime play. Despite the most recent loss, Maryland still holds the all-time lead, 4-3, but we’d expect there to be plenty more to come. 

5 — UConn (1981,1985, 2013-14, 2017)

The Huskies were the first college field hockey power in the history of the sport. They were in the championship game in four of the first five years, losing consecutive title matches to Old Dominion in 1982 and 1983 before coming out on top again in 1985. UConn would have to wait nearly 30 years for its next title in 2013, those 28 years are still the longest span a program has had to wait between national championships. 

3 — Wake Forest (2002-04)

The Demon Deacons only have three national titles, but head coach Jennifer Averill sure made them count, piling them up one on top of the other. Wake Forest reached the championship game two more times after its monster run but lost both times (2006 and 2008) to Maryland. 

Coaches with the most college field hockey championships

The coaches of the Big Three in the history for college field hockey were certainly there for the long haul. Beth Anders of Old Dominion is the all-time leader in championship wins, there for all nine of the Monarchs' titles. UNC's Karen Shelton has all eight of the Tar Heels titles as head coach, winning her first in 1989 and still rolling three decades later. Missy Meharg has led Maryland to seven of its eight titles with Sue Tyler winning the Terps' first national championship before handing over the reins.

Here is the complete history of the college field hockey championship game: