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Kenyon College Athletics

Casey Master
Graham Stokes

2026 field hockey preview

GAMBIER, Ohio – A new era of Kenyon College field hockey commenced with the hiring of head coach Meridith Thorpe, a former NCAA Division I player and coach. Thorpe began the coaching transition over the summer and has been ramping things up during preseason practices. As she continues to install her style of play and her brand of team culture, she'll do so with a squad that returns 15 players, including seven seniors.   

2025 Review
The Owls registered a 5-11 overall record one season ago with all five wins occurring in conference play. The team wound up with a 5-4 mark and a fifth-place finish in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) standings. The team's sub-.500 winning percentage was its first since 2012, however, the Owls came up just one win short of making the conference's postseason tournament. The start of the 2025 season was particularly difficult as Kenyon battled some nationally-ranked opponents and got off to a 1-7 start. Maren Lawrence, a junior in 2025, led the team with eight goals and 18 points, while Abby Golub, also a junior, contributed four goals and eight points to a team that averaged 1.31 goals per game.

Coaching Staff
The 2026 Owls certainly will have a different look under the guidance of Thorpe, who was hired as head coach in the offseason. In her playing days, Thorpe was an All-American and an Atlantic Coast Conference record holder with 230 career points and 101 career goals for the University of Virginia Cavaliers. She also gained experience at the international level, playing for multiple U.S. national teams. In terms of coaching, she honed her skills across jobs at The Ohio State University, at Virginia, and also at University of Richmond and University of Iowa. In August, Thorpe added Rantz Karousis to the Kenyon staff as an assistant coach.  

"As we embark on this new chapter of the Kenyon field hockey program, our focus will be on building a healthy, inclusive culture, establishing our style, our way of play and identity as a team. Being present and locked in on doing the little things well will enable us to build with intention," Thorpe said. "Honoring the principles of Kenyon College will always remain at our forefront as we intend to compete with honor every day. The veteran leadership, coupled with our hopeful first-years, and all the wisdom and experience in between, has me over-the-moon excited about the future of this program. It is a journey, one that we are willing and eager to take together."

NCAC Preseason Poll
The annual NCAC preseason coaches poll was released in mid-August and showed that Owls were predicted to finish fifth, receiving 77 points in a field of 11 teams that will compete for the 2026 conference crown. At the top of the poll was Denison University, which collected six first-place votes and 115 points. Ohio Wesleyan University slotted second in the poll with three first-place votes and 111 points. Third place went to DePauw University, which garnered the other two first-place votes and 98 points. Wittenberg University took the fourth spot with 80 points, just ahead of Kenyon.

Returning All-Conference Honorees
Kenyon had three players earn all-conference honors last year, and all three of them return for the 2026 season ahead. Casey Master, now a senior, was recognized as a 2025 All-NCAC first-team, while Lawrence took a spot among the second team and Zady Hasse was voted to the third team. Last year's all-conference award was a first for Master. It was the second award, in as many years, for Hasse, and the third straight season of All-NCAC recognition for Lawrence.

Returning Statistical Leaders
Lawrence, who enters 2026 as a senior forward, returns as the Kenyon lineup's top goal-scoring threat for the second straight season. As a sophomore, she fired in a dozen goals and then, in 2025 as a junior, tallied eight more. She has 21 career goals in 38 games played, which is a pace that could have her crack the program's all-time top-10 leading scorers list. Lawrence also tied for the 2025 team lead, along with Hendrika Maher, now a sophomore, with a pair of assists. Sophomore Ariana Rowe and junior Ada Wigfield both return to the Kenyon defense after tying for the team with three defensive saves apiece. In goal, Lucy Baker and Sofia Chaves shared time in front of the cage throughout the 2025 schedule. Baker, now a sophomore, had more saves (86), but Chaves, now a junior, had a better goals against average (1.66).    

Season Overview
  • Season and home opener: Saturday, September 5 hosting Concordia University (12:00 pm)
  • NCAC opener: Tuesday, September 8 hosting Washington and Jefferson College (4:30 pm)
  • First game under Benson Bowl lights: Thursday, October 15 hosting Denison University (6:00 pm) 

How to Follow
Fans can follow Kenyon field hockey throughout the season via the following links: 
  • Live coverage (stats and video) - https://athletics.kenyon.edu/live 
  • Twitter and Instagram - @KenyonSports
  • YouTube - @KenyonAthletics
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