NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- The Yale field hockey team is coming off a 2025 season that featured a pair of historic accomplishments – the Bulldogs' first appearance in the Ivy League Tournament and their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Yale ended the year ranked No. 12 in the NFHCA national poll.
In 2026, the Bulldogs are back for more.
Yale returns a core group of seven players who started 17 games or more last year. That includes five returning 2025 All-Ivy League honorees, tied for the most in the league. A total of 14 players from last season return. The Bulldogs augment that group with six newcomers.
Melissa Gonzalez, Yale's Caroline Ruth Thompson '02 Head Coach of Field Hockey, and associate head coach
Kerry Kiddoo enter their fifth season leading the Bulldogs. Assistant coach
Hannah Tepper is new this year. Senior back
Hettie Whittington (Guildford, England) is the team captain.
Here is a look at the team, by position:
Forward
6 players (1 senior, 2 juniors, 2 sophomores, 1 first-year)
1 returning player who started 17 or more games last season (Picciafuoco)
The Bulldogs will get veteran leadership from senior
Tabs Collier, who appeared in a career-high 13 games last year. She earned her first start (at Temple) and scored her first career goal (vs. Northwestern in the NCAA Tournament).
Junior
Gigi Caldero, who could also play midfield or back, has appeared in seven games over the past two seasons. She has been selected for USA Field Hockey's Nexus program every year since 2021.
Junior
Chiara Picciafuoco is one of the most dynamic players in the country. She has earned All-America honors in each of the past two seasons; last year she was a first-team selection and the year before she was a second-team selection. She has been named first team All-Ivy League in each of the past two years. The speedy and elusive Picciafuoco has started 34 straight games and is one of the Bulldogs' top playmakers.
Sophomore
Ella Ou, who could also play midfield, brings 15 games of experience. She scored her first two career goals last year.
Sophomore
Liza Semenenko (Ascot, England) joins the Bulldogs after spending last year at Swarthmore. She was honorable mention All-Centennial Conference after leading the team in assists with six and finishing second on the team in points with 16.
First-year
Maddie Leathem (Newtownards, Northern Ireland) was the top goal scorer for Strathearn School Belfast's first XI, earning Player of the Season honors in the process. She has played for Hockey Ireland's U21 Ulster Hockey Squad.
Midfield
6 players (1 senior, 2 juniors, 2 sophomores, 1 first-year)
3 returning players who started 17 or more games last season (Chang, Collee, Ramsey)
Senior
Emma Ramsey, who can also play forward, started all 18 games last season and has 34 starts for her career. She has earned All-Ivy League honors twice, and she also was an All-Mideast Region selection (2023).
Two talented juniors,
Kaitlyn Chang and
Victoria Collee, figure prominently in the midfield. Chang enjoyed a breakthrough campaign last year, earning honorable mention All-Ivy League and Yale's Player of the Year Award. She started all 18 games. Collee is a two-time All-Mideast Region and All-Ivy League honoree. She established career highs in goals (seven) and points (7-2-16) last season, starting 17 games.
The sophomore class includes a pair of talented midfielders in
Carys Donahoe and
Emma Mueller. Donahoe appeared in 10 games last season, while Mueller appeared in two. Mueller can also play forward.
First-year
Angelina Che (Sudbury, Mass.), who could also play forward, has been selected for USA Field Hockey's Nexus program six times. At Groton School, she was a three-time first team NFHCA all-region selection.
Back
6 players (1 senior, 1 junior, 2 sophomores, 2 first-years)
2 returning players who started 17 or more games last season (Isherwood, Whittington)
Senior
Hettie Whittington, who could play back or midfield, cemented her place among the best players in the region last year. She was named first team NFHCA All-Mideast Region for the second year in a row, and added All-Ivy League honors for the second time as well (first team in 2024, second team in 2025). She achieved career highs in goals (nine, second on the team), assists (nine, led the team) and points (27, led the team), capitalizing on her role on attack penalty corners. The Bulldogs look to Whittington to set the tone on and off the pitch as captain.
Junior
Issy Baileff brings 23 career games of experience, including nine starts.
Sophomore
Carys Isherwood, who could also play midfield, made an instant impact last season – she appeared in all 18 games, starting 17. Classmate
Lore Laniyan, who could also play forward, provided valuable depth on defense.
First-year
Sophie Buchowski (St. Louis, Mo.) has been selected to USA Field Hockey's Nexus Championships four times, including this past summer. She was named first team all-state by the St. Louis Post Dispatch last season at John Burroughs School, where she helped the team to the Missouri state championship for the second time in three years.
Classmate
Emilia Puddicombe (Bristol, England) has been on England's U21 squad (2025-26) and U18 squad (2024-25) along with the U17 development squad (2023-24). She started every match for Clifton Robinsons Hockey Club in 2025-26.
Goalkeeper
2 players (0 seniors, 0 juniors, 1 sophomore, 1 first-year)
1 returning player who started nine or more games last season (Schwarzkopf)
Sophomore
Amelie Schwarzkopf quickly established herself as a force to be reckoned with in the cage last year. In her 17 games played (all starts), she limited Yale's opponents to no more than one goal 10 times. That included a pair of shutouts. She earned second team NFHCA All-Mideast Region and second team All-Ivy League honors.
First-year
Lucy Pigg (Charlotte, N.C.) has been selected to USA Field Hockey's Nexus Championships four times, including this past summer. She was NFHCA all-region in 2025 at Providence High School.
Schedule Notes
- The 16 game regular season slate starts Friday, Sept. 4 at 6:00 p.m. vs. Sacred Heart at Johnson Field.
- In addition to the seven Ivy League games -- starting Sept. 18 vs. Brown -- the Bulldogs have nine non-league games.
- Alumnae Day is Saturday, Sept. 26 vs. Cornell.
- Senior Day is Friday, Oct. 9 vs. Columbia.
- The Ivy League Field Hockey Tournament, which determines the recipient of the league's automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament, takes place at the site of the No. 1 seed and includes the top four teams in the regular season standings. Semifinals take place Friday, Nov. 8 and the tournament championship game is Sunday, Nov. 10.
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