By: Aaron Thompson, Assistant Director of Athletics for Operations
WASHINGTON, Pa. – Following the loss of seven seniors to graduation, the Washington & Jefferson College Field Hockey team will enter 2026 with new faces on the roster looking to make an impact this fall.
Behind second-year head coach
Mackenzie Gagliardi, the Presidents will continue to look to rebuild the program and its roster depth with more stability at the coaching position than in previous years. Gagliardi became the fourth different head coach in five years prior to her initial campaign guiding the team in 2025.
"As a second-year college coach, it's great to be able to evaluate our team's athletic baselines, and I have personally gained a lot of knowledge about how a full year works both in and out of season," Gagliardi said. "We will absolutely miss our 2026 class of athletes, but the longevity of my time with the committed athletes still growing at W&J will be extremely influential in our development. Our returning players have made huge strides in their athleticism and in their personal relationships, and it has made us stronger as a group."
The Presidents open the 2026 slate at Juniata College for a non-conference match on Sept. 1.
2025 Season Review: The Presidents put together a 5-11 overall record and a 3-6 mark in North Coast Athletic Conference play.
Coach Gagliardi registered her first collegiate coaching victory as the Presidents used a strong second half to down Juniata by a 3-1 margin on Sept. 3.
Lindsey Blount (Lockport, N.Y./Starpoint),
Sara Schriver (Pickens, S.C./Christ Church Episcopal School) and
Lily Giering (Reading, Pa./Exeter Township) each scored in the win.
The Presidents opened NCAC play with a dramatic 1-0 overtime victory over Allegheny on Sept. 10.
Joscelynn Anglin (Biglerville, Pa./Biglerville) was able to finish off an opportunity in front of the goal to help the Presidents edge the Gators in a thriller at Cameron Stadium. Later that week, W&J topped Eastern Mennonite by a 2-0 margin on the road, as Anglin and Schriver scored in the victory.
W&J earned a pair of conference wins in October. The Presidents scored in each of the first three quarters to defeat Oberlin on Oct. 10.
Bailey Miller (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) scored twice in the Homecoming Weekend victory.
Lily Giering (Reading, Pa./Exeter Township) and
Capriana Romano (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township) scored in a 2-0 win at Transylvania on Oct. 18. The goal was the first collegiate score for Romano.
The Presidents were in several close games in 2025, as eight games were decided by a single goal.
Giering earned All-NCAC honors following the season. She concluded a fine four-year run with the Presidents as a three-time All-NCAC honoree. Giering finished her career tied for 10th in goals and 10th in assists on the all-time program ranks.
2026 Team Captains: Megan Brackney (Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe),
Grace Erhard (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley)
"Our team set expectations from their leaders when they were choosing who would be the spokesperson for their needs and who would help motivate and inspire them during their 2026 fall season and Meg Brackney and
Grace Erhard (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) have really stepped up in their roles and are exactly what we look for from our W&J field hockey captains," Gagliardi said. "Meg and Grace truly grasped the expectations of our team through multiple leadership workshops, team building criteria and their natural ability to connect and support their friends."
2026 North Coast Athletic Conference Field Hockey Coaches' Poll:
| Rank |
School (1st Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1 |
Denison (6) |
115 |
| 2 |
Ohio Wesleyan (3) |
111 |
| 3 |
DePauw (2) |
98 |
| 4 |
Wittenberg |
80 |
| 5 |
Kenyon |
77 |
| 6 |
Allegheny |
61 |
| 7 |
Washington & Jefferson |
49 |
| 8 |
John Carroll |
43 |
| 8 |
Oberlin |
43 |
| 10 |
Wooster |
31 |
| 11 |
Transylvania |
18 |
Position-By-Position Breakdown
Goalkeeper – Grace Erhard (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) brings back a lot of experience in goal. Erhard made 91 saves and finished with a .734 save percentage last season as a sophomore. Through her first two seasons, Erhard has made 158 saves, posted a .721 save percentage and has three shutouts. She made a career-high 18 saves in a 1-0 loss to Concordia Wisconsin last season. Erhard will take on a bigger leadership responsibility this fall, as she serves as one of the two team captains.
"Grace is such a hard worker and has a lot of patience when it comes to working with her teammates, including an entire freshman filled defensive line this season," Gagliardi said. "She holds herself to the highest expectations of success, and her work has definitely paid off each year she's been at W&J. I think what really makes Grace stand out as a developing athlete is that she knows the sport is more than herself, and her teammates are always there to have her back. She loves field hockey and her team, and her dedication to both is what drives her to be a better athlete every day."
Midfield/Defense – Jessica Nakanishi (Susanville, Calif./Lassen) returns as the team's most impactful field player. She will be relied upon to help lead the efforts in the midfield and defensive ends of the field. Nakanishi has appeared in 30 games (29 starts) over her first two seasons with the program. She has 13 shots (eight on goal) with an assist during that time.
"My goal for Jessica, and for all of my athletes, is to improve on who they were before this season and to enjoy the process," Gagliardi said. "Jessica is the most dedicated athlete, driven by an internal need to better herself. She works on improving her speed, her shots, her short passing as well as prioritizing dinner with her teammates, staying ahead of her class schedule, meeting with professors - everything in her mind is an opportunity to impact life in a positive manner and you really can't ask for more from any athlete one gets to work with."
Bella Updyke (Canonsburg, Pa./Peters Township) is another returner who will see time in the midfield after appearing in 10 games last fall.
Lilah Coleman (Takoma Park, Md./Montgomery Blair),
Cara Ippisch (Oakwood, Ohio/Oakwood),
Chyler Patterson (Powell, Ohio/Olentangy),
Irelyn O'Reilly (Irwin, Pa./Penn-Trafford) and
Alana Glassman (Gaithersburg, Md./Magruder) are all newcomers who will factor into the midfield and defensive plans for the Presidents this fall.
Callie Shultz (Berwick, Pa./Berwick),
Tessa Charpentier (Eighty Four, Pa./Bentworth) and
Shayla Russo (Gettysburg, Pa./Gettysburg) will contribute in the back line.
Forward – Megan Brackney (Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe), who will be a captain along with Erhard, returns at the forward position. Brackney has appeared in 39 career games (seven starts) with the Presidents.
Capriana Romano (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township) will look for an increased role as she enters her sophomore year. Romano appeared in 15 games last fall as a freshman. Romano registered seven shots and her first collegiate goal in a win over Transylvania.
Kaitlyn Wildermuth (Bayville, N.J./Central Regional) returns for her junior season and looks to make an impact at the position.
Newcomers: The Presidents welcome six newcomers in the class of 2030.
"The whole class has so much personality and they are so kind, I love that they're on our team," Gagliardi said. "It was super important to the team that they were able to bond not only as the class of 2030, but across all classes and I think our culture allowed them to foster really strong relationships with each other. We all come together first as individuals and second as field hockey players and so it's important that they know they are cared about and well taken care of by the team that will be their closest confidantes for the next four years."
Looking At The Schedule: W&J opens its season with back-to-back road games. After the season opener at Juniata on Sept. 1, the Presidents open NCAC play at Kenyon a week later.
The schedule then features six-straight home games for the Red and Black. The lengthy homestand opens with back-to-back games against Wilson (Sept. 12) and Rhodes (Sept. 13). The Presidents take on Wittenberg (Sept. 19) and Transylvania (Sept. 20) on back-to-back days the following weekend.
The home stretch concludes with consecutive games against John Carroll (Sept. 26) and Cedar Crest (Sept. 27). W&J travels to DePauw (Oct. 4) and Oberlin (Oct. 10) for league games before hosting Ohio Wesleyan (Oct. 14) for a midweek contest.
The penultimate week of the season finds W&J taking on Saint Francis (Oct. 21) and Wooster (Oct. 24) on the road. The regular season concludes with home games against Denison (Oct. 27) and Allegheny (Oct. 31).
"We have a great schedule designed to help us grow and be challenged as a group as well as prioritize the health and needs of our athletes," Gagliardi said. "We are excited to compete against new coaches and new programs such as John Carroll and Saint Francis. We're even more excited to be on the field, taking our chance to compete every day."
