NEW YORK – The 2026 BIG EAST Field Hockey Preseason Coaches’ Poll was announced Wednesday with Liberty as the unanimous preseason favorite. This is the fourth time in program history Liberty has been at the top of the BIG EAST Preseason Poll. The Lady Flames finished with 36 points and six first-place votes in the poll.
UConn followed in second with 31 points and one first-place vote. Old Dominion was picked to finish third with 23 points, just ahead of Temple, which placed fourth with 20. Villanova placed fifth in the poll with 18 points. The standings were rounded out by Providence (13) and Georgetown (6).
Villanova graduate student Ava Borkowski was named the 2026 BIG EAST Field Hockey Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, while Providence senior Bo Martina was voted Preseason Midfielder of the Year. Liberty swept the remaining two major preseason awards, with junior Dara Semmartin earning Preseason Defensive Player of the Year honors and sophomore Diane Saint Martin being named Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year.
Borkowski, the reigning BIG EAST Co-Offensive Player of the Year, returns after a standout 2025 campaign in which she started all 18 games and led the Wildcats in goals (9), points (18) and shots (37). Her eight regular-season goals ranked sixth in the BIG EAST, and she recorded two multi-goal performances on the year, including a two-goal effort against James Madison in the season opener. Borkowski earned First Team All-BIG EAST honors and was also recognized academically with CSC Academic All-District and BIG EAST All-Academic Team accolades.
Martina returns after a stellar junior campaign in which she started all 17 games and led the Friars with career highs of 22 points, nine goals and four assists. The reigning 2025 BIG EAST Co-Midfielder of the Year recorded three game-winning goals and ranked among the conference leaders in scoring, finishing fourth in goals per game (0.53) and sixth in points per game (1.29). She earned First Team All-BIG EAST and NFHCA All-Northeast Region First Team honors, while also being recognized on the NFHCA Division I National Academic Squad.
Semmartin, the unanimous 2026 BIG EAST Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, returns after a dominant 2025 season in which she earned unanimous 2025 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year honors and NFHCA Second Team All-America recognition. Last season, Semmartin started all 20 games and led the Lady Flames with 16 assists and 28 points, setting a program and single-season record for assists. She ranked first in the BIG EAST and ninth nationally in assists per game. Off the field, she was named to the CSC Academic All-District Team, the NFHCA National Academic Squad and the BIG EAST All-Academic Team.
Saint Martin, the unanimous 2026 BIG EAST Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year, returns after a phenomenal debut season. Last season, she earned BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year, First Team All-BIG EAST and NFHCA All-Region honors. Saint Martin posted a 17-3 record with a program-record 0.88 goals-against average, a .775 save percentage and eight shutouts, including six shutouts during a perfect 7-0 BIG EAST regular season. She ranked first in the BIG EAST and fifth nationally in goals-against average, while also leading the conference and ranking fourth nationally in winning percentage (.850). Off the field, Saint Martin earned BIG EAST All-Academic Team recognition.
In addition to the poll and preseason awards, the conference also released the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team.
The 13-member squad includes four defenders, four forwards, three midfielders and two goalkeepers. Four players were unanimous selections: Semmartin, Saint Martin, Martina and Serena Langendoen.
The preseason all-conference team is listed below.
Field hockey gets underway on Friday, Aug. 28. BIG EAST play begins Friday, Sept. 18.