New Trier field hockey is 16-1 and ranked fifth in the country, with a third straight IHSA state title in sight.

The Trevians earned the No. 5 national ranking and the No. 1 spot in the Midwest/West region in the MAX Field Hockey Week 2 rankings published Tuesday, Sept. 29. The two-time defending state champions held the same fifth-place national ranking in the preseason poll. A 16-1 record through September validated it, as first reported by the New Trier News.

The ranking marks a climb from where the Trevians finished the 2025 season: eighth nationally and second in the region after going 24-3-1 and winning the state championship. Their lone loss this fall came at the MAX Field Hockey National Invitational in Pennsylvania, where they beat then-No. 3 Villa Maria Academy of Malvern, Pennsylvania, 3-2 before falling by the same score to then-No. 4 Oak Knoll School of Summit, New Jersey.

"So far this season, we are undefeated in state and beat the number three team in the country … The overall goal is to make it to the state championship and go for the three-peat," senior captain Libby McCalla, a Villanova University commit, told the New Trier News.

The roster runs deep. The 28-player varsity squad includes 20 upperclassmen and seven Division I commits. Ten seniors anchor the group, and head coach Brittany Romano called them role models who play off each other's strengths.

Romano said she reminded the team after the preseason rankings that a No. 5 ranking on paper meant nothing until they proved it on the field. Assistant coach Saleema Rogers said the biggest change from last year has been consistency and confidence, with different players stepping up when needed.

The program's depth reflects a broader shift on the North Shore. Coaches told the New Trier News that a decade ago, most athletes didn't pick up a stick until high school. Club programs such as Windy City Field Hockey and the Junior Trevian program now introduce players at younger ages, feeding experienced athletes into the varsity pipeline.

Rogers said the coaching staff is not treating a three-peat as inevitable. Every opponent is gunning for the two-time champions, she said, and the focus stays on what the team can control day to day.

New Trier's overall athletics program was ranked No. 1 in Illinois by MaxPreps for the fifth straight year after the 2025-2026 season, earning 1,486 points across five state titles including field hockey, according to the New Trier athletics department. IHSA postseason dates for field hockey had not been published as of Oct. 1. Check newtrier.k12.il.us/athletics for updated schedules and results.