Wisconsin opens the NCAA women's hockey season in a familiar position ranked #1 by USA Hockey's poll, but will they be able to hold the spot with pressure from programs like Ohio State, Minnesota, Northeastern, and Penn State.
The Wisconsin Badgers found themselves in a familiar position in the first USA Hockey national ranking of the season: number one. It came only days after a WCHA preseason poll ranked the Badgers second in their conference behind Ohio State.
Perennial powerhouse programs, Wisconsin and Ohio State will again battle it out for top spot not only in the WCHA, but nationally, and they won't be without pressure from other programs near the top of USA Hockey's rankings in Minnesota, Northeastern, and Penn State.
Wisconsin will face challenges this season after losing Caroline Harvey, Laila Edwards, Lacey Eden, Kirsten Simms, Vivian Jungels, and Marianne Picard.
But the losses across NCAA women's hockey were heavy with Ohio State seeing players like Emma Peschel and Sloane Mathews turn pro, and Minnesota losing top players like Abbey Murphy and Sydney Morrow. Non-WCHA teams didn't escape the impact of the stacked 2026 PWHL Draft and continued PWHL expansion. Northeastern lost players like Lily Shannon and Jules Constantinople, while Penn State watched seven players selected in the PWHL Draft, headlined by captain and US Olympian Tessa Janecke.
| Rank | School | Final Rank 2025-26 | Record 2025-26 | Weeks in Top 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | University of Wisconsin, 275 (11) | 1 | 35-4-2 | 1 |
| 2. | Ohio State University, 273 (8) | 2 | 36-5-0 | 1 |
| 3. | University of Minnesota, 220 | 5 | 26-12-1 | 1 |
| 4. | Northeastern University, 219 | 4 | 29-9-1 | 1 |
| 5. | Penn State University, 213 | 3 | 33-6-0 | 1 |
| 6. | Quinnipiac University, 191 | T-6 | 29-9-3 | 1 |
| 7. | University of Connecticut, 166 | T-6 | 28-9-2 | 1 |
| 8. | Princeton University, 152 | 9 | 23-11-0 | 1 |
| 9. | University of Minnesota Duluth, 137 | 10 | 20-15-3 | 1 |
| 10. | Cornell University, 112 | 11 | 20-11-2 | 1 |
| 11. | Yale University, 105 | 8 | 26-10-0 | 1 |
| 12. | Clarkson University, 74 | 14 | 20-12-3 | 1 |
| 13. | Minnesota State University, 55 | 13 | 17-19-2 | 1 |
| 14. | Mercyhurst University, 44 | 12 | 23-11-3 | 1 |
| 15. | Colgate University, 28 | 15 | 19-16-1 | 1 |
Beyond the 15 teams that were ranked in the preseason USA Hockey poll, others including Boston College, Harvard, and St. Cloud State also received multiple votes, and will be programs that with a strong start, could claw their way into the national conversation.
If there is any team that will usurp Wisconsin early on, it's Ohio State. The biggest question for the Buckeyes is if they'll have the goaltending to hold off top teams. In front of their crease however, Ohio State is loaded with skill from forwards like Joy Dunne, Hilda Svensson, and Jocelyn Amos, to defenders such as Mira Jungaker.
While they were banished to 9th after a disastrous second half, Minnesota-Duluth is another program that looks ready to challenge top teams this season, and is likely a team that will steadily climb in the opening weeks with a roster headlined by players like Caitlin Kraemer and Eve Gascon.
The NCAA women's hockey season kicks off September 18 and 19, with Mercyhurst the only nationally ranked program involved. The following weekend features a full docket of games, headlined by a non-conference series between Ohio State and Penn State to open the year for both.
