D3 Field Hockey: International Roots, Championship Grit

An Unlikely Division III Recruit

Biccard’s first connection to the Hotchkiss School, a premier New England prep school with 13 Class A field hockey championships, happened almost by chance.

After an exchange opportunity in Peru fell through, she spent the first semester of her sophomore year at the Connecticut boarding school. She returned to Cape Town to complete the academic year, but the experience ultimately led her to enroll at Hotchkiss through graduation.

Upon returning, she found a way to keep playing field hockey while receiving a highly regarded education. Late in her junior year, one of her teammates helped arrange several trips to ID camps along the East Coast, where recruiting clinics connect prospects with NCAA coaches.

That summer, Biccard nearly missed her first opening to speak with Tufts head coach Tina Mattera or anyone on her staff.

Seeing other recruits line up to meet program personnel, she assumed it was part of a process she didn’t know about. Jumbos assistant Troy Zirbel, who’s spent nearly five decades playing and instructing the sport, noticed and caught up with Biccard before her taxi departed, encouraging her to introduce herself to Mattera.

“Within 10 minutes [of watching Biccard], I remember saying, ‘This is a girl we need at Tufts,’” Zirbel said. She was just a standout. Really good skill, but also really good sense of the field.”

That conversation provided Biccard with a clearer picture of what Tufts could offer.

A big pull for me was that Tufts is a bigger school in a major city [Boston]. Because I connected so much with the academic mission and coaching staff, it felt like a more well-rounded fit.

— Hannah Biccard, an eventual two-time NESCAC All-Academic Team selection, told yd3

The Making of a D3 Field Hockey Star

With Mattera at the helm, Biccard stepped into a culture defined by a balance of athletics and rigorous academics, after spending more than two decades building Tufts into one of D3 field hockey’s premier programs.

Fresh off a 2024 NCAA Division III championship appearance, the Jumbos set their sights on capturing their first national title in 13 years.

Her offensive potential was evident, marked by elite speed and tactical skill. The next step was becoming the kind of forward who could impact every possession.

That progression became clear during her senior campaign, when opposing defenses adjusted their scouting reports to limit Biccard. But Tufts’ 5-foot-8 co-captain continued to flourish, pacing the Jumbos in points (40) and goals (17) while earning recognition as a finalist for the D3 Honda Athlete of the Year award in field hockey.

She really figured out how to work through a double team [in her senior season]. I watched countless hours of film with Hannah and her teammates to get there. We started breaking into small and large film groups, and I think they really started to buy in and do their homework.

— Tina Mattera, 2026 National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Hall of Fame inductee

Biccard’s Lasting Impact

Biccard’s growth came full circle in Indianapolis.

In overtime of the NCAA D3 championship game against perennial contender Johns Hopkins, Biccard redirected a shot in midair for the game-winning goal, a sequence so unusual that even Zirbel wasn’t sure who deflected it.

We’re coached to always get a stick on the ball—I had practiced it enough times that it happened when it absolutely needed to.

The moment captured everything that defines the program: preparation and a willingness to embrace the unexpected.

Biccard was later named the tournament’s most outstanding player after scoring four goals and recording five assists during Tufts’ title run.

In July, she concluded her student-athlete experience by earning a spot on the 2025-26 Academic All-America women’s at-large team. Double majoring in economics and international relations, she finished as one of four Jumbos on the list, tied for the most across any D3 program, and one of two with first-team honors.

“I took an intro course [in the latter] due to the specific requirements and distributions you have to meet at Tufts,” Biccard said. “I loved it so much that I wanted to major in it.”

“I tell them (field hockey student-athletes) this all the time: school is 1A and field hockey is 1B,” Mattera added.

Biccard now attends Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service, pursuing a graduate degree in international relations and affairs.

As the 13-0 Jumbos look to defend their title — currently ranked atop the NFHCA Division III National Coaches Poll — Biccard’s collegiate arc reminds us of one of the many avenues this level provides: a platform for an international student-athlete to fulfill her dreams and mature into a leader.