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UPEI Athletics and Recreation is pleased to announce that its field hockey team will now have the opportunity to compete in the Field Hockey Canada U SPORTS National Invitational Championship.

鈥淲e鈥檙e excited to see our team compete at the national level and showcase the talent we have at UPEI,鈥� said Jane Vessey, UPEI鈥檚 Director of Athletics and Recreation. 鈥淚t鈥檚 truly a testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved.鈥�

U SPORTS and Field Hockey Canada have reclassified the sport under the new U SPORTS Sport Model Program as a Partnership Sport (P2), defined as an invitational championship that does not require conference approval but must meet minimum member participation, include regional representation, and adhere to specific competitive standards.

This allows universities in Atlantic Canada, where there is no Atlantic University Sport (AUS) field hockey offering, to pursue a national championship. Each university had until May 15 to declare their intention with U SPORTS.

Universities in Atlantic Canada that declared interest will compete for a spot in the national championship this fall. For the 2024 championship, UPEI was the only university from the region to declare.

Long-time UPEI Field Hockey manager Barb Carmichael expressed her excitement about the program鈥檚 opportunity to compete at the highest level for the first time since 2015.

鈥淎fter nine years of hard work, I am extremely happy to finally reach this goal. To see it all come together and then supported by UPEI is a dream come true,鈥� Carmichael said.

Head coach Lacey MacLauchlan echoed Carmichael鈥檚 sentiments, saying that she understands what this opportunity means for the program and the student-athletes representing UPEI.

鈥淭here's been a lot of work to get to this point, and we鈥檙e thrilled to finally be back in U SPORTS,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e see this as an opportunity to compete and represent the University on the national stage.鈥�

Now that the paperwork and logistics have been finalized, MacLauchlan is focused on bringing a national title home.

鈥淥ur primary goal remains the same: to win. As a team, we鈥檝e discussed the need to 鈥榣evel up鈥� with this new opportunity to compete at nationals. Everything we do must be elevated鈥攆rom strength and conditioning to technical and tactical skills, and even our daily habits. Everything must be approached with greater intention and focus. We look forward to the challenge.鈥�

The UPEI team will continue as a competitive club in the Atlantic University Field Hockey (AUFH) League, where it is the two-time defending champion.