ADRIAN, Mich. – The NCAA Division III women's hockey preseason polls were recently released by DIIIHockeyNews and USCHO.com, with the Adrian College Bulldogs earning the No. 9 ranking in both national polls to open the 2025-26 season.

Adrian is coming off a strong 2024-25 campaign in which the team posted a 23-4-2 overall record. The Bulldogs finished second in the NCHA standings with a 15-1-2 conference mark and advanced to the Slaats Cup Finals after a dominant playoff run. Their postseason ended in heartbreak, however, as Adrian fell 3-2 in overtime on the road to St. Norbert College and narrowly missing out on an NCAA Tournament berth.

The Bulldogs aim to build on last year's success with a deep returning core and an exciting group of newcomers. Adrian brings back key contributors on offense and in net, while adding three transfers, five freshman forwards, three freshman defenders, and a freshman goaltender.

St. Norbert, ranked No. 6, is the only other NCHA team featured in the national polls. Adrian's schedule will test them early, featuring a challenging non-conference slate that includes matchups against No. 2 Augsburg University to open the season, No. 5 Gustavus Adolphus, and potentially No. 2/3 Amherst in their New Year's Tournament on the road.

The Bulldogs will open the 2025-26 regular season on October 31–November 1 with a two-game road series at No. 2 Augsburg University. Friday's game is set for 8:00 p.m. ET, followed by Saturday's contest at 2:30 p.m. ET.