Wisconsin women's hockey continues impressive streak at No. 1

Voters in both national preseason polls placed the Wisconsin Badgers on top, continuing a trend dating back 11 months

Wisconsin captains, from left, Caroline Harvey and Casey O'Brien and assistant captains Lacey Eden and Laila Edwards pose for photos with the national championship trophy after Wisconsin's 4-3 victory over Ohio State in the NCAA women's hockey Frozen Four title game Sunday, March 23, 2025, at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota. | Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After winning an NCAA-record eighth women's ice hockey national championship, the Wisconsin Badgers enter the 2025-26 season right where they left off: as the top-ranked women's college hockey team in all the land.

The reigning national champions entering the season as the top-ranked team in the country is, frankly, not much of a surprise on its own. Wisconsin returns five of the nation's top-seven scorers from last year, including the country's leading goal scorer, Laila Edwards. Behind that offensive prowess is reigning national goaltender of the year Ava McNaughton, who returns for her second season as the full-time starter in Madison.

Where the Wisconsin women's hockey team continues to impress, however, is the dominant nature in which it continues to claim the number-one ranking. For the past 11 months, no other team has come close to knocking the Badgers out of that spot.

Wisconsin Badgers women's hockey continues streak as unanimous top-ranked team

Right where we want to be at the beginning of the season

No. 1️⃣ pic.twitter.com/2RMm8QaOUN

— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerWHockey) September 15, 2025

There are two major national women's college hockey polls. USCHO and USA Hockey both release polls on a near-weekly basis from the pre-season until the conclusion of the NCAA Tournament. There are a few weeks without releases due to the break in play in December.

Since October 15, 2024, every voter in both polls has slotted Wisconsin at the top of their ballot. That is 23-straight weeks in which at least one poll has been released that the Badgers have been the unanimous top-ranked team in the country across both rankings.

The last team to enter the season as the unanimous number-one in either poll was the Wisconsin Badgers ahead of the 2019-20 season. Wisconsin took all first-place votes in both preseason polls six years ago.

More Wisconsin Badgers News:

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• Wisconsin football alum: 'Most embarrassing time ever to be a Badgers fan'

• Wisconsin women's hockey announces captains for 2025-26 season

• Danny O'Neil puts up record-setting performance in first Wisconsin Badgers start