September 7, 2025 – A missing piece of the Scholastic Field Hockey fabric

I had to blink a few times when I got the master schedule for the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland for this fall.

I wanted to watch the schools that challenge Baltimore Byn Mawr (Md.) For the title of 2025, one that was won by the Mawrtians a year ago.

But there was no important piece in the puzzle. For the first time, probably since the field hockey game was introduced in the suburbs of Baltimore, you will not see West Northern Parkway Derby between Bryn Mawr and Baltimore Roland Park (Md.).

These two schools have been in education in the last century and a quarter champion of young women and have been great rivals in most sports, including the game of field hockey.

Since the pandemic, however, I have noticed that Bryn Mawr and Roland Park have been within the iaam in separate departments. Bryn Mawr has been in the top division, the A -conference, while Roland Park plays in the Second Division, the B conference. This year Roland Park is now in the C conference.

I am not aware of the decisions that require the movement of teams up and down with the iaam. I only know that it is not an automatic promotion/relegation system as it is in professional sports worldwide; These kinds of decisions are made under the athletic directors of the schools with membership of the Iaam.

It was the same kind of decision -making that created a hiatus in the Wyoming Valley Derby match between Mountain Top Crestwood (PA.) And Kingston Wyoming Seminary (PA.) When the Wyoming Valley conference placed the two schools in different divisions for a period of the years 2010.

I know that the catalyst for this change had to be the result of last year between the two parties, when Bryn Mawr, on the way to a title, defeated their neighboring trial with 11-0. The way I see it, however, there is no guarantee that the results between the two schools will vary; A skilled player can make a huge difference in the fortunes of a team.

I feel that these two old rivals will be on each other’s field hockey schedule in short order. Rivalry like these are good for the game.