Marlborough, Mass. – The NEWMAC has released its Women's Lacrosse postseason awards, as announced by the conference on Wednesday morning. The awards are determined by the conference's eleven coaches following the conclusion of regular season play.
Clare Connolly (Hanover, Mass.) of Babson College was voted the NEWMAC Offensive Player of the Year, while MIT”s
Gwen Flusche (Ridgewood, N.J.) earned Defensive Player of the Year honors. U.S. Coast Guard Academy’s
Ella Campbell (Foxborough, Mass.) was voted Rookie of the Year. The Babson coaching staff was voted Coaching Staff of the Year by their peers.
Connolly headlines the first team selections at the attack position, and is joined by teammate
Amelia Novitch (Dover, Mass.). MIT’s
Annica Lam (Livingston, N.J.) and
Ashley Thomas (Summit, N.J.) also earned a spot as attacks, along with Springfield College’s
Lily Johnson (Oceanside, N.Y.). Flusche is featured at the midfield slot, and is joined by Babson’s
Jessica Evans (Southbury, Conn.),
Caroline Sanders (Orange County, Calif.) of Smith College and
Samantha Andresen (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y) of Springfield. Campbell made the first team as a defender, along with teammate
Rowan Walsh (Hampstead, Md.). Babson also saw two defenders honored in
Claire Jones (Sudbury, Mass.) and
Eileen Manning (Needham, Mass.). MIT’s
Kelsey Dwyer (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) and Springfield’s
Hannah Hibbert (Center Harbor, N.H.) finish the first team defender selections. Babson’s
Kathleen Murphy (Scarborough, Maine) was honored at the goalkeeper position.
Babson’s
Kathryn Blake (Medfield, Mass.), MIT’s
Julianne Flusche (Ridgewood, N.J.), Smith’s
Kyra Hawk (San Jose, Calif.) and Coast Guard Academy’s
Abby McAllister (Pleasantville, N.Y.) fill out the second team attack selections. Babson’s
Solana Fahey (North Andover, Mass.) was awarded a spot at midfield, as was MIT’s
Sydney Pyon (Garnet Valley, Pa.) and Springfields
Izzy Lalancette (Feeding Hills, Mass.). Coast Guard’s
Caitlyn Coates (Hanover, Pa.) and Wheaton College’s
Gabs Smart (Oakland, Maine) also garnered the accolade at midfield. Six defenders made their way onto the second team- Babson’s
Lyndsey Newsome (Woodbine, Md.), MIT’s
Laura Day (Old Saybrook, Conn.), Salve Regina University’s
Adelaide Baird (Springfield, Va.), Wheaton’s
Katie Hallee (Norway, Maine), and Springfield teammates
Kyana Alvarado (Westfield, Mass.) and
Abby Taylor (Cumberland Foreside, Maine). MIT's
Pauline Vien (Brookline, Mass.) wraps up the selections at goalkeeper.
Offensive Player of the Year- Clare Connolly (Sr., A), Babson College
Clare Connolly has been dominant on the draw this season, leading the league with 157 in league play, 91 more than the next highest total. Overall, Connolly is second in the nation with 12.41 draw controls per game. Connolly’s dominance on the draw allowed Babson to generate offense. Overall, Connolly has 52 goals on the season, good for fourth in the league. She boasts a .605 shooting percentage and has scored in every game but one this season. Connolly was a massive part of Babson’s powerful attack and her ability to secure possessions and score goals was instrumental in Babson’s undefeated regular season conference slate.
Defensive Player of the Year – Gwen Flusche (Jr., M), MIT
A midfielder, Flusche shined in defensive roles this season. She led MIT in draw controls with 94, 66 of which came in conference play, which was good for second in the conference. Her 23 ground balls in league play were tied for sixth in the league. She is a leader on the MIT defense and covers opponent’s top players, playing great one-on-one defense. She also caused nine turnovers this season. Flusche chipped in 32 goals and 20 assists from the midfielder position.
Rookie of the Year- Ella Campbell (Fy, D), U.S. Coast Guard Academy
Ella Campbell started every game as a rookie for the Bears. She is in the top-10 in draw controls per game with 3.69, which increased to 4.18 in conference play. Campbell plays in the circle for Coast Guard and is relied upon to defends their opponent’s best player(s). She can shut down opponents' strongest players and transitions the ball exceptionally well. Campbell has 17 caused turnovers and 18 ground balls this season.
Coaching Staff of the Year – Babson College
Babson, led by head coach
Michelle Smith, went undefeated in league play with a 10-0 record, and finishing 14-3 overall. The Beavers closed out the season with a No. 16 ranking in the IWLCA poll, a No. 24 NCAA NPI ranking and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Babson coaching staff includes Smith, and assistant coaches
Annika Streeter, Allie Collins and
Katherine McDonough.
2025 NEWMAC Women's Lacrosse All-Conference
| Team |
Name |
Position |
Institution |
| 2025 First Team All-Conference |
Clare Connolly |
A |
Babson College |
| 2025 First Team All-Conference |
Amelia Novitch |
A |
Babson College |
| 2025 First Team All-Conference |
Annica Lam |
A |
MIT |
| 2025 First Team All-Conference |
Ashley Thomas |
A |
MIT |
| 2025 First Team All-Conference |
Lily Johnson |
A |
Springfield College |
| 2025 First Team All-Conference |
Jessica Evans |
M |
Babson College |
| 2025 First Team All-Conference |
Gwen Flusche |
M |
MIT |
| 2025 First Team All-Conference |
Caroline Sanders |
M |
Smith College |
| 2025 First Team All-Conference |
Samantha Andresen |
M |
Springfield College |
| 2025 First Team All-Conference |
Claire Jones |
D |
Babson College |
| 2025 First Team All-Conference |
Eileen Manning |
D |
Babson College |
| 2025 First Team All-Conference |
Kelsey Dwyer |
D |
MIT |
| 2025 First Team All-Conference |
Hannah Hibbert |
D |
Springfield College |
| 2025 First Team All-Conference |
Ella Campbell |
D |
U.S. Coast Guard Academy |
| 2025 First Team All-Conference |
Rowan Walsh |
D |
U.S. Coast Guard Academy |
| 2025 First Team All-Conference |
Kathleen Murphy |
GK |
Babson College |
|
|
|
|
| 2025 Second Team All-Conference |
Kathryn Blake |
A |
Babson College |
| 2025 Second Team All-Conference |
Julianne Flusche |
A |
MIT |
| 2025 Second Team All-Conference |
Kyra Hawk |
A |
Smith College |
| 2025 Second Team All-Conference |
Abby McAllister |
A |
U.S. Coast Guard Academy |
| 2025 Second Team All-Conference |
Solana Fahey |
M |
Babson College |
| 2025 Second Team All-Conference |
Sydney Pyon |
M |
MIT |
| 2025 Second Team All-Conference |
Izzy Lalancette |
M |
Springfield College |
| 2025 Second Team All-Conference |
Caitlyn Coates |
M |
U.S. Coast Guard Academy |
| 2025 Second Team All-Conference |
Gabs Smart |
M |
Wheaton College |
| 2025 Second Team All-Conference |
Lyndsey Newsome |
D |
Babson College |
| 2025 Second Team All-Conference |
Laura Day |
D |
MIT |
| 2025 Second Team All-Conference |
Adelaide Baird |
D |
Salve Regina University |
| 2025 Second Team All-Conference |
Kyana Alvarado |
D |
Springfield College |
| 2025 Second Team All-Conference |
Abby Taylor |
D |
Springfield College |
| 2025 Second Team All-Conference |
Katie Hallee |
D |
Wheaton College |
| 2025 Second Team All-Conference |
Pauline Vien |
GK |
MIT |
About the NEWMAC
The NEWMAC is an association of 12 selective academic institutions: Babson College, Clark University, U.S Coast Guard Academy, Emerson College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Salve Regina University, Smith College, Springfield College, Wellesley College, Wheaton College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, that are committed to providing high quality competitive athletic opportunities for student-athletes within an educational and respectful environment that embodies the NCAA Division III Philosophy. The conference also partners with four Associate Members: Norwich University (Football), Simmons College (Rowing), SUNY Maritime College (Football), and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Football), while sponsoring 20