Colorado Springs, Colo. - November 4, 2026 - Wellesley College field hockey junior goalkeeper Hannah Simmonds (Austin, Texas) has been named as the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division III Field Hockey National Defensive Player of the Week.
Simmonds is the third Wellesley student-athlete to earn the national recognition and first since Arielle Mitropoulos in the fall of 2017. Simmonds is also the third student-athlete from the NEWMAC to be recognized by the NFHCA with national player of the week honors joining Babson’s Penny Baroni and Wheaton’s Hannah Fortin.
On Monday, Simmonds was named as the NEWMAC Field Hockey Defensive Player of the Week. Simmonds stopped all seven shots on goal in a shutout win over MIT. Wellesley earned its first NEWMAC win over MIT since 2018 and secured the third seed in this week's conference championship tournament with six NEWMAC wins this fall.
Simmonds currently ranks second in the NEWMAC in shutouts (4) and third in goals against average (1.33).
Wellesley, the third seed in this week’s NEWMAC Field Hockey Championship Tournament, earned a 2-1 win over sixth-seeded Springfield College in the quarterfinal round on Tuesday night. The Blue will take on second-seeded and No. 17 nationally-ranked Babson College on Thursday in the semifinal round at 6:00 pm.
About the NEWMAC
The NEWMAC is an association of 13 selective academic institutions: Babson College, Clark University, U.S Coast Guard Academy, Emerson College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Saint Anselm College (beginning reclassification process with NCAA in 2027-28), 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 seven Associate Members: New York University (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), Norwich University (Football), Simmons College (Rowing), SUNY Maritime College (Football), SUNY New Paltz (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Football), and Vassar College (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), while sponsoring 21 sports.