Marlborough, Mass.- Following the 2026 NEWMAC Rowing Championship on April 25, the NEWMAC released its major awards and all-conference teams. Voted on by the seven head coaches, the Rowing All-Conference Team consists of a first team and a second team with nine honorees on each team, as well as the Rower, Coxswain, Rookie, and Coaching Staff of the Year.
 
Smith College's Nadia Grinyuk (Scarborough, Maine) was named NEWMAC Rower of the Year, while Wellesley College's Mia Saracino (West Kingston, R.I.) earned Coxswain of the Year honors. They were joined on the All-NEWMAC first team by Coast Guard Academy's Alexis Pape (Richmond, Va.) and Kerry Lee (Scituate, Mass.), Smith's Julia Beyer (Ardmore, Pa.) and Kathleen Bacigalupi (Saint Paul, Minn.), and Wellesley's Bronnie Bailey(Portsmouth, R.I.), Hannah Bates (Fair Haven, N.J.) and Lucy Weil (Wilton, Conn.).
 
The All-NEWMAC second team featured Smith's Maddy Beer (Seattle, Wash.), Clark University's Leyna Rogers (Seattle, Wash.) and Carmella Martone (Williston, Vt.), Mount Holyoke College's Katrina Holbrook (St. Paul, Minn.) and Ava Rawlings (New York, N.Y.), Simmons University's Michaline Becknell (Arlington, Va.) and Ivy Maynard (Glastonbury, Conn.), along with WPI's Charlotte Bourne (Northampton, Mass.) and Victoria Serrambana (Glastonbury, Conn.).
 
Coast Guard's Belle Greenshields (Dover, N.H.) was tabbed the inaugural Rookie of the Year, and Mount Holyoke's Holbrook received the Laurels of Excellence for the highest cumulative GPA.

Rower of the Year- Nadia Grinyuk, Smith College
 
Grinyuk was named Rower of the Year after leading Smith's Varsity Eight crew to a second-place finish at 6:55.29 and helping the Bears to a first-place finish in the Florence Jope Smith Cup standings with 38 points. Smith took second overall in the Championship with 42 points.

Coxswain of the Year- Mia Saracino, Wellesley
 
Saracino was named Coxswain of the Year after guiding the Blue to a first-place finish in the Varsity 8 with a time of 6:53.09. Wellesley won its second straight title and earned the automatic bid to the NEWMAC Championship.
 
Rookie of the Year- Belle Greenshields, Coast Guard
 
Belle Greenshields raced in the Varsity Eight for the Bears, which took third with a time 7:09.09. 
 
Laurels of Academic Excellence- Katrina Holbrook, Mount Holyoke College
 
Holbrook is double-majoring in Biology and Data Science. She is completing her degree in three years and boasts a 4.00 GPA.

Co-Coaching Staff of the Year- Wellesley College
 
Wellesley captured the NEWMAC Championship for the second straight year and 13th time overall. This was the twelfth of head coach Tessa Spillane's career. The Blue earned 43 points by winning the Varsity Eight (V8+) race and taking second in the Second Varsity Eight (2V8+). With the win, the Blue earned the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Championship. Joining Spillane on the Wellesley staff are Associate Head Coach Emilie Muller and Assistant Liz Woodward.
 
Co-Coaching Staff of the Year- Smith College
 
Smith College won the Florence Jope Smith Cup, which is awarded annually to the school with the highest number of points from the overall results at the NEWMAC Championship. Smith totaled 38 points, winning the Second, Third, and Fourth varsity eight races, and coming in second in the Varsity Eight. Smith is led by head coach Clare Doyle, who is assisted by Graham Marks, Anne Horton, and Hannah Ondak.

All-NEWMAC First Team

Nadia Grinyuk - Smith
Mia Saracino - Wellesley
Alexis Pape - Coast Guard
Kerry Lee - Coast Guard
Julia Beyer - Smith
Kathleen Bacigalupi - Smith  
Bronnie Bailey - Wellesley
Hannah Bates - Wellesley
Lucy Weil - Wellesley
 
All-NEWMAC Second Team

Maddie Beer - Smith - Coxswain
Leyna Rogers - Clark
Carmella Martone - Clark
Katrina Holbrook - Mount Holyoke
Ava Rawlings - Mount Holyoke
Michaline Becknell - Simmons
Ivy Maynard - Simmons
Charlotte Bourne - WPI
Victoria Serrambana - WPI
 
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 eight Associate Members: Brandeis University (Women's Lacrosse, 2026-2027), 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.