Marlborough, Mass.- Following the 2026 NEWMAC Women’s Track and Field Championship on April 25, the NEWMAC released its major awards and all-conference teams. The Women’s Track and Field All-Conference Team consists of a first team and a second team, determined by student-athletes' finishes at the event, with first-place performances earning first-team all-conference honors and second-place finishes earning second-team all-conference accolades. The Track Athlete, Field Athlete, Rookie, and Coaching Staff of the Year were voted on by the ten head coaches following the NEWMAC Championship.
Track Athlete of the Meet- Tara Jessen (Sr.), U.S. Coast Guard Academy
Tara Jessen (Bend, Ore.) was a two-time NEWMAC Champion, pulling off the double of the heptathlon and the 400m hurdles. In the heptathlon, Jessen won five events (100-meter Hurdles, High Jump, 200 Meters, Long Jump, and 800 Meters), setting multi-event records in four of those events (hurdles, high jump, 200, and long jump) to take gold. Her total beat the runner-up by 466 points and was a NEWMAC record, breaking her previous record of 3,745 points. She won the 400 hurdles, running 1:02.68, beating out second-place by over two seconds.
Field Athlete and Rookie of the Meet- Elaina Head (Fy.), Babson College
First-year
Elaina Head (Kailua Kona, Hawaii) won the long jump at the NEWMAC Championship with a school-record jump of 5.43m. She also came in second in the triple jump with a school-record jump of 11.47m, and third in the high jump with a jump of 1.61m. Head also anchored the 4x400 relay for the Beavers. In total, the rookie scored 27.5 points at the meet, helping Babson to a fifth-place finish.
Laurels of Academic Excellence- Bailey Allmon (Sr.), WPI
Bailey Allmon (Woodbine, Md.) boasts a 4.00 GPA as a Biomedical Engineering major.
Coaching Staff of the Year- MIT
The MIT women's track and field team won its fifth straight and the program's 17th all-time NEWMAC title with 276 points at the 2026 NEWMAC Outdoor Track and Field Championship. The coaching staff is led by head coach
Julie Heyde, along with associate head coach
Todd Linder. The staff also includes assistants
Riley Macon,
Ben Waruch,
Liam Ackerman,
Whitney Macon,
Hannah Jackson,
Alexis Boykin,
Christina Crow,
Olivia Dias,
Ziyad Hassan, and
Walter Truitt.
| Team |
Name |
Institution |
Event |
| First Team All-Conference |
Michaina Loriston |
Wheaton College |
100 Meter Dash |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Olivia Tacconi |
Salve Regina University |
100 Meter Dash |
| First Team All-Conference |
Shreya Kalyan |
MIT |
200 Meter Dash |
| Second Team All-Conference |
JoJo Miller |
MIT |
200 Meter Dash |
| First Team All-Conference |
Maddy Hon |
MIT |
400 Meter Dash |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Krystal Montgomery |
MIT |
400 Meter Dash |
| First Team All-Conference |
Jessica Meza |
MIT |
800 Meter |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Kate Stebbins |
U.S. Coast Guard Academy |
800 Meter |
| First Team All-Conference |
Lexi Fernandez |
MIT |
1,500 Meter |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Lydia Martin |
Smith College |
1,500 Meter |
| First Team All-Conference |
Kate Sanderson |
MIT |
5,000 Meter |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Lexi Fernandez |
MIT |
5,000 Meter |
| First Team All-Conference |
Ava Hartman |
MIT |
10,000 Meter |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Emily Bridges |
Wellesley College |
10,000 Meter |
| First Team All-Conference |
Katherine DeFosse |
Springfield College |
100 Meter Hurdles |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Jadyn Grant |
MIT |
100 Meter Hurdles |
| First Team All-Conference |
Tara Jessen |
U.S. Coast Guard Academy |
400 Meter Hurdles |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Kristen DiBella |
Wheaton College |
400 Meter Hurdles |
| First Team All-Conference |
Ella Whinney |
Wellesley College |
3,000 Steeplechase |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Liv Girand |
MIT |
3,000 Steeplechase |
| First Team All-Conference |
Tara Jessen |
U.S. Coast Guard Academy |
Heptathlon |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Elaine McCarty |
Smith College |
Heptathlon |
| First Team All-Conference |
Krystal Montgomery |
MIT |
4x400 Meter Relay |
| First Team All-Conference |
Maddy Hon |
MIT |
4x400 Meter Relay |
| First Team All-Conference |
Shreya Kalyan |
MIT |
4x400 Meter Relay |
| First Team All-Conference |
Paige Zdenutis |
MIT |
4x400 Meter Relay |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Ella Besant |
U.S. Coast Guard Academy |
4x400 Meter Relay |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Aliana Stonebraker |
U.S. Coast Guard Academy |
4x400 Meter Relay |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Bianca McIntosh |
U.S. Coast Guard Academy |
4x400 Meter Relay |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Millie Wymbs |
U.S. Coast Guard Academy |
4x400 Meter Relay |
| First Team All-Conference |
Wendy Wooden |
Wheaton College |
4x100 Meter Relay |
| First Team All-Conference |
Camille Connors |
Wheaton College |
4x100 Meter Relay |
| First Team All-Conference |
Michaina Loriston |
Wheaton College |
4x100 Meter Relay |
| First Team All-Conference |
Kate Wickenheisser |
Wheaton College |
4x100 Meter Relay |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Reese Gallant |
Babson College |
4x100 Meter Relay |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Victoria Hart |
Babson College |
4x100 Meter Relay |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Robyn Wilkes |
Babson College |
4x100 Meter Relay |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Marcilee Kinerman |
Babson College |
4x100 Meter Relay |
| First Team All-Conference |
Allie Wildsmith |
U.S. Coast Guard Academy |
High Jump |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Grace Flattery |
Springfield College |
High Jump |
| First Team All-Conference |
Katelyn Howard |
MIT |
Pole Vault |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Hailey Surace |
MIT |
Pole Vault |
| First Team All-Conference |
Elaina Head |
Babson College |
Long Jump |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Katherine Kempff |
MIT |
Long Jump |
| First Team All-Conference |
Grace Flattery |
Springfield College |
Triple Jump |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Elaina Head |
Babson College |
Triple Jump |
| First Team All-Conference |
Addie Pong |
WPI |
Shot Put |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Hannah Debian |
Springfield College |
Shot Put |
| First Team All-Conference |
Macy Brennan |
MIT |
Discus |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Lilia Ould-Hammou |
MIT |
Discus |
| First Team All-Conference |
Lily Siegelman |
MIT |
Hammer Throw |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Anika Wagner |
Wheaton College |
Hammer Throw |
| First Team All-Conference |
Elaine Wang |
MIT |
Javelin |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Alexa Bohanon |
MIT |
Javelin |
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.