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NEWMAC Releases 2026 Women's Lacrosse Postseason Honors

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.

Abby McAllister (Pleasantville, N.Y.) of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy was voted NEWMAC Offensive Player of the Year, while her teammate Joely Schaumloffel (Remsenburg, N.Y) was voted Rookie of the Year. MIT's Pauline Vien (Brookline, Mass.) earned Defensive Player of the Year honors. The Coast Guard coaching staff was voted Coaching Staff of the Year by their peers.

McAllister headlines the first-team selections at the attack position and is joined by MIT’s Annica Lam (Livingston, N.J.) and Ashley Thomas (Summit, N.J.). Babson College’s Lilly Bedard (Jupiter, Fla.) also earned a spot as an attacker, along with Smith College’s Kyra Hawk (San Jose, Calif.). MIT’s Jillian Butler (Brecksville, Ohio) and Gwen Flusche (Ridgewood, N.J.) are featured at the midfield slot. They are joined by Babson’s Courtney Laden (Wilmette, Ill.), Caroline Sanders (Orange County, Calif.) of Smith, and Springfield College’s Izzy Lalancette (Feeding Hills, Mass.). Coast Guard saw two honored as defenders in Ella Campbell (Foxborough, Mass.) and Rowan Walsh (Hampstead, Md.). MIT’s Loralei Quinn (Northport, N.Y.) and Salve Regina University’s Adelaide Baird (Springfield, Va.) were also selected as defenders, along with Springfield’s Eniola Elefontuyi (Niskayuna, N.Y.). Vien was honored at the goalkeeper position.

Schaumloffel is featured on the second team as an attack. Two from Wheaton College are honored as attackers in Jessica Chamberlin (Bow, N.H.) and Georgia Qua (Suffield, Conn.). MIT’s Nina Petulla (Natick, Mass.) is an attack selection, as is Mount Holyoke College’s Emi Bisson (Chester, Conn.) and Springfield’s Lily Johnson (Oceanside, N.Y.). Emerson College is represented on the second team by Ava DelliCompagni (Coatesville, Pa.) at the midfield spot, along with MIT’s Laura Day (Old Saybrook, Conn.), and Springfield’s Sarah Newton (Colchester, Conn.). Six defenders made their way onto the second team: Babson’s Mackenzie Cassler (Franklin, Mass.) and Charleigh Newman (Woodbury, Conn.), MIT’s Kelsey Dwyer (Baldwinsville, N.Y.), Smith’s Leigh Hillmanno (Yardville, N.J), Wheaton’s Katie Hallee (Norway, Maine), and Coast Guard’s Lauren Henry (Monroe, Conn.). Smith’s Brooke Testa (Pittstown, N.J.) wraps up the selections at goalkeeper.
 
Offensive Player of the Year- Abby McAllister (Sr., A), U.S. Coast Guard Academy

The senior attack leads the conference in goals per game at 4.29 and overall goals with 73. She also leads the NEWMAC in points per game with 7.41, which is second in NCAA Division III. Her 3.12 assists per game are good for third in the league.  McAllister set Coast Guard program records both single-season and career points, goals, and assists.
McAllister helped the Bears to their first NEWMAC Championship appearance in program history.
 
Defensive Player of the Year – Pauline Vien (Jr., GK), MIT

Vien leads the NEWMAC with a .513 save percentage, averaging 7.94 saves per game. In conference play, she leads goalkeepers who played more than 200 minutes with a 6.93 goals against average. The goalkeeper helped MIT lead the conference with only 48 goals allowed in conference play. MIT went undefeated in league play and went on to win its second-straight NEWMAC title.

Rookie of the Year- Joely Schaumloffel (Fy, A), U.S. Coast Guard Academy

Schaumloffel made an immediate impact on the Bears’ offense. She is eighth in the league in goals per game with 2.82, which leads all rookies. Her 4.27 points per game is good for sixth in the NEWMAC, and also leads the rookies. She is tied for fifth in the league with 16 assists. The first year helped the Bears reach their first NEWMAC Championship in program history.

Laurels of Academic Excellence- Nina Petulla (Sr., A), MIT

Nina Petulla boasts a 4.0 GPA while majoring in Biology and Chemistry.

Coaching Staff of the Year – U.S. Coast Guard Academy

U.S. Coast Guard Academy, led by head coach Sue Behme, went 9-1 in league play and finished 14-3 overall. The Bears reached their first NEWMAC Championship game in program history. Coast Guard closed out the season with a No. 32 NCAA NPI ranking. The Coast Guard coaching staff includes Behme and assistant coaches Shari Krasnoo, Molly Bresnahan, Sadie Bowman, Natalia Cullen, and LT Alex Hughes.

2026 NEWMAC Women's Lacrosse All-Conference 
 
Team Name Position Institution
2026 First Team All-Conference Lilly Bedard A Babson College
2026 First Team All-Conference Annica Lam A MIT
2026 First Team All-Conference Ashley Thomas A MIT
2026 First Team All-Conference Abby McAllister A U.S. Coast Guard Academy
2026 First Team All-Conference Kyra Hawk A Smith College
2026 First Team All-Conference Courtney Laden M Babson College
2026 First Team All-Conference Gwen Flusche M MIT
2026 First Team All-Conference Jillian Butler M MIT
2026 First Team All-Conference Caroline Sanders M Smith College
2026 First Team All-Conference Izzy Lalancette M Springfield College
2026 First Team All-Conference Loralei Quinn D MIT
2026 First Team All-Conference Adelaide Baird D Salve Regina University
2026 First Team All-Conference Eniola Elefontuyi D Springfield College
2026 First Team All-Conference Ella Campbell D U.S. Coast Guard Academy
2026 First Team All-Conference Rowan Walsh D U.S. Coast Guard Academy
2026 First Team All-Conference Pauline Vien GK MIT
2026 Second Team All-Conference Nina Petulla A MIT
2026 Second Team All-Conference Emi Bisson A Mount Holyoke
2026 Second Team All-Conference Lily Johnson A Springfield College
2026 Second Team All-Conference Joely Schaumloffel A U.S. Coast Guard Academy
2026 Second Team All-Conference Jessica Chamberlin A Wheaton College
2026 Second Team All-Conference Georgia Qua A Wheaton College
2026 Second Team All-Conference Ava DelliCompagni M Emerson College
2026 Second Team All-Conference Laura Day M MIT
2026 Second Team All-Conference Sarah Newton M Springfield College
2026 Second Team All-Conference Mackenzie Cassler D Babson College
2026 Second Team All-Conference Charleigh Newman D Babson College
2026 Second Team All-Conference Kelsey Dwyer D MIT
2026 Second Team All-Conference Leigh Hillmanno D Smith College
2026 Second Team All-Conference Lauren Henry D U.S. Coast Guard Academy
2026 Second Team All-Conference Katie Hallee D Wheaton College
2026 Second Team All-Conference Brooke Testa GK Smith

 
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.