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NEWMAC Announces 2026 Men's Lacrosse Postseason Awards

Marlborough, Mass. – The NEWMAC has released its 2026 Men's Lacrosse postseason awards, as announced by the conference on Thursday morning. The awards are determined by the conference's eight coaches following the conclusion of regular-season play.

Midfielder Bennett Smith (Lake Oswego, Ore.) of Babson College was voted NEWMAC Athlete of the Year, while teammate Andrew Almquist (Wakefield, Mass.) earned Defensive Player of the Year honors. MIT’s Kaden Fenno (Stonington, Conn.) earned Rookie of the Year honors. The Babson coaching staff was voted Coaching Staff of the Year by their peers.

Smith headlines the first-team selections at midfield and is joined by MIT’s Zach Bleil (New Canaan, Conn.) and Garrett Campagna (Lancaster, Pa.). Babson’s Joey Allen (Philadelphia, Pa.) is a first-team attack selection, along with Salve Regina University’s Daniel Naglieri (Westhampton Beach, N.Y.) and MIT’s Riley Pierce (Vestavia, Ala.). Two Babson defenders were honored in Mason Dorr (Concord, Mass.) and Ryan St. Onge (Avon, Conn.). Springfield College’s Reece Whitney (Chester, Conn.) was the final defender selection. Babson swept the long stick midfielder, short stick defensive midfielder, and face off midfielder selections, as Bruno Batty (Jamaica Plain, Mass.), Tyee Ambrosh (Danvers, Mass.), and Beau Burns (Washington, D.C.) were honored in the respective positions. Almquist rounds out the first team selections at the goalkeeper position.
 
Babson College’s Seamus Rooney (Bay Shore, N.Y., Springfield’s Jake Degnan (Mahopac, N.Y.), and U.S. Coast Guard Academy’s Ezekiel Christian (Stonington, Conn.) were honored as second-team attackers.  Babson’s Patrick McAleavey (Trumbull, Conn.), Salve’s Heath Sumwalt (East Quogue, N.Y.), and Springfield’s Matt Webb (Northport, N.Y.) fill out the midfield selections. MIT’s Tim Haarmann (Boxford, Mass.) and Stone Smith (Roswell, Ga.) were awarded a spot at defender, as was Wheaton College’s Henry Stamatel (Plainville, Mass.). MIT claimed the specialty midfield awards as Daniel Patterson (Houston, Texas) was honored as a long stick midfielder, Ashton Axe (Portola Valley, Calif.) earned the nod as a short stick defensive midfielder, and Kaden Fenno (San Antonio, Texas) was awarded as the face-off specialist. MIT’s Collin Lung (Lynbrook, N.Y.) and Wheaton College’s Evan Borchert (Littleton, Colo.) wrap up second team selections in the goalkeeper position.

Athlete of the Year- Bennett Smith (Sr., M), Babson College

Bennett Smith is a two-way midfielder who spearheads the league’s top-ranked scoring offense. He ranks first on his squad with 28 assists, which is good for third in the league. His 25 goals this season are a career high, and his 53 points are second on the team and sixth in the league. He has scooped up 36 ground balls and caused 10 turnovers. He currently ranks third in Babson history in assists and sixth in points. Smith helped Babson to their fourth-straight NEWMAC title.

Defensive Player of the Year – Andrew Almquist (So., GK), Babson College

Andrew Almquist ranks first in the NEWMAC in goals against average at 8.29, which is 16th in NCAA Division III, and save percentage at .613, which is also eighth in Division III. He is second in saves per game with 12.50. Almquist started all 18 games this season in goal for the Beavers, helping them to their fourth straight NEWMAC title.
 
Rookie of the Year- Kaden Fenno (Fy., FOM), MIT

A face-off midfielder, Fenno played in all 18 games for the Engineers. His .601 faceoff win percentage is second in the NEWMAC, while his 5.44 ground balls per game in fourth in the league. Fenno also chipped in three goals for the Engineers.
 
Laurels of Academic Excellence- Ashton Axe (Jr., M), MIT
 
Ashton Axe is majoring in Computer Science and Molecular Biology and currently holds a 4.0 GPA.
 
Coaching Staff of the Year – Babson College

Babson went undefeated in league play at 7-0, securing the regular season crown, before going on to win their fourth straight NEWMAC title.  The Beavers are currently ranked No. 3 in both NCAA NPI and the USILA Coaches Poll. Babson is under the direction of head coach Rocky Batty, and assistants Devin Newell and Kyle Laforge.

2026 NEWMAC Men's Lacrosse All-Conference 
 
Team Name Position Institution
2026 First Team All-Conference Joey Allen A Babson College
2026 First Team All-Conference Daniel Naglieri A Salve Regina University
2026 First Team All-Conference Riley Pierce A MIT
2026 First Team All-Conference Bennett Smith M Babson College
2026 First Team All-Conference Zach Bleil M MIT
2026 First Team All-Conference Garrett Campagna M MIT
2026 First Team All-Conference Mason Dorr D Babson College
2026 First Team All-Conference Ryan St. Onge D Babson College
2026 First Team All-Conference Reece Whitney D Springfield College
2026 First Team All-Conference Bruno Batty LSM Babson College
2026 First Team All-Conference Tyee Ambrosh SSD Babson College
2026 First Team All-Conference Beau Burns FO Babson College
2026 First Team All-Conference Andrew Almquist GK Babson College
2026 Second Team All-Conference Seamus Rooney A Babson College
2026 Second Team All-Conference Jake Degnan A Springfield College
2026 Second Team All-Conference Ezekiel Christian A U.S. Coast Guard Academy
2026 Second Team All-Conference Patrick McAleavey M Babson College
2026 Second Team All-Conference Heath Sumwalt M Salve Regina University
2026 Second Team All-Conference Matt Webb M Springfield College
2026 Second Team All-Conference Tim Haarmann D MIT
2026 Second Team All-Conference Stone Smith D MIT
2026 Second Team All-Conference Henry Stamatel D Wheaton College
2026 Second Team All-Conference Daniel Patterson LSM MIT
2026 Second Team All-Conference Ashton Axe SSD MIT
2026 Second Team All-Conference Kaden Fenno FO MIT
2026 Second Team All-Conference Collin Lung GK MIT
2026 Second Team All-Conference Evan Borchert GK Wheaton College

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.