Marlborough, Mass. - August 27, 2026 - With the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) women’s soccer season set to get underway on Tuesday, here are ten standout student-athletes to watch over the course of the fall season!
1. Madeline Seebeck, D, MIT
Senior - San Antonio, Texas
Madeline Seebeck will enter her senior season at MIT after a standout 2025 season that saw her record a career-high ten goals, including four game winners, on the offensive side of the ball. Defensively, she was a huge reason why the Engineers led all of Division III with 20 shutouts and rank third in the country in shutout percentage (.769). Seebeck was a United Soccer Coaches All-American and NEWMAC All-Conference First Team honoree as MIT went on to win its third straight conference championship title and reach the round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament.
2. Caroline Sutherland, D, Babson
Senior - Millville, Massachusetts
Caroline Sutherland was named as the NEWMAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2025 for Babson becoming the first to earn the honors for the Beavers since 2011. She helped the Green and White post eight shutouts while finishing fifth in Region II with a 0.89 goals against average, in addition to recording two game-winning goals and scoring three times in all for a career-best six points. Sutherland has started 43 of 57 games over her first three seasons and has produced four goals and two assists for 10 points.
3. Jess English, D, WPI
Senior - Ledyard, Connecticut
Jess English earned her second straight All-Region last season and was one of five defenders placed on the NEWMAC All-Conference First Team in 2025. English anchored a back line that helped the Engineers to an 11-7-3 overall record and a 5-4-2 ledger in NEWMAC play. English started every contest, logging heavy minutes in the center of the WPI defense as the Crimson and Gray limited opponents to just 24 goals over 21 matches.
4. Maya Thomas, D, Wheaton
Senior - Goffstown, New Hampshire
Thomas earned Second Team accolades for the second straight season as a junior in 2025. She was extremely versatile for the Lyons, starting all 19 matches, while ranking fourth on the team with six points, two goals and a pair of assists and was credited with the game-winning tally in a 5-2 win over Springfield College on October 15. Thomas contributed to a defense that ranked fifth in the conference with a 1.57 goals against average, while limiting opponents to one or fewer markers on 10 occasions.
5. Maeve Steckley, F, WPI
Senior - Rochester, New York
Maeve Steckley, an All-Region and All-NEWMAC selection last fall, posted seven goals and five assists on the season for WPI in a breakout stint as the junior striker compiled a team second-best 19 points in 2025. She produced four game-winning tallies including the goal that helped the Engineers advance past third seeded Emerson in the NEWMAC Tournament quarterfinal contest.
6. Sasha Ceol, D, MIT
Junior - Sherborn, Massachusetts
Sasha Ceol, a NEWMAC All-Conference First Team honoree and Second Team All-Region selection in 2025, returns to Cambridge to anchor MIT’s strong defensive unit. In 25 contests last fall, Ceol produced two goals, while also leading the Engineers to an NCAA best 20 shutouts. MIT won its third NEWMAC title and reached the round of 16 in the NCAA Championship Tournament and will look to build on that momentum in 2026.
7. Katie McFerran, F, Springfield
Sophomore - Selkirk, New York
Katie McFerran had a productive first year at Springfield finishing with four goals and four assists for 12 points ranking second on the team in goals and assists and third in points. McFerran started and played in all 20 matches as a first-year and will look to bring the Pride back to the NEWMAC title game for the second consecutive campaign.
8. Josie Lee, F, Babson
Junior - Duxbury, Massachusetts
Josie Lee, a NEWMAC All-Conference Second Team honoree as season ago, led Babson in scoring with six goals and three assists for 15 points. She tied for sixth in the NEWMAC with four goals in conference play and tied for seventh with three assists and 11 points against league opponents. She tallied a goal and an assist in wins over Coast Guard and Wellesley and also scored against Clark and Emerson.
9. Georgia Louis, F, Clark
Junior - West Hartford, Connecticut
Georgia Louis earned postseason recognition from both the NEWMAC and United Soccer Coaches after a breakout junior campaign. Louis led the team in goals with eight and assists with nine on the season. She ranked second in the NEWMAC in assists and seventh in the league in goals. Louis also recorded three multi-goal games with performances and tallied points in 11 different contests, including in six NEWMAC games.
10. Carmen Talavera, D, Emerson
Senior - Los Angeles, California
Carmen Talavera received a spot on the NEWMAC All-Conference Second Team a season ago as an anchor on Emerson’s defensive unit. Talavera started in all 19 contests after transferring from Santa Monica College. She stepped into the offense and netted a pair of goals, including a gamewinner when she scored the lone marker in the Lions 1-0 win over Wheaton College on September 20. Talavera's first goal of the season came in her Emerson debut in its 4-1 season-opening win over Husson College on August 29. As a team, Emerson produced five clean sheets in 2025 including four in NEWMAC play.
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.