College Life

The SUNYAC announces its 2026 top women's lacrosse league awards including Attack Player of the Year, Midfielder of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Goalkeeper of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Coaching Staff of the Year and All-Conference teams as voted on by the conference coaches.

Attack Player of the Year - Lexi Atwater, New PaltzAtwater had 51 points in nine conference games this season with 43 goals and eight assists. She added 17 ground balls, 35 draw controls and seventeen caused turnovers. Overall Atwater totaled 73 goals and thirteen assists for 86 points in 18 games. She had a season high eight goals on April 15 against Plattsburgh. Atwater was named to the SUNYAC All-Tournament team after helping her team advance to the conference semifinals. 

Midfielder of the Year - Alexis Hill, Oswego
Hill was first in the SUNYAC with 32 groundballs in conference competition. She also totaled 26 draw controls, 23 caused turnovers and 48 points with 33 goals and fifteen assists in conference play in 2026. Overall she tallied 64 ground balls, caused 41 turnovers and combined for 92 points with 67 goals and twenty-five assists across 18 games. She had a season high of six goals and six caused turnovers against Geneseo in her senior season. The Lakers finished regular season conference play ranked No. 1 and advanced to the SUNYAC championship where they fell short to the Red Dragons of Cortland. The team finished the season 13-5 overall.

Defensive Player of the Year - Amy Whitman, New PaltzWhitman tallied 31 ground balls, 31 caused turnovers and 4 draw controls to help the Hawks earn the No. 3 seed after going 7-2 in regular season conference play. She had a season high of seven caused turnovers on April 8 against Oneonta. Whitman gathered 53 ground balls, 51 caused turnovers and 6 draw controls in 18 games overall. She was part of a defense that allowed just 136 goals in 18 games while her offense scored 231 goals against their opponents. New Paltz ended its 2026 season 12-6 overall.

Goalkeeper of the Year - Alana Iacovissi, OswegoIacovissi recorded nine wins in goal during her first season with the Lakers. She had 47 saves in nine conference games. Iacovissi also was No. 3 in the conference with a 58.0 save percentage. Overall she stopped 88 shots in almost 867:46 minutes of play defending the goal for Oswego. Iacovissi had a season high 11 saves on March 25 against Fredonia. The team finished the season 13-5 overall.

Co-Rookie of the Year - Sydney Elizalde, Cortland 
In her first season as a Red Dragon, Elizalde had 36 points in conference play with 29 goals. Her season high of seven points was against Hartwick on March 19. She totaled 65 points overall with 48 goals and seventeen assists. Elizalde also totaled 35 ground balls, 21 in conference competition. Cortland won the SUNYAC championship and earned an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III tournament. The team will face Colby in the the first round Saturday, May 9 at 1 p.m. The Red Dragons are currently 14-4 overall.

Co-Rookie of the Year - Ava Fitzsimons, OneontaIn her first season playing for Oneonta, Fitzsimons had 34 points in conference play with 30 goals. Her season high of eight points was against Potsdam on March 28. She totaled 53 points overall with 45 goals and eight assists. Elizalde also totaled 65 draw controls, 37 in conference competition. Oneonta advanced to the SUNYAC semifinals as the four seed and ended its season 10-6 overall.

Coaching Staff of the Year - OswegoBritt Howard is the Lakers' head coach and she is assisted by Mike Howard. In 2026, the staff led their team back to the SUNYAC women's lacrosse championship for the second year in a row. The squad was the No. 1 seed after going undefeated in regular season conference play, 9-0. Seven athletes were named All-SUNYAC including the Midfielder of the Year, Alexis Hill and the Goalkeeper of the Year, Alana Iacovissi. The Lakers finished the year 13-5 overall. 

2026 SUNYAC Women's Lacrosse All-Conference Teams (PDF)

First Team

Second Team

Third Team