WATERVILLE, Maine – The North Atlantic Conference (NAC) has announced its 2026 Women’s Outdoor Track & Field postseason honors. Awards Track Athlete of the Year, Field Athlete of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Senior Scholar Athlete, Coaching Staff of the Year, and First and Second Team All-Conference selections based on performances at the NAC Championship, held April 25–26 at the University of Maine.
Vermont State University Johnson’s
Kali Wooster (Fairfax, Vt.) led the way in the 2026 NAC Women’s Outdoor Track & Field major awards as the senior was named NAC Track Athlete of the Year and Senior Scholar Athlete.
Thomas College earned the remaining major awards as
Emma Burr (Pittsfield, Maine) collected her first Field Athlete of the Year honors and first-year
Naba Yahya (Concord, N.H.) claimed Track & Field Rookie of the Year accolades. Rounding out the honors, the coaching staff from
Thomas College was named the NAC Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Coaching Staff of the Year.
Each season, the NAC names a Sportsmanship Team, with one honoree per institution nominated by their head coach. This recognition is awarded to individuals who demonstrate exceptional sportsmanship and positively impact the culture of track & field with integrity beyond the sport’s requirements. The six NAC Sportsmanship Team honorees are listed below.
Track Athlete of the Year & Senior Scholar Athlete – Kali Wooster, Vermont State University Johnson
In her first season as a mid-distance athlete, Wooster delivered a dominant all-around performance, emerging as one of the NAC’s top competitors. At the NAC Championships, Wooster was a major contributor, scoring 30 total points with victories in the 1500 meters, 800 meters, and 4x400-meter relay; earning earned First Team All-Conference honors in all three events and recording a personal best in the 1500 meters. In the 4x400-meter relay, she recorded the fastest split of the meet with an official time of 1:00.55. She was also a three-time NAC Athlete of the Week selection, recognizing her consistent excellence throughout the season. She leads the conference in the 1500m (4:58.68) and recently claimed the top 800m time in the conference, clocking a 2:16.88 at the New England Championships to finish 10th overall.
In addition to being named NAC Track Athlete of the Year, Kali Wooster was also recognized as this year’s Senior Scholar-Athlete, highlighting her exceptional achievements both academically and athletically. In the classroom, Wooster holds a 3.48 GPA and is a two-time Department Award recipient in Wildlife and Forest Conservation. She has also served as a teaching assistant for Intro to Biology and the Dynamic Earth Lab. A three-year team captain for track and field, Wooster has been a model of leadership and sportsmanship, earning NAC Sportsmanship Team honors three times and receiving the VTSU Johnson Athletics “Teammate of the Year” award.
Her accomplishments on the track are historic. Wooster is the first athlete in Johnson history to qualify for both Indoor and Outdoor New England Regionals in the same year, doing so in two events each season. She is a 13-time school record holder across a wide range of events, including the indoor 200m, 400m (indoor and outdoor), 500m, 800m (indoor and outdoor), 1500m, mile, 6k, and multiple relay events. During the 2025–26 seasons, she set a school record in every event she competed in and placed 14th at Indoor Regionals.
Beyond athletics, Wooster has been heavily involved in research and service. She spent two years conducting research on invasive plant species and tick density, presenting her findings at multiple academic conferences while representing VTSU’s ecology labs. She has also worked as a conservation specialist with Greenleaf Forestry, focusing on eradicating invasive species across Franklin and Chittenden counties. Additionally, Wooster has been an active member of SAAC for three years, serving as Secretary during her senior year.
Field Athlete of the Year – Emma Burr, Thomas College
Burr secured her third NAC Women’s Outdoor Track & Field major award, being named Field Athlete of the Year after previously earning Track Athlete of the Year honors in each of the past two seasons.
Burr delivered a remarkable all-around performance at the NAC Championships, winning the long jump (5.55), high jump (1.53), and shot put (11.28) while finishing second in the pole vault (2.70) and placing third in both the triple jump (10.90) and javelin (33.06). She broke the NAC long jump record, a mark she set at last year's championship meet, and threw a personal best in shot put. On the track, she also added victories in the 100 meter, 100-meter hurdles, and 200 meters. In total, Burr scored an astounding 80 individual points, leading the Terriers to the conference championship.
Burr has placed in the top 10 in all of her events throughout the season. At the Maine States' Pine Tree Classic, Burr placed first in the long jump with a personal best jump of 5.86 meters.
Burr recently competed in the New England Championship where she earned second place overall in long jump (5.71). She also finished seventh in the 100-meter hurdles (15.51) and threw shot out (10.60).
In field events alone, Burr leads the NAC in high jump, long jump, and shot put. She is tied for first in pole vault and is second in triple jump.
Rookie of the Year – Naba Yahya, Thomas College
In her first season, Naba Yahya emerged as one of the conference’s most dynamic rookies.
At the NAC Championships, Yahya won both the 400 meters and triple jump, setting a new conference meet record in the triple jump (11.48), and earning First-Team All-Conference honors in both events. She also placed second in the 1500 meters (5:01.06) and 800 meters (2:32.90), while adding fourth-place finishes in the long jump and 200 meters, showcasing her versatility across events.
She leads the conference in the 400 meters (58.65) and triple jump; she is second in 200 meters (26.35), 800 meters (2:19.41), and 1500 meters (5:01.06).
Yahya carried that momentum into the New England Championships, where she posted multiple standout performances. She placed fifth in the 400 meters with a time of 58.65, setting a new school record, and finished 14th in the 800 meters in 2:19.41, also a school record. In the field, she added an eighth-place finish in the triple jump with a mark of 36 feet, 1.5 inches.
Coaching Staff of the Year – Thomas College
The Thomas coaching staff, led by Head Coach
Ian Wilson, has been named the 2026 NAC Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Coaching Staff of the Year. Assistant coaches
Alanna McDonough Tucker,
Max Bojarski, and Will Carrolton share the honor, as the group guided the Terriers to a NAC Championship sweep—earning Coaching Staff of the Year recognition for both the men’s and women’s programs.
Major Awards
Track Athlete of the Year – Kali Wooster, Vermont State University Johnson
Field Athlete of the Year – Emma Burr, Thomas College
Rookie of the Year – Naba Yahya, Thomas College
Coaching Staff of the Year – Thomas College
Senior Scholar Athlete – Kali Wooster, Vermont State University Johnson
Sportsmanship Team
Ella Behling, Lesley University
Rebekah Ireland, Thomas College
Natalie Miranda, UMaine-Presque Isle
Natasha Monreal, Husson University
Eve Poteet, UMaine-Farmington
Kali Wooster, VTSU Johnson
First Team All-Conference
100-METER HURDLES: Emma Burr (Thomas) – 14.37
RECORD
100-METER DASH: Emma Burr (Thomas) – 12.17
3000-METER STEEPLECHASE: Grace Bedore (Husson) – 12:50.11
4x100 METER RELAY: Husson University – 50.24
Niamiah Perry, JaLynn Williams, Natasha Monreal, Molly Dearborn
1500-METER RUN: Kali Wooster (VTSU Johnson) – 4:58.68
400-METER DASH: Naba Yahya (Thomas) – 1:00.68
800-METER RUN: Kali Wooster (VTSU Johnson) – 2:25.97
400-METER HURDLES: Heather Alexander (UMF) 1:10.95
200-METER DASH: Emma Burr (Thomas) – 25.82
5000-METER RUN: Grace Bedore (Husson) – 20:40.46
4x400-METER RELAY: Vermont State University Johnson – 4:24.60
Shelby Royea, Peyton Fairchild, Ida Eames, Kali Wooster
SHOT PUT: Emma Burr (Thomas) – 11.28m
DISCUS THROW: Cassidy Hardy (Thomas) – 36.18m
LONG JUMP: Emma Burr (Thomas) – 5.55m
RECORD
TRIPLE JUMP: Naba Yahya (Thomas) – 11.48m
RECORD
HIGH JUMP: Emma Burr (Thomas) – 1.53m
POLE VAULT: Alexis Freeman (Husson) – 2.70m
JAVELIN THROW: Abbie Conlogue (Husson) – 38.14m
RECORD
HAMMER THROW: Megan Fletcher (Husson) – 42.04m
Second Team All-Conference
100-METER HURDLES: Mya Madden (Husson) – 17.12
100-METER DASH: Jenney Lutz (UMF) – 12.83
3000-METER STEEPLECHASE: Eve Poteet (UMF) – 13:26.44
4x100 METER RELAY: UMF – 52.61
Jenney Lutz, Heather Alexander, Kennedy Todd, Sadie Pierce
1500-METER RUN: Naba Yahya (Thomas) – 5:01.06
400-METER DASH: Molley Dearborn (Husson) – 1:03.11
800-METER RUN: Naba Yahya (Thomas) – 2:32.90
400-METER HURDLES: Ida Eames (VTSU Johnson) 1:13.83
200-METER DASH: JaLynn Williams (Husson) – 26.80
5000-METER RUN: Rebecca Hall (Lesley) – 21:09.27
4x400-METER RELAY: Husson – 4:34.59
Olivia Underwood, Alexis Freeman, JaLynn Williams, Molly Dearborn
SHOT PUT: Cassidy Hardy (Thomas) – 11.22m
DISCUS THROW: Chelsey Cote (Thomas) – 33.89m
LONG JUMP: Niamiah Perry (Husson) – 5.28m
TRIPLE JUMP: Erica Johnson (UMF) – 11.07m
HIGH JUMP: Kara Anderson (Thomas) – 1.53m
POLE VAULT: Emma Burr (Thomas) – 2.70m
JAVELIN THROW: Cassidy Hardy (Thomas) – 36.42m
HAMMER THROW: Eliza Wheeler (Thomas) – 40.90m