WATERVILLE, Maine – The 2026 North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Women’s Lacrosse postseason accolades have been announced. Awards include Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Senior Scholar Athlete, Coaching Staff of the Year and First Team All-Conference honors.
Maine Maritime Academy junior
Bella Scolaro (Long Island, N.Y.) and Husson University sophomore
Kate Boehmcke (Shelburne, Vt.) were named 2026 NAC Women’s Lacrosse Co-Players of the Year, while Mariner senior
Ella Bowes (Valley Lee, Md.) earned Defensive Player of the Year honors. The Eagle’s first-year
Lauren Small (Shelburne, Vt.) was selected as Rookie of the Year and
UMaine-Farmington received Coaching Staff of the Year accolades.
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 four NAC Sportsmanship Team honorees are listed below.
Co-Player of the Year – Bella Scolaro, Maine Maritime Academy
Maine Maritime Academy women’s lacrosse junior Bella Scolaro led the Mariners with 41 assists and 67 points. Scolaro also led the conference with 3.15 assists per game and 5.15 points per game, while finishing ninth with 2.00 goals per game. Additionally, Scolaro tallied 26 goals on only 50 shot attempts, 14 ground balls, nine caused turnovers and 15 draw controls. In conference play, Scolaro racked up a league-best 7.14 points per game, almost two points higher than second place and led the NAC with 4.57 assists per game. Scolaro was also named NAC Player of the Week three times. Scolaro currently ranks 13
th in the nation in assists per game with 3.15.
Co-Player of the Year – Kate Boehmcke, Husson University
Boehmcke was one of the top all-around players in the North Atlantic Conference after a standout sophomore season, helping the Eagles clinch the number one seed in the NAC championship game and win their second-straight NAC women’s lacrosse title. Boehmcke led Husson in goals (43), shots on goal (92) and draw controls (82), in addition to tying for the team lead in game-winning goals (3), while placing tied for second in ground balls (46) and second in assists (18) and points (61). In the NAC, Boehmcke ranked first in goals, fourth in assists, fourth in points and ground balls, fifth in caused turnovers and first in draw controls. Boehmcke scored at least two goals in every game for the Eagles, including eight hat tricks and three four-goal games. Boehmcke was named NAC Player of the Week once and NAC Defensive Player of the Week once during the season.
Defensive Player of the Year – Ella Bowes, Maine Maritime Academy
Maine Maritime Academy women’s lacrosse senior Ella Bowes ranks fifth in the nation and first in the NAC with a .523 save percentage and earn NAC Defensive Player of the Week twice. Bowes finished 8-4 on the year with a 5-1 record in conference, tallying 104 saves and a 8.05 goals against average.
Across her four years in goal for the Maine Maritime Academy Mariners, Bowes appeared in 45 games and logged 2,329:21 minutes in net. She recorded 309 saves on 891 shots faced for a .470 save percentage while posting an 8.99 goals-against average and a 29-12 career record.
Rookie of the Year – Lauren Small, Husson University
Small made an instant impact on the Husson backline, as she instantly became one of the top defenders on Husson, in addition to the North Atlantic Conference. Small finished second on the Eagles and fourth in the conference in caused turnovers with 30, while also ranking second on the team and tied for third in the league with 47 ground balls. Small, who was a three-time NAC rookie of the week selection during the season, recorded at least one caused turnover in every game this season, including three games with at least three caused turnovers and one game with four takeaways.
Senior Scholar Athlete – Skye Cotnoir, UMaine-Farmington
Beaver Cotnoir, a senior goalkeeper for the University of Maine at Farmington, maintained a 3.98 GPA while majoring in Outdoor Recreation Business Administration with a minor in Coaching and an Alpine Operations Certificate. A two-year team captain, Cotnoir founded the school’s Morgan’s Message chapter and served as the Spruce Mountain Ski Slope Manager during her winter internship.
Academically, she is a seven-time Dean’s List honoree, two-time NAC All-Academic selection, and two-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-District recipient.
On the field, Cotnoir earned Second Team All-Conference honors in 2024 and was named NAC Defender of the Week three times during her career. Over the course of her three-year campaign as the Beaver’s goalkeeper, Cotnoir played in 29 games, starting in all but one, while tallying 1231.37 minutes in goal and recording 209 saves (.427 save percentage).
Coaching Staff of the Year – UMaine-Farmington
Kaya Backman earned her first NAC Coaching Staff of the Year honor after taking over the helm of the UMaine-Farmington women’s lacrosse in July 2023. Assistant coach
Liz LeClair shares the recognition as the duo guided the Beavers to a 4-11 overall record and a 2-4 mark in conference play this season.
Through her first three seasons leading the program, Backman has now coached nine All-Conference selections.
Major Awards
Co-Player of the Year – Bello Scolaro, Maine Maritime Academy
Co-Player of the Year – Kate Boehmcke, Husson University
Defensive Player of the Year – Ella Bowes, Maine Maritime Academy
Rookie of the Year – Lauren Small, Husson University
Coaching Staff of the Year – UMaine-Farmington
Senior Scholar Athlete – Skye Cotnoir, UMaine-Farmington
Sportsmanship Team
Jory Boyd, Husson University
Karissa Cotoia, Thomas College
Abby Herlihy, UMaine-Farmington
Hayden Meffert, Maine Maritime Academy
First Team All-Conference
A - Bella Scolaro, Maine Maritime Academy
A - Averi Baker, Husson University
A - Lillian Diversi, Maine Maritime Academy
A - Ruby McMinis, UMaine-Farmington
M - Emma Dunn, UMaine-Farmington
M - Kate Boehmcke, Husson University
M - Laela Martinez, Husson University
M - Julia Wade, Maine Maritime Academy
D - Lauren Small, Husson University
D - Makenzie Beal, UMaine-Farmington
D - Jory Boyd, Husson University
D - Abby Wong, Maine Maritime Academy
GK - Ella Bowes, Maine Maritime Academy