MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – The Wesleyan field hockey team cleaned up in the All-NESCAC awards announcement, as
Emily Smith '29 was named the league's Rookie of the Year while a team record five Cardinals earned All-NESCAC honors.
Smith makes history as the first Cardinal in team history to earn a major individual award (Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year) in the NESCAC. Smith was also named to the All-NESCAC First Team alongside senior forward
Georgia Adams '26 and senior goalkeeper
Audrey Pace '26 while sophomore back
Natalie Shaw '28 and sophomore midfielder
Brooke Miner '28 earned a spot on the All-NESCAC Second Team.
In addition to Smith's historical Rookie of the Year selection, the five All-NESCAC performers sets a team record, surpassing the 2023 season when Wesleyan saw four named All-NESCAC. The three First Teamers ties the 2023 season for a team record.
Emily Smith – Rookie of the Year - 1st Team All-NESCAC
The engine in the Wesleyan midfield unit, Smith has contributed both in the attacking midfield and on the defensive end all year. She ranks fourth on the team in points with four goals and five assists while ranking second in shots with 49. Smith has played in all 18 games (starting 14) and has been on the field for 900+ minutes while featuring in both the attacking and defensive penalty corner units for Wesleyan. Honored as both the NESCAC Player of the Week and National D3 Offensive Player of the Week on October 20, Smith earned both awards following a weekend that saw her assist on the lone goal in a 1-0 win at Williams that clinched the Little Three Championship as well as scoring both goals, including the overtime game-winner, in a 2-1 win at Middlebury. Smith is the first Cardinal first-year in team history to earn All-NESCAC honors.
The #2 all-time leading point producer in the history of Wesleyan field hockey earns her third career All-NESCAC selection, making the First Team for the second time. She joins Morgan McCauley '12 as the only Cardinals in team history to earn three career All-NESCAC honors. Leading the team in points for the third straight season, Adams has nine goals and six assists for 24 points in 18 games (all starts). Three of her nine goals are game-winners while the six assists is tied for a single-season career-high. Adams had a six-game point streak at the tail end of the regular season, stretching into the NESCAC Tournament, while she has a pair of multi-goal games as well as a three-assist game. For her career, Adams has 108 career points on 45 goals and 18 assists.
A four-year starter for the Cardinals, Pace will go down as one of the best at her position in team history, becoming the first goalkeeper in team history to make All-NESCAC First Team twice. The senior stalwart is enjoying a career year with a 1.11 goals against average and .812 save percentage, both are career-highs, while sporting a 14-4 record and has played a key role in breaking the team's single-season shutout record as the Cardinals have eight shutouts through 18 games this year. Pace has allowed one goal or less in 13 of the 18 games played this season while she posted a season-high 11 saves in a win over Bowdoin and had a five-save shutout in the Little Three title clinching win at Williams.
Now a two-year starter for the Cardinals at center back, Shaw joins Olivia Baglieri '21 as the only two underclassman defenders in team history to earn All-NESCAC honors. Shaw has started all 36 possible games since joining the team as a first-year in 2024 and she's played a key role in the team's defense which has allowed just 21 goals through 18 games this season. She leads the team with 1,073 minutes played this year and has one defensive save and one assist while also moving into a role on the Cardinals' offensive penalty corner unit this year.
Another stellar two-way player for the Cardinals, Miner has played in all 18 games (14 starts) and contributed 10 points with one goal and a NESCAC-leading eight assists this year. After taking six shots throughout her rookie season, Miner has attempted 24 shots this year while doubling her assist total. The points have picked up as the year has gone along, with nine of Miner's 10 points coming in the last 10 games. She plays a role on both the attacking penalty corner unit as both a stick stop and wing shooter while also contributing on the defensive penalty corner team for the Cardinals. Miner and Smith make history as the first midfielders in team history to make All-NESCAC and be in their rookie or sophomore seasons.
The NESCAC Runner-Up Wesleyan (14-4) is back in the NCAA Tournament field for the second straight year, after never having made the national postseason tournament prior to 2024. The Cardinals open with a 1
st Round game against Marywood on Wednesday at 6 PM on Hicks Field.
