MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – For the second straight season, the Wesleyan women's lacrosse coaching staff was honored by the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) as the 2026 Berkshire Region Coaching Staff of the Year. Wesleyan's staff of head coach
Kim Williams, associate head coach
Clara Bissell, and assistants
Sam Vitka and Bre Cavanaugh earn the distinction following the best season in program history.
The Cardinals enjoyed its most successful season in team history, going 13-2 the regular season while being ranked as high as No. 2 nationally. Wesleyan went on to finish as the NESCAC runner-up for the third straight year, pulling off a miraculous 10-9 comeback win over Tufts in the Semifinal round that featured an
Addie Cummings '26 goal with no time remaining in regulation to send the contest into overtime.
Competing in the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in program history (all since 2017), Wesleyan earned home wins over Cortland, UChicago, and Trinity to advance to the Final Four for just the second time in team history. The Cardinals went on to defeat No. 3 Salisbury in the NCAA Semifinal round, earning a spot in the National Championship game for the first time. Wesleyan could not get past No. 1 Middlebury in the NCAA Championship game, falling to the Panthers in an 8-6 defeat as Middlebury captured its fifth straight national title.
Wesleyan's 2026 campaign saw the Cardinals finish with a 19-4 record, setting a new program record for single season wins, while the Cardinals went 11-1 at home and captured its fifth Little Three Championship in the past six seasons. The group of players featured the IWLCA Goalkeeper of the Year (
Izzy Weintraub '26) and Midfielder of the Year (
Lindsey Diomede '26) while four Cardinals earned All-American honors, seven were named All-Region by the IWLCA, and five were represented on the All-NESCAC Teams. Diomede also made history as the program's first NESCAC Player of the Year honoree, earning Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Kim Williams previously won the Berkshire Region Coach of the Year in 2017 for her efforts inleading the team to what was then a program record in wins and NESCAC wins. The IWLCA made the switch in 2024 to recognize Coaching Staff of the Year and the Cardinals have won that honor two straight seasons.
