WLAX: Melanson Headlines WLAX Major Awards; All-Conference Teams Announced
WINTHROP, Mass. – The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) announced its 2026 Women’s Lacrosse All-Conference Teams and major award winners on Monday afternoon. Colby-Sawyer had seven selections, the most of any school this year.
Voting was conducted by the league’s 13 women’s lacrosse head coaches following the regular season and did not take postseason play into account.
Saint Joseph's (Maine) had three major award winners as Celia Melanson was named Attacker of the Year while her teammate Ava Molineaux was named Defender of the Year. Monks head coach Lydia Dexter was named Coach of the Year. Emmanuel's Madeline Wright was named Midfielder of the Year for the third year in a row. Colby-Sawyer had a pair of winners as first-year classmates Addison Glavin was named Goalkeeper of the Year while Grace Joly was named Rookie of the Year. Mitchell was the recipient of the Institutional Sportsmanship award.
The full list of All-Conference honorees and the representatives on the All-Sportsmanship Team can be viewed below.
ATTACKER OF THE YEAR
Celia Melanson, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
Celia Melanson facilitated the top-scoring offense in the conference for the Monks this past season as the Waterford, Maine senior dished out a league-leading 83 assists (65 in conference), which made her second in the nation, also averaging a nation's best 4.15 assists per game. Melanson's elite playmaking gave her a league-leading 104 points (80 in conference) as she dished out five or more assists in eight of her 18 appearances this season. The senior was named Player of the Week once and was named to the All-Tournament Team.
MIDFIELDER OF THE YEAR
Madeline Wright, Emmanuel
Madeline Wright finishes her collegiate career with her third consecutive Midfielder of the Year award as the Mattapoisett, Mass. native led the league in goals with 71, which placed her 18th in the nation (48 in conference) and Draw Controls with 96 (74 in conference). Wright was very efficient offensively as of her 143 shot attempts, 105 of them were on goal, which gave her a shot on goal percentage of 79.4%. The senior had 15 games of three or more goals in 20 appearances while she won four or more draws in 13 of those 20 games. She was named Player of the Week twice and was named to the All-Tournament Team this past season.
DEFENDER OF THE YEAR
Ava Molineaux, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
Ava Molineaux anchored a Monks defense that was top-three defensively in multiple categories. The Rowley, Mass. sophomore led the league in ground balls at 77 (56 in GNAC play), second in draw controls at 92 (73 in conference), and second in caused turnovers with 54 (39 in GNAC). Molineaux had nine games of four or more ground balls scooped up, 12 games of four or more draws won, and nine games of three or more caused turnovers. The sophomore was also named to the All-Tournament team this past weekend for the Monks.
GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR
Addison Glavin, Colby-Sawyer
Addison Glavin had an impressive campaign for the Chargers this past season as the Andover, Mass. freshman was ranked third in goals against average at 6.65 per game (16th in DIII) and was second in the conference in save percentage at 48.6%. Glavin had 10 wins in net for the Chargers as she had five or more saves in nine of her 19 appearances as well as nine games of less than five goals allowed.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Grace Joly, Colby-Sawyer
Grace Joly made an impact for Colby-Sawyer in her freshman campaign as the Windham, Maine native played well on both sides of the field at the midfield position. Joly had 39 goals and 18 assists on the year for 57 points while also contributing 39 ground balls, 43 draw controls, and 26 caused turnovers on the season. Joly was named Rookie of the Week three times this past season.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Lydia Dexter, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
Lydia Dexter led Saint Joseph's (Maine) to an undefeated season in conference play at 13-0 (17-3 overall). Dexter's team led the league in multiple offensive categories while placing in the top-two in multiple defensive categories, which place them in the top-50 nationally. The Monks scored in double digits 14 times in their 20 games while allowing five goals or less in 10 of those contests. She guided the Monks to their first conference title since 2022 and will head to the NCAA Division III National Tournament this upcoming weekend at Amherst, facing Stevens in the first round.
2026 Women's Lacrosse All-GNAC Teams
Major Awards
Attacker of the Year: Celia Melanson, Saint Joseph’s (Maine)
Midfielder of the Year: Madeline Wright, Emmanuel
Defender of the Year: Ava Molineaux, Saint Joseph’s (Maine)
Goalkeeper of the Year: Addison Glavin, Colby-Sawyer
Rookie of the Year: Grace Joly, Colby-Sawyer
Coach of the Year: Lydia Dexter, Saint Joseph’s (Maine)
Institutional Sportsmanship: Mitchell College
First Team
A- Celia Melanson, SJC
A- Emily Watson, Lasell
A- Lauren Vignola, Colby-Sawyer
A- Meadow Gilchrist, NEC
M- Madeline Wright, Emmanuel
M- Ella Highbarger, SJC
M- Caitlyn Fielder, Norwich
M- Grace Joly, Colby-Sawyer
D- Ava Molineaux, SJC
D- Brooke Farquhar, Colby-Sawyer
D- Halle Miller, Emmanuel
D- Madelyn Poulton, Rivier
GK- Addison Glavin, Colby-Sawyer
Second Team
A- Anna LeGault, USJ
A- Riley Davis, NEC
A- Taylor Dumond, SJC
A- Kailey Krusewski, USJ
M- Alana Picard, USJ
M- Ruby Cahill, Lasell
M- Cecilia Ponzini, Colby-Sawyer
M- Hayleigh Young, Rivier
D- Luci Walden, Colby-Sawyer
D- Alexis Copp, SJC
D- Kaitlyn Eisentraut, Norwich
D- Abigail Graham, Emmanuel
GK- Tia Spenlinhauer, Lasell
Third Team
A- Mackenzie McDonald, NEC
A- Rose Finlayson, Colby-Sawyer
A- Emilia Ferraro, Emmanuel
A- Athena Merck, Norwich
M- Avery Robillard, Emmanuel
M- Everett Garner, Simmons
M- Jackie Cronin, Elms
M- Mara Boldy, Lasell
D- Leila Kollmorgen, Lasell
D- Abigail Kirrane, Norwich
D- Maria Turriza, Simmons
D- Jamie Blondin, NEC
GK- Shea Cassani, Dean
All-Sportsmanship Team
Briony Retasket, Albertus Magnus
Claire Stroshine, Colby-Sawyer
Ailey Pequita, Dean
MacKenzie Talavera, Elms
Halle Miller, Emmanuel
Glory Suttles, Lasell
Lauren Cordero, Mitchell
Camryn Coutts, New England College
Bailey Ingala, Norwich
Paige Ritchie, Regis
Bailey Carroll, Rivier
Taylor Shorey, Saint Joseph’s (Maine)
Ava Amaturo, Simmons
Alexa Haber, University of Saint Joseph (Conn.)
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The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 14 member institutions and over 4000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 20 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.
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