WTRACK: Smart and Newton Share Track Athlete of the Year; Major Awards Announced
WINTHROP, Mass. - The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) announced its 2025-26 Women’s Indoor Track & Field major award winners on Wednesday afternoon.
The winners were recognized for their performance throughout the entire indoor season, including the 2026 GNAC Indoor Track & Field Championships. The honorees were selected by a vote conducted by the league’s six indoor track & field head coaches.
Kendall Newton (Emmanuel) and Ava Smart (Saint Joseph’s College) were voted Co-Indoor Track Athletes of the Year while SJC’s Ella Labrie was selected as Indoor Field Athlete of the Year. Emmanuel’s Alisha Gomes was voted Rookie of the Year. Emmanuel College won coaching staff of the year as well while Lasell University was the recipient of this year's institutional sportsmanship award.
In addition to this year’s award winners, the medalists in each event at the 2026 GNAC Championships were recognized as All-Conference performers (see below) and one student-athlete from each team was selected to the All-Sportsmanship Team.
CO-TRACK ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Kendall Newton, Emmanuel
Junior Kendall Newton had a stellar showing this past indoor season for the Saints as the Magnolia, Mass. native won two events at the GNAC indoor championships. She collected victories in the mile (5:27.18) and in the 3K event (11:06.78), which were both personal bests. Her mile time at the championships made her the GNAC indoor leader for that event.
CO-TRACK ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Ava Smart, Saint Joseph’s (Maine)
Junior Ava Smart set two DIII New England Provisional marks at the conference championships for the Monks. The South Portland, Maine native placed a runner-up finish in the 200m (26.93), which made her second in GNAC leaderboards while her 400 meter win (1:00.63) made her the conference leader in that event.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Ella Labrie, Saint Joseph’s (Maine)
Sophomore Ella Labrie had two DIII NE Provisional marks at the GNAC championships in the triple jump and the long jump. The Gorham, Maine native won the Long Jump at 5.07 meters gave her the lead in the GNAC leaderboard for the event while she set a second-place mark in the triple jump at 10.55 meters. Labrie leads the conference in that event as well as her personal-best was set earlier in the season at the USM Husky Invitational.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Alisha Gomes, Emmanuel
Freshman Alisha Gomes performed exceptionally for the Saints this season, especially the Indoor Championships. The Bridgewater, Mass native had two events winning times in the 60 meters (8.02) and the 200 meters (26.93), which were both personal bests. In addition, her marks were not only DIII NE Provisional marks but they placed her atop of the conference leaderboard as a result.
ALL-CONFERENCE (Top-Three Finishers in Each Event at Championships)
60 meters: Alisha Gomes (Emmanuel), Kayoni Jordan (Lasell), Isatu Fofanah (Simmons)
200 meters: Alisha Gomes (Emmanuel), Ava Smart (Saint Joseph’s Maine), Olivya Bush, Regis
400 meters: Ava Smart (Saint Joseph’s Maine), Olivia Costa (Emmanuel), Amber Pendleton (Saint Joseph’s Maine)
800 meters: Aida Davis (Emmanuel), Bella Koepsell (Saint Joseph’s Maine), Amber Pendleton (Saint Joseph’s Maine)
Mile: Kendall Newton (Emmanuel), Bella Koepsell (Saint Joseph’s Maine), Sydney Gonzalez (Emmanuel)
3000 meters: Kendall Newton (Emmanuel), Adriana Nadeau (Colby-Sawyer), Leah O’Neill (Colby-Sawyer)
5000 meters: Adriana Nadeau (Colby-Sawyer), Jaden Johnson (Simmons), Leah O’Neill (Colby-Sawyer)
60m hurdles: Audrey Bilodeau (Saint Joseph’s Maine), Donna Gauvin (Emmanuel), Zoe Kirk (Regis)
4x400 Relay: Emmanuel (Sofia Rowen, Aida Davis, Alisha Gomes, Olivia Costa), Regis (Olivia Dench, Aleyo Amasa-Titus, Julia Benvegnu, Hannah Griffin), Saint Joseph’s Maine (Ava Smart, Emma Jones, Olivia Bean, Audrey Bilodeau)
Distance Medley Relay: Saint Joseph's Maine (Bella Koepsell, Cheri Willems, Alexia Young, Amber Pendleton), Emmanuel (Emma Braga, Molly Hough, Kendall Newton, Sydney Gonzalez), Colby-Sawyer (Leah O'Neill, Anna Hildreth, Jacklyn Anderson, Adriana Nadeau)
High Jump: Zoe Kirk (Regis), Breya Whitman (Saint Joseph’s Maine), Emily Greene (Emmanuel)
Pole Vault: Julianna Huckans (Lasell), Grace Micklon (Regis), Reilly Slusser (Emmanuel)
Long Jump: Ella Labrie (Saint Joseph’s Maine), Julianna Huckans (Lasell), Olivea Miller (Saint Joseph’s Maine)
Triple Jump: Olivia Bean (Saint Joseph’s Maine), Ella Labrie (Saint Joseph’s Maine), Zoe Kirk (Regis)
Shot Put: Ellie Leech (Saint Joseph’s Maine), Jemima Kabangu (Saint Joseph’s Maine), Ava Fisher (Emmanuel)
Weight Throw: Ava Fisher (Emmanuel), Teddy Pollack (Colby-Sawyer), Madison Reilly (Emmanuel)
Women’s All-Sportsmanship Team
Annaliese Rowell, Colby-Sawyer
Kason Huynh, Emmanuel
Madilyn Ebbinghaus, Lasell
Julia Benvegnu, Regis
Breya Whitman, Saint Joseph’s (Maine)
Carolyn Dorman, Simmons
ABOUT THE GREAT NORTHEAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
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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