The New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) announced its annual field hockey awards.
Conference coaches selected Williams senior Kiki Higgins as the NESCAC Offensive Player of the Year, while Bates junior Haley Dwight earned the NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year honor, and Wesleyan first-year Emily Smith was named NESCAC Rookie of the Year. The league coaches selected the Bates staff for the NESCAC Coaching Staff of the Year. The All-NESCAC teams were selected via a vote of the 11 conference head coaches.
Higgins is the third Williams Eph to garner a player of the year honor. She ranks second in the NESCAC and leads the Ephs in points (29) and goals (12). Higgins’ 12 goals this season, including three game-winners, are the most in her career. The forward has started all 16 games and has registered at least one point in 11 contests. She also ranks among the league leaders in assists (5). The 20222 NESCAC Rookie of the Year earns All-NESCAC First Team honors for the third straight season.
Higgins helped the Ephs qualify for the NESCAC Tournament for the 13th consecutive season in 2025. Williams also earned a spot in the 2025 NCAA Tournament field as an at-large selection and will host a first-round game on November 12.
Dwight becomes the first Bates Bobcat to be named NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year. She anchored a Bates defense that has allowed 18 goals, the third fewest in the conference this season, and helped the Bobcats win their first NESCAC Field Hockey Championship in program history. Dwight, who also earned her first All-NESCAC accolade with a spot on the First Team, has started all 17 games she has played and leads the league with eight defensive saves this season, while also contributing one goal and two assists.
Bates earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. As one of the top four seeds in the field, the Bobcats garnered a first-round bye and will host second and third-round games on November 15 and 16.
Smith, the NESCAC Rookie of the Year, is the first Wesleyan Cardinal to garner an individual NESCAC Field Hockey award. The first-year, who also earned a spot on the All-NESCAC First Team, has played in all 18 games and earned 14 starts. She ranks fourth on the team with 13 points on four goals and five assists.
The Cardinals qualified for the NESCAC Tournament for the third straight season and earned the No. 4 seed, matching the highest seed in team history. Wesleyan advanced to the championship game for the first time in program history and finished as the NESCAC Runners-Up. The Cardinals were an at-large selection to the NCAA Tournament and will host a first-round game on November 12.
The Bates staff was honored as the NESCAC Coaching Staff of the Year by its peers for the second time in three seasons. Head coach Dani Kogut (13th season) and assistant coaches Kelly McManus and Ian Wagge led the Bobcats to their first NESCAC title in team history. Bates set a program record for wins in a season (15) and is the first team to win all three games in the NESCAC Tournament via shutouts.
2025 NESCAC Field Hockey Awards
Offensive Player of the Year: Kiki Higgins, Williams
Defensive Player of the Year: Haley Dwight, Bates
Rookie of the Year: Emily Smith, Wesleyan
Coaching Staff of the Year: Bates College (Dani Kogut, Kelly McManus, Ian Wagge)
| All-NESCAC First Team |
| Pos |
Name |
School |
Yr. |
Hometown |
Previous Honors |
| G |
Audrey Pace |
Wesleyan |
Sr. |
Los Gatos, Calif. |
2023 1st Team |
| D |
Claire Casey |
Tufts |
Jr. |
Charlotte, N.C. |
|
| D |
Haley Dwight |
Bates |
Jr. |
West Newbury, Mass. |
|
| D |
Grace Keefe |
Middlebury |
Sr. |
Danbury, Conn. |
|
| D |
Isabelle Nahon |
Hamilton |
Jr. |
Westport, Conn. |
2024 2nd Team |
| D |
Pilar Torres |
Williams |
Sr. |
Madison, N.J. |
2024 1st Team, 2023 1st Team |
| M |
Megan Fuqua |
Middlebury |
Jr. |
Medfield, Mass. |
|
| M |
Bridget McGann |
Conn. College |
Sr. |
West Hartford, Conn. |
2024 1st Team, 2023 2nd Team, 2022 2nd Team |
| M |
Emily Smith |
Wesleyan |
Fy. |
Boston, Mass. |
|
| F |
Georgia Adams |
Wesleyan |
Sr. |
Andover, Mass. |
2024 2nd Team, 2023 1st Team |
| F |
Hannah Biccard |
Tufts |
Sr. |
Cape Town, South Africa |
|
| F |
Emily Ferguson |
Bowdoin |
Jr. |
Shrewsbury, Mass. |
|
| F |
Kiki Higgins |
Williams |
Sr. |
Weston, Mass. |
2024 1st Team, 2023 1st Team, 2022 ROY |
| F |
Brooke Moloney-Kolenberg |
Bates |
Sr. |
Winchester, Mass. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| All-NESCAC Second Team |
| Pos |
Name |
School |
Yr. |
Hometown |
Previous Honors |
| G |
Lydia Eastburn |
Tufts |
Sr. |
New Hope, Pa. |
2024 2nd Team |
| D |
Maya Harrington |
Amherst |
Jr. |
Highland Village, Texas |
|
| D |
Clara Noyes |
Bowdoin |
Jr. |
Lexington, Mass |
2024 2nd Team |
| D |
Tessa Herbst |
Middlebury |
So. |
Winnetka, Ill. |
|
| D |
Natalie Shaw |
Wesleyan |
So. |
Glen Ridge, N.J. |
|
| M |
Sammy Higgins |
Hamilton |
Sr. |
Weston, Mass. |
|
| M |
Eleanor Luft |
Tufts |
So. |
Ridgefield, Conn. |
|
| M |
Brooke Miner |
Wesleyan |
So. |
Ridgefield, Conn. |
|
| M |
Maddie Mrva |
Bowdoin |
Jr. |
Shrewsbury, Mass. |
2023 ROY |
| M |
Katie Savino |
Amherst |
Sr. |
Darien, Conn. |
|
| M |
Lilly Truchon |
Hamilton |
Sr. |
South Burlington, Vt. |
2024 1st Team, 2023 2nd Team |
| F |
Elsa Copeland |
Bates |
So. |
Toronto, Ontario |
|
| F |
Eleanor Helm |
Tufts |
Fy. |
Loudonville, N.Y. |
|
| F |
Christina Sweeney |
Colby |
So. |
Milton, Mass. |
|
