HADLEY, Mass. - The New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) announced its annual women’s soccer awards.
Maria Utz of Wesleyan garnered the NESCAC Player of the Year honor, while Williams’ Kianna Porter was named the NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year, and Danica Zicha of Conn. College was selected as the NESCAC Rookie of the Year. The Hamilton and Williams staffs shared the Coaching Staff of the Year award. All honors, including the All-NESCAC team, were selected by a vote of the conference’s 11 head coaches.
Utz, who was also named to the All-NESCAC First Team, is the third Cardinal to be named NESCAC Player of the Year. The forward had a career-best senior season with a league-leading 38 points and 16 goals. Utz also added six assists and tallied four game-winners, tying for the most in the NESCAC. During a four-game stretch, Utz tallied 10 points and scored in all four matches.
Porter, an All-NESCAC First Team selection, is the first Eph to be named NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year since the award’s inception in 2023. The senior has started all 14 games she has played and helped anchor a Williams defense that has allowed just six goals. Porter contributed to the Ephs’ NESCAC Tournament run that ended with the program’s ninth conference trophy. Williams, the top seed in the NESCAC Tournament, earned the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Ephs face Penn State Harrisburg in the first-round game at William Smith on November 14.
Zicha, who also earned a spot on the All-NESCAC Second Team, is the fifth Camel to earn the NESCAC Rookie of the Year accolade, and the first since Michelle Medina in 2014. The first-year led Conn. College in scoring with 15 points on seven goals and one assist. Among NESCAC rookies in conference action, Zicha ranked first in goals (5), game-winning goals (2), and points (11).
The Hamilton and Williams coaches share the NESCAC Coaching Staff of the Year honor.
Colette Gilligan, in her 25th season at Hamilton, and staff earn the honor for the first time after leading the Continentals to a 6-2-2 mark in conference play (11-3-3 overall) and the No. 3 seed in the NESCAC Tournament. Hamilton reached the NESCAC Semifinals for the first time since 2021. The Continentals were selected to the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team and will travel to John Hopkins to face Christopher Newport in the first round on November 14.
The Williams coaching staff, led by seventh-year head coach Sarah Raymond, led the Ephs to their ninth NESCAC title and first since 2017. Williams earned the top seed in the NESCAC Tournament with an 8-1-1 record and stands at 14-2-1 heading into the NCAA Tournament.
2026 NESCAC Women's Soccer Awards
Player of the Year: Maria Utz, Wesleyan
Defensive Player of the Year: Kianna Porter, Williams
Rookie of the Year: Danica Zicha, Conn. College
Co-Coaching Staffs of the Year: Hamilton & Williams
| All-NESCAC First Team |
| Pos |
Name |
School |
Yr |
Hometown |
Previous Honors |
| G |
Chelsea Mohammed |
Williams |
Jr. |
Sicklerville, N.J. |
|
| D |
Samantha DeWitt |
Colby |
Sr. |
Westport, Conn. |
2025 1st Team, 2023 2nd Team |
| D |
Kate Giglio |
Hamilton |
Jr. |
Westfield, Mass. |
|
| D |
Phoebe Marsick |
Tufts |
Jr. |
Fairfield, Conn. |
|
| D |
Greta Pew |
Williams |
Jr. |
Peapack, N.J. |
|
| D |
Kianna Porter |
Williams |
Sr. |
Thousand Oaks, Calif. |
|
| M |
Reese Birch |
Tufts |
Sr. |
Mission Hills, Kan. |
2025 1st Team |
| M |
Haley Cramer |
Hamilton |
Jr. |
West Granby, Conn. |
|
| M |
Maren Jones |
Tufts |
Jr. |
Mill Valley, Calif. |
|
| M |
Emily Nicholas |
Tufts |
Sr. |
Avon, Conn. |
2023 2nd Team |
| F |
Abigail Jarvi |
Colby |
Sr. |
Gilford, N.H. |
2025 1st Team, 2024 1st Team |
| F |
Maya Lloyd |
Williams |
So. |
Lexington, Mass. |
2025 ROY, 2025 2nd Team |
| F |
Lila Sullivan |
Hamilton |
So. |
Charlestown, Mass. |
|
| F |
Waverly Sumner |
Tufts |
Sr. |
Dover, Mass. |
|
| F |
Maria Utz |
Wesleyan |
Sr. |
Atlanta, Ga. |
2025 1st Team, 2024 2nd Team |
| All-NESCAC Second Team |
| Pos |
Name |
School |
Yr |
Hometown |
Previous Honors |
| G |
Gigi Edwards |
Tufts |
Sr. |
Menlo Park, Calif. |
|
| D |
Tessa Broderick |
Middlebury |
Jr. |
Dover, Mass. |
|
| D |
Abby Douglass |
Hamilton |
Sr. |
Pelham, N.Y. |
|
| D |
Sheridan Snow |
Wesleyan |
Jr. |
Bethesda, Md. |
2025 2nd Team, 2024 ROY |
| D |
Ami Vithiananthan |
Colby |
Jr. |
Winchester, Mass. |
|
| M |
Diana Baffor |
Hamilton |
So. |
Takoradi, Ghana |
|
| M |
Gigi Day |
Middlebury |
Sr. |
Washington, Conn. |
2025 2nd Team, 2023 Co-ROY, 2023 2nd Team |
| M |
Madison Genser |
Colby |
Sr. |
Newton Center, Mass. |
2025 2nd Team |
| M |
Annie Liebich |
Colby |
Sr. |
Boise, Idaho |
2025 1st Team, 2024 1st Team |
| M |
Lily Mark |
Williams |
Jr. |
Wenham, Mass. |
|
| F |
Bria Abbiati |
Williams |
Sr. |
Newton, Mass. |
|
| F |
Ella Caraluzzi |
Colby |
Jr. |
Brookfield, Conn. |
|
| F |
Jessica Lomo |
Amherst |
Sr. |
Accra, Ghana |
|
| F |
Danica Zicha |
Conn. College |
Fy. |
Belmont, Mass. |
|
