GORHAM, Maine  -  Freshman midfielder Lizalynn Boudreau (Freeport, Maine) was named the 2026 Little East Conference Rookie of the Year, and head coach Bonny Brown-Denico '91, and assistant coaches Sam Manders and HJ Tuplin were named the 2026 LEC Coaching Staff of the Year to highlight an outstanding post-season awards tally for the University of Southern Maine Huskies' field hockey team. In addition to the two major awards, four Huskies earned all-conference honors.
 
Boudreau was joined by first team All-Conference selections senior Bri Townsend (Newport, Maine/Nokomis) and Dylan Barr (Phippsburg, Maine/Morse) and second team all-conference picks freshman Haylee Romasco (Newport, Maine/Nokomis) and sophomore Maddie Niles (Benton, Maine/Lawrence).  Sophomore Mackenzie Hall (Westbrook, Maine) was chosen as the Huskies' LEC 12th Player Award winner - presented by the LEC The Twelfth Player award is comprised of one individual per program as selected by each head coach, and "presented to a student-athlete in recognition of their positive contributions to the team both on and off the field, who brings forth their best effort in competition, practice and other team activities that positively contribute to the success of the program.
 
The sixth Husky in program history to earn LEC Rookie of the Year honors, Boudreau joins her teammate and 2025 winner Niles as two of the six as part of an elite group of standout student-athletes. Putting together an outstanding rookie campaign, Boudreau made an immediate impact in the Huskies' midfield.  Through 21 games, Boudreau has started 20, and has one goal and two assists for five points.  Boudreau recorded the first points of her intercollegiate career with an assist on the Huskies' game-winning overtime goal in a 2-1 win against Husson.  Boudreau scored the first goal of her career notching the game-winning goal in USM's 3-1 win over Plymouth State to clinch the 2026 LEC Regular Season Championship. Boudreau is a Health Science major.
 
One of the Huskies' co-captains, Townsend is earning post-season honors for the second time in her career, earning back-to-back first team honors (2025, 2026).  An adept ball-handler and a driving force in the Huskies' offense, Townsend has eight goals and four assists for 20 points in 20 games this season, including a pair of game-winning goals in a 1-0 win over Wellesley College in September, and both goals in a 2-1 overtime win over Eastern Connecticut in the regular season.  Townsend scored two more goals in the Huskies' 6-1 win over Eastern Connecticut in the LEC semifinals, and assisted on USM's lone goal in the championship game. Also a member of the Huskies' women's basketball team, Townsend is studying Sport Management.
 
Another co-captain, Barr is now a two-time All-Little East Conference selection after earning second team honors in 2025. A relentless working in the midfield, Barr has sent career-best marks in goals with seven this season, adding a pair of assists for 16 points.  Three of Barr's seven goals have been game-winners, including a 1-0 win over WestConn in overtime, and in the Huskies' 6-1 win over Eastern Connecticut in the LEC semifinal round. She is earning her degree in Exercise Science.
 
Last season's Rookie of the Year, Niles has had an outstanding sophomore campaign leading the Huskies in both goals (nine) and assists (6) for 24 points.  Scoring five game-winning goals during the season, Niles was named the LEC Offensive Player of the Week after scoring two goals and assisting on a third in USM's 3-1 win over VTSU-Castleton in the regular season.  Niles also had a pair of assists in USM's 6-1 win over Eastern Connecticut in the Little East semifinal round. Niles has 17 goals and 10 assists in 42 career games for 44 points. Niles is currently tied for 27th in career points. She is a Health Sciences major.
 
Romasco, the Huskies' first-year keeper, has had a strong start to her intercollegiate career. Making 19 appearances as a rookie, Romasco is 13-6 overall with a 1.66 goals against average and a 0.750 save percentage. Making 96 saves this season, Romasco had a career-high 25 in a 3-2 double-overtime loss to nationally-ranked Lynchburg. Romasco recorded shutouts in a 1-0 win over Wellesley and a 1-0 overtime win against WestConn, and in the Huskies' Little East Championship game, the rookie made seven saves for her third shutout of the season She is majoring in Exercise Science.
 
Hall, one of the Huskies' forwards, has five goals and four assists for 14 points this season. Hall had a goal and an assist in USM's 3-1 win over Plymouth State to claim the 2026 LEC Regular Season title, and had the same statistical result in the Huskies 6-1 win over Eastern Connecticut in the semifinals.
 
In her 29th season as the Huskies' head field hockey coach, Brown-Denico and her staff are earning the LEC's Coaching Staff of the Year honor.   A former two-sport standout for the Huskies' field hockey and softball teams during her intercollegiate playing days, Brown-Denico has proudly represented her alma mater as a member of the Athletic Department as a coach or student-athlete for nearly three decades.  Previously earning the LEC Coach of the Year award in 2007, 2022 and 2023, Brown-Denico is joined by assistants Manders and Tuplin in 2026.  Brown-Denico recorded her 300th career win as the Huskies' captured the 2026 LEC Regular Season Championship with a 3-1 win over Plymouth State.
 

2026 Field Hockey All-Little East Conference Team
Major Conference Award	Student-Athlete	Institution
Offensive Player of the Year	Audrey Molin	Eastern Connecticut
Defensive Player of the Year	Sophia Bouffard	UMass Dartmouth
Goalkeeper of the Year	Natalie Merrick	Plymouth State
Rookie of the Year	Lizalyn Boudreau	Southern Maine
Coaching Staff of the Year		Southern Maine
First Team All-LEC	Position	Institution
Natalie Merrick	Goalkeeper	Plymouth State
Audrey Molin	Forward	Eastern Connecticut
Meghan Daileanes	Forward	Keene State
Ellie Monahan	Forward	Plymouth State
Bri Townsend	Forward	Southern Maine
Peyton Richardson	Forward	VTSU Castleton
Gwyn Vincent	Forward	VTSU Castleton
Jasmine Peterson	Midfield	Plymouth State
Dylan Barr	Midfield	Southern Maine
Sophia Bouffard	Defense	UMass Dartmouth
Kaitlyn Biase	Defense	Western Connecticut
Second Team All-LEC	Position	Institution
Haylee Romasco	Goalkeeper	Southern Maine
Henley Gilstrap	Forward	Keene State
Maddie Niles	Forward	Southern Maine
Madison Preston	Forward	Western Connecticut
Grace Barlage	Midfield	Eastern Connecticut
Ada Ellis	Midfield	Eastern Connecticut
Grace Seabury	Midfield	Keene State
Sam Gacioch	Midfield	UMass Dartmouth
Abigale Bsullak	Midfield	Plymouth State
Elyse Picard	Defense	Keene State
Brooke Noble	Defense	VTSU Castleton
12th Player Award Student-Athlete	Institution
Katie Harrington	Eastern Connecticut
Norah Bargatti	Keene State
Molly Fote	UMass Boston
Farah Neves	UMass Dartmouth
Claire Toleman	Plymouth State
Mackenzie Hall	Southern Maine
Jaden Kilmer	Western Connecticut

 
 
 
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