WINTHROP, Mass. - After another season that placed the Norwich University women's lacrosse team among the top contenders in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC), four Cadets earned All-Conference recognition, as announced by the league office on Monday afternoon.
Senior midfielder
Caitlyn Fielder (East Calais, Vt.) highlighted the Norwich honorees with a spot on the GNAC All-Conference First Team, while sophomore defender
Kaitlyn Eisentraut (Middletown, N.Y.) landed on the Second Team. Senior attacker
Athena Merck (West Yarmouth, Mass.) and senior defender
Abigail Kirrane (Lunenburg, Mass.) each earned Third Team honors.
Senior goalkeeper
Bailey Ingala (West Hartford, Conn.) was selected as Norwich's representative on the GNAC All-Sportsmanship Team.
Fielder earned her second straight First Team All-GNAC selection after also receiving the honor in 2025. The recognition marks the third All-Conference plaudit of her career after she collected Second Team honors in 2024.
The senior midfielder turned in one of the conference's most complete seasons, ranking 10th in the GNAC in total points (76), 10th in total goals (49), seventh in assists (27), 12th in shots (104), ninth in shots on goal (84), fifth in ground balls (56), third in draw controls (84), and 10th in caused turnovers (33). She also ranked third in the league in free-position goals, converting 13 of her 25 attempts.
Fielder led Norwich in total points, goals, assists, game-winning goals, free-position goals, ground balls, caused turnovers, and draw controls. She recorded at least one point in 17 of 18 games played, highlighted by a career-best nine-point performance on seven goals and two assists against Curry College. She finished the year with nine outings of at least five points, six games with at least four goals, and four contests with at least three assists.
Fielder also remained one of Norwich's most impactful players between the restraining lines. She recorded at least one draw control in all 18 games and produced seven outings with at least six, including 10 in the regular season meeting at Emmanuel College and nine more in the GNAC Semifinal matchup against the Saints. She collected a ground ball in 17 of 18 contests, posted four games with five ground balls, and recorded a caused turnover in 16 games, including seven outings with multiple caused turnovers and a season-high six against Regis College.
Fielder was named to the GNAC Honor Roll five times during the season, earning recognition in Weeks 3, 4, 5, 6, and 9.
Eisentraut earned the first All-Conference honor of her career after emerging as one of the Cadets' steadiest defensive contributors. The sophomore defender finished the season with 15 ground balls and 17 caused turnovers, ranking third on the team in caused turnovers and 45th in the GNAC.
She recorded a season-best three ground balls in Norwich's season-opening victory at Maine Maritime Academy and produced three outings with multiple caused turnovers. Eisentraut saved one of her strongest performances for the postseason, causing a season-high four turnovers in the Cadets' GNAC Semifinal matchup at Emmanuel.
Merck collected the second All-Conference selection of her career after landing on the Third Team for the second consecutive season. The senior attacker ranked second on the team in total points (50), second in goals (36), fourth in assists (14), and second in game-winning goals (three).
Across the GNAC, Merck finished 18th in total points, 18th in goals, 24th in assists, 14th in shots (97), and 13th in shots on goal (76). She also ranked inside the conference's top 100 in shooting percentage at 37.1 percent, ground balls (23), and caused turnovers (12).
Merck recorded at least one point in 15 of 18 games played, highlighted by a season-high six-point performance on four goals and two assists in Norwich's win at Elms College. She handed out a season-best five assists against Simmons University and finished the year with 10 outings of at least three goals, including four-goal performances against Elms and University of Saint Joseph (Conn.).
Merck was named to the GNAC Honor Roll three times during the season, earning recognition in Weeks 5, 7, and 8.
Kirrane earned the first All-Conference recognition of her career after serving as a key piece of the Norwich defensive unit. The senior defender finished the season with 25 ground balls and 11 caused turnovers, ranking fifth on the team in ground balls, 68th in the GNAC in ground balls, and inside the league's top 100 in caused turnovers.
She recorded at least one ground ball in 10 games, including a season-high six at Albertus Magnus College. Kirrane also collected five ground balls apiece against University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) and New England College, and recorded a caused turnover in six contests. Her strongest caused-turnover performance came against University of Saint Joseph (Conn.), where she forced a season-best five turnovers, while also adding two at Albertus Magnus.
Kirrane also tallied one goal this season, finding the back of the net against Albertus Magnus, and hauled in two draw controls.
Sophomore attacker
Vivian Buntin (Middlebury, Conn.) and Ingala were also named to the GNAC All-Tournament Team after helping lead Norwich to the semifinal round. The Cadets opened postseason play with a 13-12 sudden victory overtime win over University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) in the GNAC Quarterfinals before seeing their run come to a close against eventual runner-up Emmanuel in the semifinal round.
Ingala represented Norwich on the GNAC All-Sportsmanship Team, an honor awarded to one representative from each conference institution who exemplifies outstanding sportsmanship and character on and off the field. The senior goalkeeper started and played in 15 games this season, earning GNAC Goalkeeper of the Week honors twice while posting a 10-4 record in net.
Across 811:34 minutes, Ingala finished the season with a 10.42 goals-against average and a .458 save percentage, making 119 saves. She closed her collegiate career with a 22-8 record in goal, ranking second in program history in goalkeeper victories behind Kellie Pickel '11, who posted 26 wins from 2008 to 2011.
Norwich concluded the 2026 season with a 14-4 overall record and a 10-3 mark in GNAC play. The Cadets' 14 victories tied for the second-most in a single season in program history, matching the 2012 squad and finishing one shy of the program-record total set in 2025. Norwich also matched the program standard for conference wins with 10, equaling the marks set in both 2022 and 2025, while advancing to the GNAC Semifinals for the second straight season.
2025-26 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.)
