CLEVELAND, OH – For the first time in North Coast Athletic Conference field hockey history, three student-athletes have earned Player of the Year honors in three consecutive seasons. Ohio Wesleyan senior Grace Ammon (Southborough, MA/Algonquin Regional) and Denison seniors Emma Gebhart (Newbury, NH/Concord Carlisle) and Tabitha Chandler (Washington, DC/National Cathedral School) each secured their third consecutive Player of the Year award to highlight the 2026 All-NCAC field hockey selections.
Ammon, the only four-time selection to this season’s first team, gives Ohio Wesleyan its fourth consecutive Midfielder of the Year honor after earning the award in each of the last two seasons. Former teammate Olivia Danley collected the honor in 2023. The 2023 Newcomer of the Year helped lead the Battling Bishops to an 8-2 record in conference play to finish as the NCAC runner-up. In league action, Ammon took 44 shots, including 26 on goal, scored six goals, dished out seven assists and totaled 19 points. She recorded a career-high two goals and three assists for seven points in a win over John Carroll. Overall, the midfielder tallied nine goals and 10 assists for 28 points.
Gebhart captures Denison’s eighth overall Offensive Player of the Year honor while earning her third All-NCAC selection, all three on the first team. Overall, the senior leads the league in goals (28), game-winning goals (7), points (65), shots (103) and shots on goal (74), while ranking third in assists (9). In conference play, the forward led the league with 18 goals, six game-winning goals and 42 points. She also ranked second in shots (62), tied for second in shots on goal (43) and third in assists (6). Gebhart scored a career-high seven goals against Transylvania, breaking NCAC single-game records for goals (five) and points (12). With 28 goals and 65 points on the season, she is just two goals shy of the conference’s single-season goals record and has tied Denison’s single-season points record. The senior has recorded at least two points in eight of the Big Red’s 10 NCAC matchups. Denison captured its league-leading 15th NCAC field hockey championship after posting a perfect 10-0 record in conference play.
Chandler earns Denison its ninth overall NCAC Defensive Player of the Year recognition and becomes the Big Red’s fourth consecutive honoree. She claimed the award in each of the last two seasons, while former teammate Grace Lock earned the honor in 2023. The senior has been named to the All-NCAC first team for the third consecutive season after earning second-team honors in 2023. Chandler helped lead the Big Red to the NCAC regular-season crown and their 17th consecutive appearance in the NCAC Tournament. The defender anchored a Denison backline that allowed just two goals in 10 conference games, posting a 0.30 goals-against average and recording eight shutouts. Denison entered the NCAC Tournament as the top seed and went on to capture its seventh tournament championship.
Allegheny sophomore defender Bryce Watford (Parkville, MD/Eastern Technical), Denison sophomore forward Lulu Keil (Lake Forest, IL/Lake Forest), the 2025 Newcomer of the Year, and Ohio Wesleyan juniors, forward Mary Powers (Centreville, VA/Chantilly) and midfielder Emma Reynolds (Delaware, OH/Columbus Bishop Watterson), all move up to the first team after earning second-team honors in 2025. Denison senior midfielder Reilly Desmond (Eagle, CO/Proctor Academy (NH)) earns her first top-team selection after a second-team nod in 2024, while DePauw junior midfielder Ella Harms (St. Louis, MO/Kirkwood) moves up from the third team a season ago.
John Carroll first-year goalkeeper Ellison Hilgendorf (East Grand Rapids, MI/East Grand Rapids HS), Kenyon sophomore forward Hendrika Maher (Grand Rapids, MI/East Grand Rapids High), and Wooster senior goalkeeper Nono Kauffman (New Albany, OH/New Albany) all earn their first All-NCAC selections with spots on the first team.
In addition to first-team honors, Hilgendorf was named the 2026 NCAC Newcomer of the Year, recognizing the league’s top student-athlete in their first year of collegiate competition. She earned the program its first Newcomer of the Year award in its inaugural season. Hilgendorf played in 14 of the Blue Streaks’ 16 games, making eight starts. In 560:52 minutes between the pipes, she recorded 106 saves while allowing just 18 goals for a 1.93 goals-against average. In seven conference games, the keeper recorded 44 saves and allowed 10 goals.
Kenyon claimed the 2026 Coaching Staff of the Year honor, the eighth coaching award in program history. Under the leadership of first-year Head Coach Meridith Thorpe and Assistant Coach Rantz Karousis, the Owls were guided to a 7-3 NCAC mark, their most conference wins since 2021, and the No. 3 seed in the NCAC Tournament, marking the program’s first tournament appearance since 2023. The Kenyon offense recorded 33 goals, 18 assists and 84 points while generating 242 shots and 143 shots on goal in 17 games played. The Owls also totaled 109 penalty corners. Defensively, Kenyon limited opponents to 30 goals and recorded four shutouts on the season.