Van Hemelen Named Midfielder of the Year, Six River Hawks Earn All-Conference Honors

LOWELL, Mass. – Six members of the 2026 UMass Lowell field hockey team and the coaching staff earned America East All-Conference honors, as announced by the league office on Saturday.

On the heels of winning their first outright regular-season title, the River Hawks received two of the conference's major awards, as Head Coach Shannon LeBlanc and her staff won America East Coaching Staff of the Year and senior Alice Van Hemelen (Tervuren, Belgium) garnered Midfielder of the Year accolades.

Van Hemelen also earned All-Conference First Team honors and was joined by senior Karli Penrod (Seaford, Del.) and sophomore Rena Pistilli (Lambare, Paraguay). Freshman Frédèrique van den Dungen (Rosmalen, Netherlands) was named to the All-Conference Second Team, while she and fellow freshman Mae Kemps (Vught, Netherlands) were selected to the All-Rookie Team, as well. Van Hemelen and senior Christina Wagner (Cicero, N.Y.) rounded out the awards with selections to the league's All-Academic Team.

Head Coach Shannon LeBlanc, alongside Associate Head Coach Taylor O'Regan, and Assistant Coaches Caitlin Little and Ben Howarth earned America East Coaching Staff of the Year honors for the second time after guiding UMass Lowell to the top of the conference's regular-season standings for the second time in three years. Under their direction, the River Hawks garnered six weekly awards from the America East in 2026. The team went 7-1 at home in the regular season, outscoring opponents 25-5 in those matches.

After earning All-Conference Second Team honors in 2025, Van Hemelen elevated her game to a whole new level in 2026, setting career highs with six goals, four assists and 16 total points. In addition to being a threat on the offensive end, she has also been a dominant force on the defensive end, helping to limit opponents to just 9.5 shots per game for a +5.6 margin. She is also part of a defensive corner unit that has allowed just seven goals this season for a 90% success rate. Also shining in the classroom, Van Hemelen boasts a 3.706 GPA as a pharmaceutical sciences major and is a two-time NFHCA National Academic Squad selection.

Like Van Hemelen, Penrod earned All-Conference Second Team honors in 2025 before her selection to the First Team in 2026. The senior appeared in all 17 regular-season games, making 16 starts. She finished tied for second on the team with six goals, including game-winning tallies against New Haven on September 11 and New Hampshire on October 16. The forward added two assists for a total of 14 points, as well.

Pistilli put together an impressive sophomore campaign, earning All-Conference First Team honors after leading the River Hawks with eight goals and 18 total points so far. The back has started all 17 games and was particularly effective down the stretch, scoring five goals over the final four contests, including a hat trick at New Hampshire on Oct. 16. She also anchored a defense that limited the opposition to just 1.24 goals per game for a +1.05 margin.

"We are all thrilled to see Alice named Midfielder of the Year," said LeBlanc. "She earned every bit of that honor by being the most complete player in the conference. "Having Rena and Karli join her on the First Team is equally well deserved. Karli is the best pressing forward in the league and that has been a game changer for us. Rena has developed into one of the best defenders in just one short year."

Van den Dungen made an immediate impact during her freshman campaign, starting all 17 games for the River Hawks and ranking second on the team with 1,033 minutes played. She also led UMass Lowell with eight assists, the fourth-most in America East.

"It's great to see Fred recognized on the Second Team," said LeBlanc. "She has emerged as a huge impact player for us in the defensive third."

Kemps earned All-Rookie Team honors following a strong freshman season in which she started all 17 games for the River Hawks. Kemps contributed on both sides of the ball and scored two goals, including a conference tally against Maine on Oct. 23.

"Both Fred and Mae have made strong impressions as first-year players," added LeBlanc.

Wagner, who has started all 17 games and led the team with 1,044 minutes played, has been crucial to the success of the team's defensive corner unit as the fly. She has also recorded a team-high two defensive saves in addition to one assist. In the classroom, Wagner boasts a 3.906 GPA in computer science, and is a three-time NFHCA National Academic Squad selection and two-time NFHCA Scholar of Distinction.

"We are proud of Chrissy and Alice for earning their spots on the All-Academic Squad," added LeBlanc. "Balancing elite competition with academic rigors sets an inspiring standard for our entire team. Both of them truly embody our UMLFH culture of excellence."

Reflecting on the team's conference honors, LeBlanc emphasized the impact of the River Hawks' leadership and the depth of talent throughout the program.

"Anyone who watches us play knows the elite standard our leadership sets every single day on the field. While the list didn't capture the full scope of their impact, our group knows how deeply our talent runs," concluded the veteran coach.

The River Hawks are set to be the No. 1 seed in the America East Championship for the second time. They will host a semifinal match at Wicked Blue Field on Tuesday, November 3 at 1 p.m.

Players Mentioned

Mae Kemps

Karli Penrod

Rena Pistilli

Alice Van Hemelen

Christina Wagner

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