MANAHAWKIN, N.J. – The UMass Lowell field hockey team was recently honored by the National Field Hockey Coaches' Association (NFHCA) for its work in the classroom this year.
 
"We are incredibly proud of the team and individuals recognized by the NFHCA for their academic achievements," said Head Coach Shannon LeBlanc. "This team continues to set high standards for themselves, and they reach and exceed those standards."
 
As a whole, the squad was honored with the 2025 NFHCA Division I National Academic Team Award. This award recognizes the field hockey programs that achieved a combined GPA of 3.50 or greater through the first semester of the 2025-26 academic year. UMass Lowell was one of 60 teams in the nation and four teams in the America East to earn this accolade.
 
Individually, a total of 13 River Hawks were named to the 2025 NFHCA Division I National Academic Squad. Seniors Maggie Dowd (Worcester, Mass.) and Madison Leeper (East Amherst, N.Y.),earned their fourth straight awards. Juniors Florine Gerrits (Amstelveen, Netherlands), Kathryn Guertin (Holden, Mass.), Alice Van Hemelen (Tervuren, Belgium), and Christina Wagner (Cicero, N.Y.), sophomore Audrey Carter (Dover, N.H.), and freshmen Holly Beckinsale (Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland), Alexa Guarneri (Hockessin, Delaware) and Helena Herlocher (State College, Pennsylvania), Megan MacMiller (Tarzana, Calif.), Veerle Mous (Breda, Netherlands), and Brynn Somers (Berlin, N.J.) were also recognized.
 
The National Academic Squad includes all student-athletes with a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or greater through the first semester of the 2025-26 academic year. In total, over 1,160 student-athletes from over 80 Division I institutions received the honor.
 
Additionally, Guarneri represented the River Hawks as a NFHCA Scholar of Distinction. The Division I Scholars of Distinction program recognizes student-athletes who have maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.9 or higher through the first semester of the 2025-26 academic year.