STANDISH, Maine – The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) has announced its 2025 field hockey postseason awards, and four Saint Joseph's College players have been recognized.

Freshman forward Ava Markham (Belfast, Maine) headlines the Monks' honorees as the 2025 GNAC Rookie of the Year and a Second Team All-Conference selection. Seniors Maya Waryas (Bellows Falls, Vt.) and Sadie Tirrell (Naples, Maine) earned First Team All-Conference honors, while sophomore Katie Yeaton (Farmington, Maine) was also named to the Second Team.

Markham becomes just the fourth SJC player to earn GNAC Rookie of the Year after totaling seven goals – including three game-winners – and 15 assists for 29 points while starting all 20 games. A five-time GNAC Rookie of the Week, she ranked second in the conference in assists and now ranks second in single-season assists in program history. She joins Maya Waryas (2022), Emma Rutledge (2018), and Libby Pomerleau (2016) as the only Monks to collect the conference's top rookie honor.

Waryas, a First Team selection for the first time, capped her career with her best season: 22 goals and nine assists for 53 points across 20 games. Previously a 2022 Second Team and 2023 Third Team honoree, she finished tied for third in the GNAC in goals and ranked fourth in points this fall. Waryas graduates with 64 goals and 19 assists for 147 points, along with 10 game-winners in 78 games. She departs as the program's all-time leader in shots (435) and stands second in both goals and points.

Tirrell earns her first All-Conference nod after posting three goals, four assists, and two defensive saves while starting all 20 games. A two-year captain and two-sport standout (softball), she finished her career with nine goals, nine assists, four game-winners, and five defensive saves in 78 games (77 starts).

Yeaton also collects her first All-Conference honor after notching four assists while starting all 20 contests. The speedy sophomore is one of the Monks' most reliable midfielders and is poised to play a central role as SJC looks to contend again for a GNAC championship next fall.

Saint Joseph's finished 12-8 overall and 9-1 in league play under second-year Head Coach Theresa Arsenault. The Monks claimed the #2 seed in the GNAC Tournament with a 5-0 quarterfinal win over #7 Simmons University on November 1 before falling to #3 Colby-Sawyer College, 2-0, in the semifinals.

2025 GNAC POSTSEASON ACCOLADES:

Major Awards
Offensive Player of the Year: Brooke Farquhar, Colby-Sawyer
Defensive Player of the Year: Martina Hill, New England College
Goalkeeper of the Year: Makenzie Anderson, New England College
Rookie of the Year: Ava Markham, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
Coach of the Year: Megan (Baker) Gutierrez, Dean
Institutional Sportsmanship: Elms College
 
ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM
F- Brooke Farquhar, Colby-Sawyer
F- Maya Waryas, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
F- Kira Geddes, New England College
F- Sydnee Ramos, Dean
M- Emily Yazzetti, Dean
M- Kennedy Overhoff, New England College
M- Cecilia Ponzini, Colby-Sawyer
B- Martina Hill, New England College
B- Sadie Tirrell, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
B- Aili Carney, Colby-Sawyer
GK- Makenzie Anderson, New England College
 
ALL-CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM
F-  Jillian Fredette, Colby-Sawyer
F- Ava Markham, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
F- Brooklyn Northcutt, Lasell
F- Grace Kociszewski, University of Saint Joseph (Conn.)
M- Katie Yeaton, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
M- Taylor Gaudette, Colby-Sawyer
M- Halleen Seguin, Lasell
B- Shea Cassani, Dean
B- Emma Fissel, Simmons
B- Sophia Quinlan, Rivier
GK- Sara Gardner, Dean
 
ALL-CONFERENCE THIRD TEAM
F- Cristina Manzi, New England College
F- Nora Desrosiers, Simmons
F- Brianna Spinelli, Rivier
F- Emma Gragen, Dean
M- Hailey Brisson, Simmons
M- Ariana Komonaj, University of Saint Joseph (Conn.)
M- Lilly Taglieri, Simmons
B- Kaylene Ellis, Lasell
B- Kaitlin Trudeau, University of Saint Joseph (Conn.)
B- Lauren Hall, New England College
GK- McKenna Ecker, Lasell