WINTHROP, Mass. - The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) announced its 2025-26 Women's Indoor Track & Field major award winners on Wednesday, and Saint Joseph's College of Maine was well represented as Ava Smart was voted Co-Indoor Track Athlete of the Year and Ella Labrie was selected as the league's Indoor Field Athlete of the Year.

The awards recognize performance throughout the indoor season, including the 2026 GNAC Indoor Track & Field Championships, and were selected by a vote of the league's six indoor track & field head coaches.

A junior from South Portland, Maine, Smart capped a standout indoor season with a pair of New England Division III Provisional marks at the conference championships. Smart finished as the GNAC runner-up in the 200 meters (26.93) and claimed the conference title in the 400 meters (1:00.63), with her 400 time standing as the GNAC leader at season's end. Smart's championship weekend also doubled as a record-setting performance, as she set Saint Joseph's indoor school records in the 200 (26.93) and 400 (1:00.63) during the meet, while also holding the program record in the 300 meters (44.07) from earlier this season.

Labrie, a sophomore from Gorham, Maine, earned GNAC Field Athlete of the Year after posting two New England Division III Provisional marks at the GNAC Championships and scoring in multiple events. Labrie won the long jump (5.07m)—the top mark in the GNAC—and also recorded a runner-up finish in the triple jump (10.55m). She closed the winter atop the GNAC performance lists in the triple jump as well, highlighted by her school-record 10.82m effort set earlier in the season.

Beyond the major awards, Saint Joseph's posted league-leading marks and high-end depth across the GNAC rankings. Audrey Bilodeau ended the year as the GNAC leader in the 60-meter hurdles (9.43)—a Saint Joseph's school record—while Bella Koepsell ranked second in both the 800 (2:25.05) and the mile (5:32.39). In the throws, the Monks owned the top of the conference list in the shot put, led by school-record holder
Ellie Leech at 11.23m and Jemima Kabangu close behind at 10.91m.

In addition to the major award winners, the GNAC recognized its All-Conference performers—top-three finishers in each event at the GNAC Championships—as well as the conference's All-Sportsmanship Team. Saint Joseph's placed a strong group on the All-Conference list across sprints, distance events, hurdles, relays, jumps, and throws.

GNAC Major Award Winners (Saint Joseph's)
Women's Co-Track Athlete of the Year: Ava Smart
Women's Field Athlete of the Year: Ella Labrie

GNAC All-Conference (Top-Three at Championships)
Sprints
200m: 2nd – Ava Smart
400m: 1st – Ava Smart … 3rd – Amber Pendleton

Middle Distance / Distance
800m: 2nd – Bella Koepsell … 3rd – Amber Pendleton
Mile: 2nd – Bella Koepsell

Hurdles
60H: 1st – Audrey Bilodeau

Relays
4x400: 3rd – Saint Joseph's (Ava Smart, Emma Jones, Olivia Bean, Audrey Bilodeau)
DMR: 1st – Saint Joseph's (Bella Koepsell, Cheri Willems, Alexia Young, Amber Pendleton)

Jumps
High Jump: 2nd – Breya Whitman
Long Jump: 1st – Ella Labrie … 3rd – Olivea Miller
Triple Jump: 1st – Olivia Bean … 2nd – Ella Labrie

Throws
Shot Put: 1st – Ellie Leech … 2nd – Jemima Kabangu

GNAC All-Sportsmanship Team
Breya Whitman – Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Saint Joseph's closed the indoor season with two major GNAC awards and 15 All-Conference honors across 11 events, while also setting 11 women's indoor school records—Ava Smart (200, 300, 400), Amber Pendleton (500, 600), Ella Labrie and Olivia Bean (Triple Jump), Breya Whitman (High Jump),  Audrey Bilodeau (60H), Ellie Leech (shot put), and the 4x400 and 4x200 relays—to cap a historic winter heading into the outdoor season.