STANDISH, Maine – From championship celebrations and record-breaking performances to national recognition and academic achievement, the 2025-26 academic year was a memorable one for Saint Joseph's College Athletics.
The Monks captured five conference championships, claimed a GNAC Commissioner's Cup, earned hundreds of academic and athletic honors, continued their tradition of classroom excellence, and produced standout performances at the conference, regional, and national levels.
Here is the story of 2025-26 — by the numbers.
CHAMPIONSHIP CULTURE
Saint Joseph's programs continued to compete at a championship level throughout the 2025-26 academic year.
The Monks captured five conference championships, highlighted by GNAC titles in men's cross country, men's basketball, women's lacrosse, men's indoor track & field, and men's outdoor track & field.
Saint Joseph's also claimed the 2026 GNAC Men's Commissioner's Cup, awarded annually to the conference institution with the highest level of competitive success across men's programs. The honor marked the fifth Commissioner's Cup victory for the Monks since joining the GNAC.
Across all sports, Saint Joseph's teams combined for a 164-106-2 (.607) overall record, including an 85-29-1 (.739) mark at home.
Saint Joseph's also enjoyed postseason success, as all 10 eligible record-bearing programs qualified for conference tournament play. Collectively, the Monks appeared in a school-record 28 GNAC Tournament games and advanced to five GNAC Championship appearances.
By The Numbers
- 5 Conference Championships
- 164 Team Victories
- 85 Home Wins
- 10-of-10 Teams Qualified for Postseason Play
- 28 GNAC Tournament Games
- 5 GNAC Championship Appearances
NATIONAL STAGE
Saint Joseph's programs and student-athletes were represented throughout the NCAA Division III statistical rankings during the year.
The Monks appeared in the national statistical rankings 39 times, including 17 team top-25 rankings and 22 individual top-25 performances.
The women's lacrosse program produced one of the top individual seasons in NCAA Division III, as senior Celia Melanson led all NCAA Division III student-athletes in assists (86) and assists per game (4.10). Melanson also graduated as Saint Joseph's all-time assists leader after setting the program's single-season record.
Women's basketball featured one of the nation's top perimeter attacks, ranking among the NCAA leaders in three-point shooting. Senior Logan Brown powered the effort, finishing fourth nationally in three-pointers per game (3.21), fifth in three-pointers made (90), and seventh in attempts (230).
Men's basketball continued its conference success by extending its GNAC winning streak to 29 consecutive games, the longest active conference winning streak in NCAA Division III. The Monks have not dropped a conference contest since falling to the University of Saint Joseph on December 7, 2024.
The baseball program produced one of the top turnaround seasons in NCAA Division III, winning 34 games — the program's highest total since 2012 — while improving by 14 victories from the previous season, the third-best improvement in Division III Baseball. The Monks' 2026 win total surpassed by only two other New England programs - Endicott and Salve Regina.
By The Numbers
- 39 NCAA Top-25 Rankings
- 17 Team Rankings
- 22 Individual Rankings
- 2 NCAA Statistical Championships
- 29 Consecutive GNAC Men's Basketball Wins
- 34 Baseball Victories (only two New England programs recorded more wins)
INDIVIDUAL EXCELLENCE
Saint Joseph's student-athletes were recognized throughout the year, combining to collect 810 academic, athletic, conference, regional, and national honors.
The year featured 147 All-Conference selections, 92 weekly conference awards, 23 All-Tournament selections, 20 All-Region honorees, and three All-America performances.
Saint Joseph's student-athletes earned 18 major awards during the year.
The group included GNAC Player of the Year selections Remijo Wani and Nic Frink; Rookie of the Year honorees Davis Mann, Ava Markham, Stephen Pierre, and Amber Pendleton; and additional major award winners Wani Donato, Celia Melanson, Ava Molineaux, Abdirizak Abukar, Isaac Keresey, Ella Labrie, and Ava Smart.
Wani finished as the most decorated Monk of the year with 19 total honors, followed by Isaac Keresey (18), Sadie Tirrell (15), Davis Mann (15), and Amber Pendleton (15).
Mann led all student-athletes with 10 weekly awards, while Pendleton and Markham followed with five apiece.
Remijo Wani (NABC), Haytham Ramadan (USTFCCCA), and Nic Frink (ABCA/Rawlings) capped standout seasons with All-America accolades, marking the first time Saint Joseph's has featured three All-Americans in the same academic year since 2018.
By The Numbers
- 810 Total Honors
- 147 All-Conference Awards
- 92 Weekly Awards
- 20 All-Region Honors
- 18 Major Awards
- 3 All-Americans
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
Saint Joseph's continued its tradition of developing successful student-athletes in competition and in the classroom.
During the Spring 2026 semester, Monks student-athletes combined for a 3.37 GPA, with 56 student-athletes recording perfect 4.0 semesters and 264 maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Overall, Saint Joseph's collected 372 academic honors during the year, highlighted by a school-record 141 GNAC Academic All-Conference selections.
The Monks also added 44 Chi Alpha Sigma inductees and 35 CSC Academic All-District honorees.
By The Numbers
- 3.37 Spring Semester GPA
- 372 Academic Honors
- 141 GNAC Academic All-Conference Honorees
- 56 Student-Athletes with 4.0 GPA's During the Spring Semester
- 44 Chi Alpha Sigma Inductees
- 35 CSC Academic All-District Honorees
MONK NATION
The 2025-26 academic year featured contributions from student-athletes across the Saint Joseph's College Athletics department.
During the year, 336 student-athletes competed for the Monks across the College's varsity programs.
The department included 71 seniors, 82 juniors, 86 sophomores, and 95 first-year student-athletes, representing a mix of experienced returners and newcomers.
Saint Joseph's teams competed in 383 total competitions throughout the year, including 272 team contests and 111 races, meets, and individual sport events.
By The Numbers
- 336 Student-Athletes
- 71 Seniors
- 82 Juniors
- 86 Sophomores
- 95 First-Year Student-Athletes
- 383 Games, Races, Meets & Events
- 272 Team Competitions
- 111 Individual Sport Events
COACHING EXCELLENCE
Saint Joseph's coaches added to the department's success with championship performances, milestone victories, and conference recognition.
Saint Joseph's led the GNAC with six Coach of the Year selections during the 2025-26 academic year, increasing the College's conference-leading total to 53 GNAC Coach of the Year honors since joining the league in 2007.
The 2025-26 honorees included Tyler Ackley (Men's Basketball), Lydia Dexter (Women's Lacrosse), Baseball Co-Head Coaches Will Sanborn and Lincoln Sanborn, and three selections for Mike Burleson's coaching staff (Men's Cross Country, Men's Indoor Track & Field, Men's Outdoor Track & Field).
Several Saint Joseph's coaches also continued to add to their program-defining careers.
Baseball Co-Head Coach Will Sanborn completed his 34th season and increased his career total to 885 victories, the most by any coach in Saint Joseph's Athletics history. Sanborn ranks sixth among active NCAA Division III baseball coaches in career wins and is the fourth longest-tenured active baseball coach in the division.
Softball Head Coach Jamie Smyth reached 635 career victories — the most in program history and third-most among Saint Joseph's coaches behind Sanborn and longtime basketball coach Mike McDevitt (724).
Women's Soccer Head Coach Jenelle Harris added to her program record with 126 career victories, while Men's Soccer Head Coach Will Pike became the winningest coach in team history with 73 career triumphs.
In cross country and track & field, Mike Burleson continued an impressive championship run, helping guide the Monks to 10 conference championships since joining the staff in 2023.
The Monks' success also extended beyond competition, as athletic trainers Tiffany Miller-Gagnon, Brianna Johnston, and Daniel Mills were named the 2026 GNAC Athletic Training Staff of the Year, marking the third time Saint Joseph's has earned the conference honor.
By The Numbers
- 53 GNAC Coach of the Year Awards Since 2007 (most in conference)
- 6 GNAC Coach of the Year Selections in 2025-26
- 885 Career Wins — Will Sanborn
- 635 Career Wins — Jamie Smyth
- 126 Career Wins — Jenelle Harris
- 73 Career Wins — Will Pike
- 10 GNAC Championships Since 2023 — Mike Burleson-led Programs
- 1 GNAC Athletic Training Staff of the Year Award (3rd since 2015)
CLASS OF 2026 LEGACY
Four years. One memorable era.
The Class of 2026 closed its collegiate career after contributing to one of the strongest four-year stretches in Saint Joseph's Athletics history.
Since arriving on the Shores of Sebago in the fall of 2022, the graduating class helped Saint Joseph's capture 16 conference championships, including five titles during their senior year.
Championships Won During the Class of 2026 Era
2022-23:
- Golf
- Women's Basketball
- Men's Indoor Track & Field
- Men's Outdoor Track & Field
2023-24:
- Men's Cross Country
- Women's Basketball
- Men's Indoor Track & Field
- Men's Outdoor Track & Field
2024-25:
- Men's Basketball
- Men's Indoor Track & Field
- Men's Outdoor Track & Field
2025-26:
- Men's Cross Country
- Men's Basketball
- Women's Lacrosse
- Men's Indoor Track & Field
- Men's Outdoor Track & Field
During that four-year stretch, Saint Joseph's teams combined to post a 585-428-17 (.576) overall record while compiling a 382-149-12 (.715) conference mark.
The Class of 2026 also combined to earn 821 total academic and athletic honors during their careers, including:
- 390 Academic Honors
- 143 All-Conference Selections
- 90 Weekly Conference Awards
- 25 Tournament Honors
- 16 All-State Honors
- 14 All-Region Honors
- 14 National Honors
In total, members of the graduating class represented Saint Joseph's in 1,455 games, races, meets, and events.
By The Numbers
- 16 Conference Championships
- 821 Total Honors
- 585 Team Victories
- .715 Conference Winning Percentage
- 1,455 Games, Races, Meets & Events
