SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (July 23, 2026) – Seven members of the Western New England women's lacrosse team have been named to the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Association (IWLCA) Academic Honor Roll, while the team was one of 357 schools across Divisions I, II, III, and NAIA to be named as an Academic Honor Squad. 

A total of 1,350 student-athletes across 174 different institutions have been named to the IWLCA Honor Roll. To be eligible, a student-athlete must be a junior, senior, or graduate student and have earned a cumulative academic GPA of 3.50 or greater. Western New England's Lina Eves, Christina Harris, Ella Henry, Sydney Miles, Ella Nish, Emily Picolla, and Gabby Sliwka have all been honored by the organization. Three Golden Bears, Eves, Henry, and Miles, earned honors for the second time in their careers, while Harris, Nish, Picolla, and Sliwka are named for the first time. 

For the 12^th straight year, WNE women's lacrosse has earned the Academic Honor Squad, with the IWLCA naming 357 teams in 2026. To qualify, a team must have a 3.2 or higher cumulative GPA for the academic year.

Eves played in all 17 games for Western New England this past season, scoring a career-high 41 goals and adding 13 assists, picking up 54 points for the year. Eves ends her career at WNE with 106 total points, setting career-highs in nearly every statistical category her senior year, including shots (97), shots on goal (68), game-winning goals (3), ground balls (26), and draw control victories (43). 

Harris was a top contributor to the WNE defense this past season, seeing action in all 17 games, making starts in all.  Harris picked up 28 ground balls, a career high, while also causing 19 turnovers during the year, also a career high. Harris won four draw controls in 2026, three of which came in Conference of New England action. 

Henry had a career year for the Golden Bears both offensively and defensively in 2026. On the offensive side of the ball, the Wilbraham, Massachusetts, native came away with 45 goals and six assists, good for 51 total points on the year while taking 109 shots, putting 80 on target. Henry came up with three game-winning goals this past season, all in CNE play. Defensively, Henry picked up 28 ground balls for a career high, caused 13 turnovers, and won 69 draw controls for the season.

Miles played in 16 of WNE's 17 games this season, making four starts on the field, including WNE's Senior Day game. Miles scored 13 goals for the Golden Bears while adding six assists on the season, good for 19 points overall. Miles took 24 shots, putting 18 on goal, and had three goals while a player up and two while a player down. Defensively, Miles caused eight turnovers and picked up 12 ground balls. 

Nish was another key contributor to the WNE offense this past season, playing in and making starts in all 17 games overall. Nish scored ten times for the Blue and Gold and picked up eight assists overall, good for 18 total points on 18 shots, 17 of which were on goal. Nish caused ten turnovers for the Golden Bears and picked up 11 ground balls. The WNE junior went on to win 30 draw controls for the season, including a career-high five in a CNE contest against Johnson & Wales University (4/14). 

Picolla made starts in all 17 of Western New England's games this past season between the pipes, going 9-8 overall. Picolla totaled 149 saves and a .498 save percentage for the year. Additionally, the Utica, New York, native totaled a 10.11 goals-against average for the season, picked up 30 ground balls, and caused four turnovers. 

Sliwka led the charge on defense for Western New England, playing in 16 games overall, making 14 starts. Sliwka caused a team-high 25 turnovers and scooped 34 ground balls for the season. Offensively, the Burlington, Connecticut, native scored five times and added one assist, good for six points overall. 

The Western New England women's lacrosse team will now set its sights on the upcoming 2027 season, with the full schedule set to be released just after the new year.