PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Little East Conference recently announced their postseason awards for the 2026 season and six Owls were recognized from their performance this season, with Tess Brown capping off her career as an Owl by earning the first LEC Defensive Player of the Year selection in program history to highlight the recognitions.
 
Tess Brown, a senior midfielder from Londonderry, New Hampshire, wraps up her final season at Keene State College by being selected to the First Team All-LEC for the third time in her career, while being named the first Defensive Player of the Year in program history. Brown dominated on both sides of the field for the Owls on the season, as she led the conference in caused turnovers, with 54, ranking the sixth-most in a single season in program history and tied for the 15th-most in NCAA Division III women's lacrosse in 2026, with seven more caused turnovers than Eliza Pattershall in second place in the LEC. Brown's mark of 83 ground balls was also an LEC-high on the season and tied for the fifth most ground balls in NCAA Division III women's lacrosse in 2026, as she was 11 ground balls ahead of Lanza Bellomo for the second-most in the LEC, while her 83 ranked the third-most ground balls in a single season in program history. Brown also ranked tied for the fourth-most draw controls on the season with 74 across her senior season, the seventh-most in a single season in program history, as she set the program record for career draw controls with 286, surpassing Jamie Albert's (2008-2011) previous record of 223 draw controls. Not only did Brown set the program career draw controls record, but she also surpassed her former teammate Haile Ratajack (2020-2024) for the program record for caused turnovers and ground balls, with her 243 caused turnovers passing Ratajack's previous record of 220 caused turnovers, and Brown's new record of 306 ground balls moving into first place past Ratajack's mark of 251 ground balls. Brown had a handful of single game highs in the LEC on the season on defense as she caused eight turnovers against the University of Hartford, the single game LEC high on the season, while adding seven caused turnovers to tie for the second-most in a game in the LEC on the year in KSC's 12-10 win over Plymouth State University. Brown also recorded nine ground balls against the University of Massachusetts-Boston, tied for the most in a single game in the LEC on the year, to go with her three other occurrences of eight ground balls, while also recording 10 draw controls for a LEC-high in a game on the year.
 
On the offensive side, Brown ranked in the top 10 in the LEC for points, goals, and assists, once again for the third consecutive season. Her 63 points ranked the eighth-most in the conference, coming from the seventh-most goals with 43 (three game-winning goals), and tied for the eighth-most assists, with 20. To go with her defensive program records, Brown was also among the top in program history on the attack, finishing her career with 247 points, the fifth-most in program history, coming from the fourth-most goals, with 174, and sixth-most assists, with 73. Her five free position goals in her senior season bring her career total to 33 free position goals, ranking second in program history. Brown also had numerous single-game highs in the LEC across the season on the attack, recording seven points from six goals (and an assist) against Emmanuel College (Mass.) tying for the seventh-most points in a single game in the LEC and the third-most goals in a single game in the LEC in 2026.
 
Brown, who finished off her career as an Owl tied for the second-most games started with 73, becomes the fifth member in program history to receive a major award from the LEC, joining Brigid Casey (Offensive Player of the Year in 2021, Rookie of the Year in 2019), Ratajack (Midfielder of the Year in 2021, 2022, Rookie of the Year in 2021), Jenna Bellano (Rookie of the Year in 2014), and Michelle Mason (Rookie of the Year in 2002).
 
Lola Varricchione, a sophomore midfielder from Mansfield, Massachusetts, was named to an All-LEC team for the second consecutive year after being named to the Second Team All-LEC in her freshman season and now being named to the All-LEC First Team from her sophomore year in 2026. On defense, Varricchione ranked inside the top 10 in each cause turnovers while also ranking top 10 in draw controls as she finished with 34 caused turnovers, the eighth-most in the LEC and the 18th-most in a single season in program history, while also recording 56 draw controls, tied for the eighth-most in the conference on the year and tied for the 16th-most in a single season in program history. On the attack, Varricchione ranked in the top 15 in the conference in points, with 46, goals, with 31, and assists, with 15, from her sophomore season. Varricchione's best games on the attack on the season with a pair of five-point games, recording four goals and an assist against Western New England University, and from a pair of goals and three assists in the Owls' win over the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth. While on defense, Varricchione recorded a season-high four caused turnovers on four separate occasions, with her season-high of six ground balls (of her 40 on the season) to go with four caused turnovers and four draw controls against UMB.
 
Brianna Hodgman, a junior defender from Winchester, New Hampshire, was named to the All-LEC Second Team for the Owls. Hodgman was a big part in the Owls' defense over the year as she caused 12 turnovers over the season, while collecting 30 ground balls, the fourth-most on the team in 2026. Her best game on defense for the Owls was against the University of Southern Maine as she caused a season high two turnovers (also happened in two other contests), while also collecting a season-high five ground balls.
 
Hayden Smith, a junior attack from West Hartford, Connecticut, was named to the All-LEC Second Team from her career-season for the Owls. Entering the season with 43 points from 26 goals and 17 assists from her first two seasons for Keene State, Smith surpassed the marks, recording 47 points from 30 goals and 17 assists, all ranking in the top 15 in the LEC on the season. Smith recorded at least one point in 14 of her 15 (93.3%) of the games on the season for the Owls, while also recording a multipoint game in 12 of 15 (80%) of the games on the year. Smith recorded five or more points in three different contests on the year, scoring three goals and adding two assists against Rhode Island College, followed up with a career-high seven points (tied for the seventh-most points in a game in the LEC this season) from a career-high five goals (tied for the seventh-most goals in a game in the LEC on the year) and two assists. In the Owls' final regular season game, Smith recorded six points from her four goals and two assists in the Owls' win over Vermont State University Castleton. Across the season Smith also caused 16 turnovers and collected 20 ground balls for the Owls.
 
Katelyn Nicotera, a sophomore goalkeeper from Medfield, Massachusetts, was named to the All-LEC Second Team from her first season as the primary starter in goal for the Owls. Nicotera recorded the third-lowest GAA in the LEC on the season with a 11.28 GAA, while also ranking third in saves, with 123 saves, and third in SV%, with a .462 SV%. Averaging 7.24 saves per game, Nicotera recorded over 14 saves four different times, with a career-high 17 saves, also the most saves among all goalies in a single game in the LEC on the year, against Eastern Connecticut State University.
 
Riley Devine, a senior midfielder from Salem, New Hampshire, was named an honorable mention from her standout senior season. Entering her senior season with 18 points from 15 goals and three assists, Devine surpassed her totals of her first three years as an Owl as she recorded 24 points from 20 goals and four assists in her senior season. On defense, Devine tied for fifth in the LEC in each caused turnovers and ground balls, with her 36 caused turnovers tying for the 12th-most in a single season in program history, to go with her 56 ground balls on the year. Devine also finished tied for 14th in the LEC with her 44 draw controls on the year, the third most on the Owls, rounding out her career-highs in each caused turnovers, ground balls, and draw controls as a senior. Devine tallied a career-high four points in two separate games on the year, recording three goals and an assist against Rhode Island College and a career-high four goals against ECSU.