BETHLEHEM, Pa. – American senior defender Sophie Willemse was selected as the 2026 Patriot League Field Hockey Scholar-Athlete of the Year, in addition to being named to the 13-member Academic All-Patriot League Team when the League office announced honors on Wednesday.
Willemse (BSBA, 3.89 GPA) is the 11th different Eagle to receive the Patriot League Field Hockey Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, marking the 15th time an American student-athlete collected the honor. The senior defender is one of six multi-year academic honorees.
American’s Jordan Reicher (environmental studies, 3.87 GPA), Colgate’s Lauren Widdowson (international relations, 3.62 GPA), Holy Cross’ Mia McCloskey (mathematics, 3.88 GPA) and Maguire Sturgis (biology, 3.67 GPA) and Lafayette’s Lena Thedrian (psychology & economics, 3.73 GPA) all earned a spot on Academic All-Patriot League Team for the second time.
All seven Patriot League institutions were represented on the Academic All-Patriot League Team, including four from American, two from each of Bucknell, Holy Cross and Lafayette and one apiece from Boston University, Colgate and Lehigh.
To be eligible for the Scholar-Athlete of the Year award and the Academic All-Patriot League Team, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA and be a starter or key player in their sport. Freshmen or students in their first academic year at their school are not eligible for the honor.
These honors recognize student-athletes who excel in their sport and in the classroom. The awards are voted on by Patriot League field hockey sports information directors, who are not eligible to vote for their own student-athletes.
2026 Patriot League Field Hockey Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Sophie Willemse, American, Sr., Defender, Oisterwijk, The Netherlands/2College Durendael
*Willemse, a 2026 First Team All-Patriot League honoree and two-time All-League selection, led an Eagles’ defense that limited opponents to 1.29 goals per game to help claim the No. 2 seed in the Patriot League Championship.
*The two-time Academic All-Patriot League selection holds a 3.89 cumulative GPA, majoring in business administration: information systems and data science (BSBA) at American.
*She finished tied for fifth in the Patriot League with eight goals and seventh with 19 points.
*She is a three-time National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) National Academic Squad member and a 2023 NFHCA DI Scholar of Distinction.
2026 Patriot League Field Hockey Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Sophie Willemse, American, Sr., D
2026 Academic All-Patriot League Field Hockey Team (listed alphabetically by school)
Jill DuVarney, American, So., F
Jordan Reicher, American, Sr., F
Sophie Willemse, American, Sr., D
Emilia Winkler, American, Sr., M
Shea Freda, Boston University, Jr., D
Bella Notaro, Bucknell, Jr., F
Brooke Parker, Bucknell, So., D
Lauren Widdowson, Colgate, Sr., M
Mia McCloskey, Holy Cross, Jr., GK
Maguire Sturgis, Holy Cross, Sr., M
Stella Malinowski, Lafayette, Sr., F
Lena Thedrian, Lafayette, Sr., D
Ella Stephenson, Lehigh, Sr., D/M
Eight All-League Honorees Make Academic Squad
Lafayette’s Thedrian, the Patriot League Defender of the Year, highlights a list of eight All-Patriot League honorees to earn academic honors, including four first-team selections with American’s Reicher, Willemse and Emilia Winkler (health promotion, 3.89 GPA). Four more Academic All-Patriot League honorees made the All-League second team, including Colgate’s Widdowson, Holy Cross’ McCloskey and Sturgis and Lehigh’s Ella Stephenson (IDEAS, 3.8 GPA).
Seven Student-Athletes Claim First Academic Team Honor
Seven Patriot League field hockey student-athletes received a spot on the Academic team for the first time. American’s Jill DuVarney (finance, 4.0 GPA) joined teammate Emilia Winkler, with Boston University’s Shea Freda (political science, 3.98 GPA), Bucknell’s Bella Notaro (art & design, 3.77 GPA) and Brooke Parker (neuroscience, 3.91 GPA), Lafayette’s Stella Malinowski (English, 3.75 GPA) and Lehigh’s Stephenson.
Patriot League Men’s and Women’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year
The Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year for each sport comprises the pool of nominees for the Patriot League Men’s and Women’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards, announced at the conclusion of the academic year. Two field hockey student-athletes have been voted Patriot League Women’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year; Lafayette’s Alison Fisher (2001) and American’s Natalie Konerth (2017).
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.