MARLBOROUGH, Mass. -- Wellesley College field hockey junior
Hannah Simmonds (Austin, Texas) has been named the Defensive Athlete of the Week for the week ending on November 1, 2026. This is Simmonds' second career weekly honor, having previously earned the recognition in October, 2024.
Simmonds stopped all seven shots on goal in a shutout win over MIT. Wellesley earned its first NEWMAC win over MIT since 2018 and secured the third seed in this week's conference championship tournament with six NEWMAC wins this fall.
Tomorrow, Simmonds and the No. 3 seed Blue host No. 6 Springfield College at 6:00 PM in the NEWMAC Field Hockey Championship First Round.
The NEWMAC is an association of 13 selective academic institutions: Babson College, Clark University, U.S Coast Guard Academy, Emerson College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Saint Anselm College (beginning reclassification process with NCAA in 2027-28), Salve Regina University, Smith College, Springfield College, Wellesley College, Wheaton College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, that are committed to providing high quality competitive athletic opportunities for student-athletes within an educational and respectful environment that embodies the NCAA Division III Philosophy. The conference also partners with seven Associate Members: New York University (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), Norwich University (Football), Simmons College (Rowing), SUNY Maritime College (Football), SUNY New Paltz (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Football), and Vassar College (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), while sponsoring 21 sports.
