CARMEL, Ind. - The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) announced the 2026 Women's Soccer All-Conference and major awards winners on Monday afternoon.
Leading the way for HCAC Regular Season Champion Mount St. Joseph was Mary Anhofer who was named Offensive Player of the Year. She ran away with the conference scoring crown with 13 goals and 31 total points in HCAC, which were four and 11 more than her closest competitor in those respective categories. She also ranked third in the league in HCAC assists with five. Her overall totals also put Anhofer in the top-five in all of NCAA Division III. Her 17 goals rank her third overall, while her 40 points place her fifth on the national leaderboard.
Rose-Hulman’s Vianey Garcia was the standout on the defensive end as she captured Defensive Player of the Year honors. She was a key piece to a Fightin’ Engineers defense that allowed only two goals in conference play and six goals all season. Thanks to RHIT’s defensive efforts, its goalkeepers averaged only three saves a game this season.
Patrolling the midfield this year was MSJ’s Kendal Fox who took home Midfielder of the Year honors. She was a top-10 offensive player in the HCAC this season with four goals and five assists for 13 points in conference play. She really made those goals count as well with three of them serving as game-winners, tying her for the HCAC lead. Fox was also called on a lot more this year to defend box-to-box from her wing position.
Newcomer of the Year honors went to Hanover’s Abby Smith who became one of the Panthers most influential players. She was the third-highest point scorer in conference play with 17 points thanks to her five goals and league-leading seven assists. She had nine goals and eight assists overall this season.
Hanover head coach James Watts was selected as the 2026 HCAC Coach of the Year after leading his team to a 7-1-1 HCAC record and a 11-4-2 record overall. Watts’ squad, which earned the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament, was elite both offensively and defensively as its 31 goals in conference play was second most in the league, while its two goals conceded was tied for tops in conference.
Offensive Player of the Year: Mary Anhofer, Mount St. Joseph
Defensive Player of the Year: Vianey Garcia, Rose-Hulman
Midfielder of the Year: Kendal Fox, Mount St. Joseph
Newcomer of the Year: Abby Smith, Hanover
Coach of the Year: James Watts, Hanover
The HCAC also honors an All-Conference First Team, Second Team and Third Team. The members of those teams are selected by a vote of league coaches and are listed below.
All-Conference First Team
| Name |
POS |
Institution |
| Mary Anhofer |
F |
Mount St. Joseph |
| Lauren Barker |
M |
Franklin |
| Anna Black |
D |
Hanover |
| Payge Callahan |
D |
Mount St. Joseph |
| Mailee Cornette |
F |
Anderson |
| Kendal Fox |
M |
Mount St. Joseph |
| Vianey Garcia |
D |
Rose-Hulman |
| Alicia Gonzalez |
GK |
Rose-Hulman |
| Lyla Jacobs |
F |
Hanover |
| Natalie Marcum |
M |
Anderson |
| Abby Smith |
M |
Hanover |
| Ally Smith |
D |
Rose-Hulman |
| Corinne Stevens |
F |
Hanover |
All-Conference Second Team
| Name |
POS |
Institution |
| Eva Blanke |
F |
Transylvania |
| Camryn Clark |
M |
Hanover |
| Gabrielle Eagan |
F |
Mount St. Joseph |
| Iliana Hernandez |
F |
Rose-Hulman |
| Reagan Johansen |
D |
Transylvania |
| Cait Knepp |
M |
Anderson |
| Mylee McAdams |
F |
Franklin |
| Lilian Muhlenkamp |
D |
Hanover |
| Sophie Roebel |
D |
Mount St. Joseph |
| Macie Starr |
M |
Mount St. Joseph |
| Carrie Stevens |
GK |
Transylvania |
| Olivia Thomas |
M |
Transylvania |
| Zoe Thompson |
D |
Transylvania |
All-Conference Third Team
| Name |
POS |
Institution |
| Jessica Baird |
M |
Berea |
| Reagan Claus |
GK |
Manchester |
| Julie Gatto |
F |
Earlham |
| Rachel Ginn |
M |
Mount St. Joseph |
| Riley Heasley |
M |
Rose-Hulman |
| Amani Kincaid |
D |
Franklin |
| Ginger Mooser |
M |
Transylvania |
| Izzy Phillips |
M |
Hanover |
| Peyton Potts |
D |
Berea |
| Sian Rogers |
D |
Manchester |
| Diane Scalise |
M |
Earlham |
| Jersey Scyoc |
D |
Anderson |
| Jennifer Specht |
D |
Bluffton |
| Mya Vernon |
M |
Bluffton |
For more information on HCAC Women's Soccer, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the HCAC's home on the internet at www.heartlandconf.org. Be sure to stay up to date on all of your Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference news by following @HCACDIII on X and Instagram and by liking the "HCAC DIII" Facebook page.