CARMEL, Ind. – The Heartland Collegiate Lacrosse Conference (HCLC) released the 2026 Women's Lacrosse All-Conference Teams and award winners on Tuesday.
Transylvania sophomore
Avery Kirkhope (Lexington, Ky.) earned the Offensive Player of the Year honor after recording 51 points on 31 goals and 20 assists. Her point total led the conference with her assist total also leading the league. She finished in a tie for second in goals scored. Kirkhope scored at least a hat trick in six of 16 contests and recorded at least five points five times.
On the defensive side, Spalding's
Whitney White (Fort Brag, N.C.) was the standout, earning Defensive Player of the Year honors. Among starting goalkeepers, White led in both goals against average (11.28) and save percentage (.506) during the regular season. Her save percentage and saves per game also ranked her in the top-15 nationally. White earned six wins in the cage this year with double-digit saves in all but three of her starts. She also had a save percentage of at least 50 percent in 10 of her 14 contests.
Claiming the Newcomer of the Year award was Transy's Layla Hobbs-Powell (Lexington, Ky.). The freshman midfielder made her presence known as one of the league's top goal-scorers. She scored 30 goals in just nine contests, while tacking on two assists to give her 32 points and a spot in the HCLC top-10. Hobbs-Powell was also instrumental in starting the offense, compiling 30 draw controls, which was also a top-10 mark in the HCLC. Hobbs-Powell had six games with at least a hat trick and won four-plus draws six times.
After leading Transylvania to a 3-0 conference record and a 9-7 regular season overall, head coach Bri McCulley was voted as the 2026 HCLC Coach of the Year.
Offensive Player of the Year: Avery Kirkhope, Transylvania University
Defensive Player of the Year: Whitney White, Spalding University
Newcomer Player of the Year: Layla Hobbs-Powell, Transylvania University
Coach of the Year: Bri McCulley, Transylvania University
The HCLC also honors an All-Conference First Team and Second Team. The members of those teams are nominated and selected by a vote of league coaches.
2026 WLAX All Conference 1st Team
| Name |
Position |
Institution |
| Grace Bruner |
Midfielder |
Transylvania University |
| Brannon Chubb |
Defense |
Hanover College |
| Mahalia Dominguez |
Attack |
Spalding University |
| Sofie Garrett |
Midfielder |
Transylvania University |
| Layla Hobbs-Powell |
Attack |
Transylvania University |
| Nicole Hollowell |
Midfielder |
Spalding University |
| Avery Kirkhope |
Attack |
Transylvania University |
| Kaitlyn Madden |
Defense |
Hanover College |
| Jayden Otto |
Defense |
Transylvania University |
| Kaelin Truman |
Attack |
Transylvania University |
| Addie Whitman |
Midfielder |
Franklin College |
| Whitney White |
Goalkeeper |
Spalding University |
| Taylor Young |
Midfielder |
Spalding University |
2026 WLAX All Conference 2nd Team
| Name |
Position |
Institution |
| Harleigh Beumer |
Attack |
Spalding University |
| Maddie Cary |
Defense |
Franklin College |
| Quinn Cherry |
Attack |
Hanover College |
| Claire Ecenbarger |
Defense |
Franklin College |
| Ruby Himes |
Goalkeeper |
Transylvania University |
| Julia Jarrells |
Midfielder |
Hanover College |
| Grace Mitchell |
Midfielder |
Spalding University |
For more information on HCLC Women's Lacrosse, 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 by liking the "HCAC DIII" Facebook page.