Three Big Red Earn Major Awards, Denison Captures Coaching Staff of the Year Honors to Highlight All-NCAC Teams

5/6/2026 1:05:00 PM

Cleveland, Ohio - The North Coast Athletic Conference recently announced their 2026 All-NCAC teams, and a total of eight Big Red earned all-conference honors while three notched major awards. Sophomore MK Barnhart was named Offensive Player of the Year, Grace Schlossberg earned Defensive Player of the Year, and Finlay Harmon was deemed Newcomer of the Year. The Denison coaching staff also received Coaching Staff of the Year honors after leading the team to another NCAC Championship and NCAC Tournament Championship.

First Team

MK Barnhart (Attack | Sophomore | Rehoboth Beach, Delaware | Offensive Player of the Year) - Barnhart receives her first All-NCAC selection, earning first team honors and being named Offensive Player of the Year after having a breakout sophomore campaign. It is Denison's second-consecutive award and 10th overall Offensive Player of the Year. The second year led the conference and team in assists with 46, breaking the single-season record, and scored 22 goals as well for a team-leading 68 points. In the Big Red's regular season game against Wooster, Barnhart tied the program record for most assists in a game with seven. Barnhart had seven games of three or more assists, and eight games with multi-goals as well.

Finlay Harmon (Attack | First-Year | Towson, Maryland | Newcomer of the Year) - First-year attack Finlay Harmon earned Newcomer of the Year and first team All-NCAC honors after being a force on the offense. It is Denison's seventh Newcomer of the Year award, and first since Grace Schlossberg won it in 2024. The Towson, Maryland native tallied 49 goals, which ranks second on the team and sixth in the conference, and 14 assists for 63 points. Harmon would also collect 12 ground balls, cause 15 turnovers, and nab 28 draw controls. She has recorded 11 games with three or more goals, and has scored in every contest except one.

Mary Martinson (Midfield | Senior | Concord, New Hampshire) - Senior Mary Martinson collects her third All-NCAC selection and second consecutive year landing on the first team. Martinson leads the team in goals with 53, which also ranks fifth in the conference. She has also dished off nine assists and been stout defensively, causing a team-leading 26 turnovers and tied on the squad in draw controls with 67. Throughout the season, she has scored in every game, and has scored two or more goals in 17 of their 19 games. Martinson just surpassed 150 career goals, and currently has 156 in her Big Red tenure and counting.

Bridget Sheehy (Midfield | Senior | Pawleys Island, South Carolina) - Sheehy earns her third All-NCAC selection, and second first team honor after doing work on both ends of the turf. She ranks second on the team in assists with 30, and has also netted 28 goals throughout the season. Her 67 draw controls ranks in the top 10 in the NCAC and tied first with Martinson, and also leads the team and fifth in the conference in caused turnovers with 28. With her lone assist in the NCAC Tournament Championship, Sheehy eclipsed 100 assists in her career, and is four away from breaking the record.

Grace Schlossberg (Defense | Junior | Baltimore, Maryland | Defensive Player of the Year) - Schlossberg earns her first career Defensive Player of the Year award and second all-conference selection. The junior from Baltimore, Maryland anchored the Big Red defense into the 18th ranked scoring defense, allowing less than seven goals per game. She has recorded a team-leading 54 ground balls, and has caused 25 turnovers, proving to be a force. Schlossberg has recorded a ground ball in every game but two, and averages 2.84 per game.

Julianne Henigan (Goalie | Junior | Maplewood, New Jersey) - Henigan earns her second all-conference selection, with this being her first nod to the first team list. The Maplewood, New Jersey native has been a wall in the cage, ranking third in the country in save percentage at 53%. She has started in all 19 games, and has saved 106 shots, and ranks 18th in the nation in goals-against average with 6.96. Henigan has saved 10 or more shots in three separate games this season, and has nine games giving up three goals or less.

Second Team

Grayson O'Marra (Midfield | Senior | Bethesda, Maryland) - O'Marra earns back-to-back all-conference recognition after landing third-team honors just a year ago. The senior was a key contributor to the Big Red offense, as she was fifth on the team in goals with 24 and dished off 16 assists. O'Marra would also rack up 19 ground balls, 18 caused turnovers, and 27 draw controls.

Third Team

Evy Palmer (Defense | Senior | Charlotte, North Carolina) - Evy Palmer receives her first all-conference selection of her Big Red career, landing third team honors after becoming a key factor on defense. The Charlotte, North Carolina native tallied 28 ground balls in 19 games started and caused 10 turnovers. She would also record 11 draw controls as well.

Coaching Staff of the Year

The Big Red coaching staff has earned Coaching Staff of the Year honors for the 2026 season. Head Coach Amanda Daniels and her assistants Katherine Yarusso, Tori Vernau, and Maddie Morrell led the Big Red to a 18-1 regular season record with a 7-0 mark in conference play. The Big Red won the NCAC Championship for a league-leading 25th time, and NCAC Tournament Championship for the fourth consecutive season. In their run, Denison defeated four nationally-ranked opponents, and currently hold a 28-game winning streak in conference play. It is the 13th Coaching Staff of the Year award for the Big Red.

The Big Red will play the winner of Carthage and Transylvania in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, May 10 at 1 pm.

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