Waleska, GA – The Patriots women's lacrosse team has excelled on the field posting a 17-1 record en route to capturing the 2026 AAC Regular Season title.  Their success on the field has led to Cumberlands garnering four AAC top honors, while having 11 Patriots earn AAC All-Conference accolades.  It marks the fourth consecutive year that UC has had at least 11 honorees with seven of them landing on first team.
 
Ashlee Baker garnered a pair of top honors as she was named the 2026 AAC Player of the Year as well as the AAC Offensive Player of the Year. Lenora DeVries captures AAC Freshman of the Year honors, while Patriots Head Coach Kelly Buikus garnered AAC Coach of the Year honors, marking the sixth straight season that she took home that award.
 
Joining Baker as AAC First Team All-Conference honorees were Koral Hadac, Allison Joines, Mikayla Kimsey, Anna Lobbezoo, Emma Rittman, and Madison Rupp.  Christina Carter, DeVries, Kaitlyn Friel, and Resse Kincaid garnered AAC Second Team All-Conference accolades.
 
Baker was named the AAC Player & Offensive Player of the Year and an AAC First Team All-Conference selection after career season.  The junior has tallied a NAIA-best 61 assists and 115 points, while she is ranked fifth in the country with 54 goals to be the catalyst of the Patriots offensive. Baker has set new career-highs in each of those categories, averaging 6.4 ppgs this season, including a season-best nine points (3g, 6a) in the win over #4 Reinhardt.  Baker is averaging 7.4 ppg over the Pats last eight games, including dishing out at least five assists in five of the past six games.  Her 61 assists rank second in program history and she is two assists away from becoming the Pats single season leader.  The Las Vegas, NV native netted a season-best six goals against Lawrence Tech and added five goals in the win over SCAD.  Baker's consistency has led to her being named the NAIA Offensive Player of the Week twice and capturing four AAC Player of the Week honors. The junior becomes just the fourth Patriot player to earn conference player of the year honors.

DeVries has made an immediate impact for UC with her versatility and strong play throughout the season.  The Rosevillet, MN native has recorded 47 points, 52 ground balls, 29 caused turnovers, and 27 draw controls to garner AAC Freshman of the Year honors. DeVries is third in the NAIA with 52 ground balls, and sixth with 29 caused turnovers on the season.  She had an impressive debut for Cumberlands tallying seven caused turnovers and eight ground balls in the win over #8 Lawrence Tech, which is the most by a Patriot freshman.  Her efforts in that game led to her earning NAIA Defensive Player of the Week honors.  DeVries has scored a goal in 16 games and has netted a season-high four goals twice.  DeVries becomes the sixth Patriot player to earn conference Freshman of the Year honors.
 
Coach Buikus earned AAC Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Patriots to a 17-1 regular season record against one of the toughest schedules in the NAIA.  The Patriots posted 11 wins over teams that were ranked or receiving votes in the NAIA Coaches' Poll. Coach Buikus' squad leads the NAIA in goals, assists, points, ground balls, caused turnovers, and save percentage.

Hadac, Rittman, and Lobbezoo garnered AAC First Team All-Conference honors for the fourth time in their stellar careers becoming just the second, third, and fourth players in program history to garner first team honors four times.  Hadac anchors the Patriots backline with 34 caused turnovers, 48 ground balls, and 18 caused turnovers.  The senior is third in the NAIA in caused turnovers and is the program's career leader with 161 caused turnovers.  She scooped nine ground balls and a pair of draw controls in the Pats win over Ave Maria.  Hadac has notched at least four caused turnovers in a quartet of games, while leading a UC defense that has limited opponents to 4.77 goals per game.

Rittman continues to shine throughout the field with strong versatility tallying 55 goals, 78 points, 53 ground balls, 95 draw controls, and 18 caused turnovers.  The Pickerington, OH native ranks second in the country with 53 ground balls and third in the NAIA in goals and draw controls.  She has tallied at least five points in nine games, including five goals in the win over Missouri Baptist.  Rittman has garnered nine draw controls in four games, while scooping a season-high seven ground balls twice.  The senior has played a vital role in UC limiting opponents to a 55.8% clear rate.

Lobbezoo continues her consistent play notching 40 goals, 39 assists, 62 draw controls, and 19 ground balls.  Lobbezoo is ranked third in the NAIA with 39 assists, while she continues to excel at both ends of the field.  The Jenison, MI native has tallied her 200^th career goal, 300^th career point, and 200^th career draw control during the season and continues to be pivotal to UC's draw control unit that ranks second in the country.  She had tallied multiple goals in 13 games and notched a season-high five assists and eight points in the win over Marian. 

Leading the NAIA in save percentage and goals against average leads to Kimsey earning First Team honors.  The Jacksonville, FL native has posted a NAIA-best 57.3% save percentage to go along with a 5.19 GAA.  Kimsey has made 106 saves, tallying at least five saves in ten games.  She garnered a season-high 13 saves twice, including in the win over #4 Reinhardt.  Kimsey also added 12 saves and a 70.6%  save percentage against Life.  She was named the AAC Defensive Player of the Week three times.

After a stellar freshman season, Joines garners AAC First Team honors.  Joines is fourth on the team with 53 points, including 35 goals.  The Maryville, TN native netted at least three goals in seven games, including a career-high six goals and seven points in the win over (RV) Georgetown.  That performance earned her AAC Offensive Player of the Week honors.  Joines has notched 26 points in conference play. 

Rupp captured her fourth All-Conference and earning First Team honors for the second time.  The Kingwood, TX native tallied 11 caused turnovers and 21 ground balls on the year.  Rupp is a critical part of the Patriots defense that has limited opponents to 4.77 GAA and a 55.8% clear rate.

Another pivotal part of UC's backline, Kincaid earns AAC All-Conference honor for the third straight season.  She has tallied 21 ground balls, nine caused turnovers, and a career-high five draw controls.  The senior notched multiple caused turnovers in a pair of games, while scooping four ground balls in the win over SCAD. 

Freshman Carter and Friel also garnered Second Team All-Conference honors after having a strong impact for the Patriots.  Carter's versatility had made an impact on both ends of the field as she has notched 45 points, 47 draw controls, 34 ground balls, and 23 caused turnovers.  The Alexandria, VA native has netted a season-high four goals in the win over Life, while scooping seven draw controls and five ground balls against Columbia.

Friel has recorded 34 goals, 23 assists, and 47 points in her freshman campaign.  The Huntingtown, MD native has notched nine multi-goal games this season, including a season-high six goals in the win over Warner.  Friel added a hat trick in the win over Reinhardt, while tallying a season-high five ground balls and four draw controls against Columbia.

The Patriots earned the first-seed for the AAC tournament and a first round bye.  Cumberlands faces fourth-seed Georgetown on Friday, April 24, at 11 a.m. in Waleska, GA.
 
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