NORTHBOROUGH, Mass. — After leading the ESU women's lacrosse team to the NCAA Semifinals and finishing the season ranked tied fourth in Division II, the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) named Xeni Barakos-Yoder and Rachel Ward the Atlantic Region Coaching Staff of the Year, the organization announced Wednesday afternoon.
 
This is the third time ESU has received the Atlantic Region Coach/Coaching Staff of the Year honors, with Barakos-Yoder previously receiving the award in 2018 and 2021. The ESU women's lacrosse team had arguably its best season in program history, setting multiple team and individual records during the 2026 campaign. Tying the team record with 20 wins and scoring a program record 403 goals (previous record was 328), the Warriors captured their fifth Atlantic Region title and returned to the NCAA Semifinals for the fifth time in the last eight seasons. ESU went undefeated in the regular season, picking up seven wins over ranked opponents, five of which were by double-digit goal margins.
 
Sadie Kauffman, Paige Moreland, and Molly Atwell each received national recognition by earning IWLCA Player of the Week honors during the season, with the former also being named the Division II Attacker of the Year. Kauffman and Atwell were each named All-Americans by the IWLCA, with Atwell making the Third Team. Ariana Tucci and Abby Simonetti were also named All-Americans by USA Lacrosse Magazine, as that group and Lauren Hallman earned spots on the All-PSAC East First Team. Rounding out ESU's seven All-PSAC selections were Moreland and Jolee Roth, who were voted to the Second Team.  The Warriors also won 12 out of the 20 PSAC East Athlete and Defensive Athlete of the Week awards this season, a record as a team, while Kauffman's five were an individual record in program history.
 
For the first time in program history, the Warriors had two players record 50-plus assists, as well as three players score over 50 goals for the second time ever in ESU's best offensive season to date. ESU averaged the most shots per game in Division II, the second most goals, and the third-best scoring margin, finishing the season ranked tied fourth, the second-highest the Warriors have finished in the end-of-season rankings.