MARLBOROUGH, Mass. – Wheaton College (Mass.) field hockey players Kayla Wilonski (Wallingford, Conn.) and Hannah Fortin (South Dartmouth, Mass.) were named to the New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference Second Team, it was announced today by the league.
The pair of All-Conference selections mark the first time that two Lyons have been recognized since 2021 when Emma Lapreziosa '24 was a First Team choice and Sophie Shekarchi '22 was a Second Team nod.
Wilonski enjoyed a tremendous season as one of the top offensive players in the league. The junior potted a team-high 12 goals to rank fifth among NEWMAC leaders, while adding eight assists as one of the conference's top playmakers as well. She finished with 32 points in 18 games to average 1.78 points per game to rank third in the league. Her goal and point totals rank as the seventh-most in a season in program history. The forward was one of the most consistent players in the region, notching at least one point in all but four contests. Wilonski put together a seven-game point streak from September 21 to October 11, where she tallied 14 points on five goals and four assists. A graduate of Sacred Heart Academy, Wilonski was a threat to score at any time for Wheaton with an ability to elude defenders and create offensive opportunities in any situation. She tallied multiple goals in back-to-back games against Nichols College on September 5 and University of Massachusetts Dartmouth on September 8. The Connecticut native added an assist against Nichols to give her a career-high total of five points.
For her career, the Biochemistry major has started 43 of 54 games, while racking up 66 points, including 26 goals to place her 10th on the career points and goals list for the Lyons. She also has 14 lifetime assists in Norton and six game-winning scores.
Fortin continued her evolution as an impactful offensive force for Wheaton, registering 10 goals to go with two assists for a season-total of 22 points. The senior's career-high goal total was good for eighth among NEWMAC leaders, while also ranking 10th in points. The Bishop Stang product put together a five-game goal-scoring streak to match the longest streak for a Lyon since Shekarchi in 2021. The forward's dominance during the streak was recognized by both the NEWMAC and the National Field Hockey Coaches Association when Fortin was named both the NEWMAC Offensive Athlete of the Week and the NFHCA National Offensive Athlete of the Week for the week of October 5-11 to become the first player in program history to earn the national honor. Fortin's presence was felt throughout the season, recording at least one point in 10 different contests.
The Psychology major made the move from defense to offense midway through her career for the Lyons and responded by finishing her career with 44 points on 20 goals and four assists in 57 games. Fortin started 44 matches during her tenure with the Blue and White and tallied four game-winning strikes.
Wheaton finished the season with a 10-8 record for its highest season win total since 2014, while posting a 4-5 mark in conference play.
