WATERVILLE, Maine - The North Atlantic Conference (NAC) office announced the 2026 Women's Lacrosse Postseason Award winners on Thursday afternoon, and the University of Maine at Farmington women's lacrosse program earned a pair of major awards while also having three athletes tabbed to the First Team All-Conference squad.
Goalkeeper Skye Cotnoir (West Gardiner, Maine) was named the Senior Scholar Athlete of the Year, Head Coach Kaya Backman and Assistant Coach Liz Leclair were named Coaching Staff of the Year, and senior attacker Ruby McMinis (Wells, Maine), junior midfielder Emma Dunn (Farmington, Maine), and first-year defender Makenzie Beal (Brunswick, Maine) received First Team All-Conference honors.
The Senior Scholar Athlete of the Year award recognizes a graduating senior for excellence in and commitment to both academics and athletics. Cotnoir has played a key role on the field for the Beavers over the past three seasons while also serving as an even bigger voice and advocate around the UMF and greater Farmington community. Cotnoir will graduate this weekend with a bachelor's degree in Outdoor Recreation Business Administration, while also earning a minor in Coaching and an Alpine Operations Certificate. She is the founder of the UMF Morgan's Message chapter, a student-athlete-led program created to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health while also providing student-athletes with resources to normalize conversations surrounding mental health and equalize the treatment of mental and physical health within the athletic community.
This past semester, Cotnoir completed an internship at the Spruce Mountain Ski Slope, where she served as the manager. Cotnoir is an exceptional student, having achieved a 3.98 GPA while being named to the Dean's List in all seven semesters she has completed to this point. She has also been named to the NAC All-Academic Team twice, as well as earning recognition on the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team twice. On the lacrosse field, Cotnoir has been named NAC Defender of the Week three separate times during her career, was a NAC Second Team All-Conference honoree in 2024, and has served as a captain for the past two seasons.
Backman and Leclair were honored as the NAC Coaching Staff of the Year after leading the Beavers to a 4-11 overall record and a 2-4 mark in conference action. Despite the losing record, the Beavers remained competitive all season long and showed tremendous growth throughout the year. Following a 15-3 setback on the road against Salem State University, Farmington played its best lacrosse of the season. Despite a one-goal loss on the road to Thomas College, that game sparked a five-game stretch in which Farmington either held a lead or was within two goals at the midway point of the third quarter.
Statistically, Farmington surrendered 181 goals this season, an average of 12.1 goals per game, which is the lowest mark during Backman and Leclair's three-year tenure. Additionally, Farmington's defense made significant strides in its ability to create chaos and make life difficult on opponents. The Beavers forced 412 turnovers this season, 87 more than they forced one season ago. Additionally, the Beavers caused 171 turnovers this season. As a team, they posted a .623 clearing percentage (192-for-308) during the season, the best mark in the past three years.
McMinis earned First Team All-Conference honors for the second time in as many seasons after leading the Beavers in scoring with 38 goals, tying her own program record for goals scored in a single season. Additionally, her 38 goals were the third-highest total of any player in the conference. McMinis made 13 appearances this season and scored three or more goals in eight contests, including back-to-back five-goal performances against Mitchell College and Thomas College, both of which resulted in Beaver victories. In addition to her scoring, McMinis also made an impact in several other areas, finishing the season with five assists, 30 draw controls, 29 ground balls, and 16 caused turnovers.
A four-year starting attacker, McMinis will graduate this weekend as the program's all-time leading scorer after amassing 135 goals in 52 career games. She also finishes her career with 21 assists, 156 points, 132 draw controls, and 100 ground balls.
Dunn earned First Team All-Conference honors for the first time in her collegiate career after a standout junior campaign. Dunn did a little bit of everything for the Beavers this season, finishing second on the team with 31 goals while leading the team with 14 assists, 72 ground balls, 57 draw controls, and 34 caused turnovers. Of note, Dunn's 72 ground balls were the top mark in the conference this season and also set a program record for most ground balls in a single season. Dunn also ranked second in the conference in draw controls and caused turnovers while ranking fifth in goals scored.
Dunn recorded three or more draw controls in 14 of the 15 games she played this season, including nine games in which she recorded five or more ground balls. Additionally, Dunn recorded five or more draw controls in seven games this season, including five straight games from March 1 through March 19. Dunn recorded a hat trick in five games this season, including a career-high six goals in a 14-13 victory over Dean College on March 12.
Beal made an immediate defensive impact for the Beavers as a rookie this season. A strong and quick defender, Beal anchored the Beavers' defensive unit while making 14 appearances and 12 starts. She finished the year with 35 ground balls, good for third on the team, to go along with 12 caused turnovers. Beyond her statistical output, Beal played a key role in helping Farmington transition from offense to defense with her ability to use her speed and take the ball end-to-end, creating successful clears on her own.
Click here to read the full NAC postseason release.
