SAINT PAUL, Minn. – The Yellowjacket women's soccer team logged eight to the 2026 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) postseason awards, the league announced Tuesday.
UMAC Defensive Player of the Year
Claire Loria (Iowa City, Iowa/Iowa City)
UMAC Coach of the Year
Nick Piazza
All-UMAC First Team
Niamh Larson (Brookfield, Ill./Riverside Brookfield)
Claire Loria (Iowa City, Iowa/Iowa City)
All-UMAC Second Team
Mercedes Domjahn (New Germany, Minn./Watertown-Mayer)
Baylee Nygard (Saint Peter, Minn./Saint Peter)
Sonja Root (Ashland, Wis./Ashland)
All-UMAC Honorable Mention
Taylor DeCook (Arlington Heights, Ill./Prospect)
Brook Judnick (Hermantown, Minn./Hermantown)
Julia Taylor (Richfield, Minn./Richfield)
All-UMAC Sportsmanship
Emma Wright (Bemidji, Minn./Bemidji)
Loria fired five goals with two assists for 12 points, spearheading the Yellowjacket backline. Starting 20-of-21 matches, she helped limit the opposition to just 13 goals and helped contribute to 13 shutouts to date. Larson leads Superior with 12 goals and four assists for 28 points, including six game-winning goals. Domjahn receives her first postseason honor as a Yellowjacket, seeing 1,663 minutes on the backline with 15 matches of playing a full 90 minutes.
Nygard has logged 1,082 minutes in net for the 'Jackets this season, boasting a team-best 61 saves and a save percentage of .924. Her record stands at 9-2-1 with eight shutouts. Root has provided steady play throughout the entire season, seeing 1,370 minutes from the midfield on her way to the first postseason award of her career.
DeCook has seen 1,389 minutes on the pitch this season while adding a pair of assists from the backline. Taylor receives her first All-UMAC award after a senior season that saw her start 17-of-21 matches, while Judnick has collected 15 points off six goals and three assists, ranking second in scoring for the Yellowjackets.
The Yellowjackets return to the NCAA Tournament this weekend following a 2-0 victory over Northwestern in the UMAC Championship. They will face No. 10 UChicago on Saturday with an opening kickoff time of 1:30 p.m. at Rock Bowl in Dubuque, Iowa.
