ORLANDO, Fla. – The 2026 Saint Leo University women's lacrosse season has seen many program firsts and today it adds a pair of SSC "of the Year" award winners. The Sunshine State Conference announced its all-conference women's lacrosse awards for the 2026 season on Friday, May 1. Senior Holly Hill was named the Attack Player of the Year and Isabella Gebinine was tabbed the Freshman of the Year. Hill also earned first team honors and is joined on the first team by Sophia Wood. Joining Gebinine on second team is Jana Nuss, Meredith Eitel, Abby Richards, and Jessica Harclerode. The sixth-ranked Lions sit at 14-4 overall and finished second in the conference with a 6-1 SSC record.  

All-SSC History: SSC Players and Coaches of the Year | All-SSC Teams

Holly Hill has consistently rewritten the Saint Leo record book throughout her season senior.  The Fairfax, Va. native has set new marks in program single game assists and points; single season assists and points, and tied the SSC single game record for points in a game with 13. This season she has started in all 18 games for the Lions and amassed 111 points on 42 goals and 69 assists. In a 22-13 win at Rollins, Hill set both a single game SSC and program record with 13 points and a program record with nine assists and a week later, she matched her same 13 points and nine assists performance in a win over Palm Beach Atlantic. Hill sits atop the SSC leaders in points (111), assists (69), points per game (6.17), and assists per game (3.83) and is third in NCAA Division II in points. Hill is a first time Attack Player of the Year recipient and her first time landing on the first team.
    
Following the graduation of record-setting draw specialist Maria Palomba, Isabella Gebinine emerged as a key piece in maintaining Saint Leo's success at the draw. She becomes just the fourth Lion to earn SSC Freshman of the Year honors, the first since Jessica Harclerode took the title in 2023. She currently sits in a tie for the SSC lead in draw controls with 116 and is just the second Lion to record triple digit draw controls in a single season. Five times this season she has recorded double digit draw controls including tying Palomba's record with the second most draws in a game with 15. The Colorado native registered just two shots on the season both resulting in goals and coming in a three-minute span during a 22-4 win over St. Michael's. Gebinine is the first freshman to earn All-SSC honors since Maria Palomba was named to the first team in 2022 and just the fifth overall in program history.
 
Jana Nuss and Sophia Wood were frequent beneficiaries of Holly Hill's play making as Saint Leo jumped out to fast starts, scoring eight or more first-quarter goals in seven games. Wood paced the Lions with 57 goals while ranking second on the team with 68 points and adding 54 draw controls. Nuss followed closely with 44 goals and 66 points, sitting just four points shy of her third consecutive 70-point season. She also led the team at the free position, converting 15 of 25 attempts.
 
On the defensive end, the Lions are anchored by a trio well-accustomed to postseason recognition. Meredith Eitel and Abby Richards each earned All-SSC Second Team honors for the second straight season, while Jessica Harclerode added her second career selection. Eitel and Richards combined for 45 ground balls and 34 caused turnovers, helping Saint Leo hold opponents to a .403 shooting percentage.
 
In goal, Jessica Harclerode anchored the Lions with a 14-4 record, totaling 131 saves on 307 shots faced while leading the team with 29 ground balls. In a historic win over then-#6 Tampa Spartans, she recorded her 600th career save, becoming the first goalkeeper in Sunshine State Conference history to reach the milestone. The New York native also delivered in a tight victory at #12 Pace, making 12 saves to extend Saint Leo's win streak to eight games and improve the Lions to 8-1 on the season.
 
All-conference selections and individual award winners are determined by a vote of Sunshine State Conference head coaches with oversight and approval from member institution Athletic Directors.
 
Attack Player of the Year: Holly Hill, Saint Leo
Freshman of the Year: Isabella Gebinine, Saint Leo
Midfield Player of the Year: Rebecca Clark, Lynn
Defensive Player of the Year: Bella Avila, Tampa
Goalkeeper of the Year: Ella-Rae Cox, Embry-Riddle
Draw Specialist of the Year: Kolby Cohen, Florida Southern
Coach of the Year: Kara Reber, Florida Southern

 

2026 Women's Lacrosse All-SSC First Team
Pos.	Name	School	Yr.	Hometown
ATT	Holly Hill^	Saint Leo	SR	Fairfax, Va.
ATT	Mary Kate Person^	Tampa	SR	Jericho, N.Y.
ATT	Jenna Vetter	Florida Southern	JR	Ellicott City, Md.
ATT	Sophia Scichilone*‡	Florida Tech	SR	Lake Worth, Fla.
ATT	Peyton Howell*‡	Tampa	SR	Towson, Md.
ATT	Gillian Craig^	Florida Tech	GR	Merritt Island, Fla.
MID	Rebecca Clark*†~#	Lynn	SR	Abington, Pa.
MID	Eliana Enners*†#	Embry-Riddle	JR	Bedford, N.H.
MID	Sophia Wood	Saint Leo	SR	Rocky Point, N.Y.
DEF	Bella Avila*	Tampa	SR	Worthington, Ohio
DEF	Emily Solomon*‡	Lynn	SR	Fallston, Md.
DEF	Brayden Cannelli^	Florida Southern	JR	Annapolis, Md.
DEF	Audrey Cannelli*	Florida Southern	JR	Annapolis, Md.
DEF	Charlie Laye*	Florida Southern	GR	Edgewater, Md.
GK	Ella-Rae Cox^	Embry-Riddle	JR	Huntingtown, Md.
DRAW	Kolby Cohen	Florida Southern	JR	Memphis, Tenn.
2026 Women's Lacrosse All-SSC Second Team
Pos.	Name	School	Yr.	Hometown
ATT	Natalie Jansky	Embry-Riddle	JR	Monument, Colo.
ATT	Jana Nuss^†	Saint Leo	SR	Schwenksville, Pa.
ATT	Abby Cudzilo	Florida Tech	JR	Ellicott City, Md.
ATT	Hanna Watson	Florida Southern	SO	Absecon, N.J.
ATT	Angelia Huggins	Lynn	JR	Harwood, Md.
ATT	Sofie Bender	Florida Tech	JR	Ellicott City, Md.
ATT	Riley Rivera	Florida Southern	FR	Highlands Ranch, Colo.
MID	Ava Rogala^	Embry-Riddle	JR	Denver, Colo.
MID	Elizabeth Clagett^‡	Lynn	SR	Duck, N.C.
MID	Phoebe Hurt	Florida Tech	SR	Manchester, England
DEF	Meredith Eitel^	Saint Leo	SR	Ocean City, Md.
DEF	Lucy Pickle	Embry-Riddle	SO	Danville, Pa.
DEF	Julia Lucas	Florida Southern	JR	Marriottsville, Md.
DEF	Abby Richards^	Saint Leo	JR	Medford, N.J.
DEF	Izzy Lucas	Florida Southern	JR	Marriottsville, Md.
GK	Jessica Harclerode#	Saint Leo	SR	Sayville, N.Y.
DRAW	Isabella Gebinine	Saint Leo	FR	Denver, Colo.

 

* = 2025 First Team All-SSC

^ = 2025 Second Team All-SSC

† = 2024 First Team All-SSC

‡ = 2024 Second Team All-SSC

~ = 2023 Second Team All-SSC

# = Former Freshman of the Year

 
1 3+ First Team All-SSC honors: Four: Lindsay Van Beck (Rollins), Sara Grenier (Florida Tech), Olivia Going (Florida Tech), Kallie German (Rollins), Caroline Gastonguay (Rollins); Three: Sam Schiano (Florida Tech), Emily Santoli (FSC), Meghan O'Brien (FSC), Allie Modica (Florida Tech), Madison Tare (Florida Southern), Cece Colombo (Tampa), Maria Palomba (Saint Leo), Rebecca Clark (Lynn)
2 Previous Tampa Defensive Players of the Year: Lexi Waters (2025), Alyssa Romano (2024)
3 Jessica Harclerode (2023), Maria Palomba (2022), Ashlee Wilsynski (2021)
4 Riley Rivera, Florida Southern – Second Team
5 Previous Coach of the Year honors: Kara Reber 2021, 2022