The Liberty League has announced its 2025-26 Women's Indoor Track & Field major awards as voted by the conference's head coaches following NCAA Championships.
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Haley Schoenegge, Junior, Vassar College
Vassar College junior Haley Schoenegge was named the Liberty League Indoor Track Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive indoor season. At the 2026 NCAA Division III Championships, Schoenegge claimed her second indoor national title and fourth overall Track & Field national title with a victory in the Mile Run, crossing the finish line in 4:42.69. The time ranks as the fourth-fastest in Division III history. She also competed in the 3,000-meter run, placing 16th with a time of 9:53.08 to earn Second Team All-America honors, bringing her career total to nine All-America accolades. At the Liberty League Championship, Schoenegge claimed individual titles in both the mile (4:55.92) and 3,000 meters (9:46.44) en route to being selected Most Outstanding Track Performer of the Meet. She also contributed to Vassar’s winning distance medley relay team, which posted a time of 12:27.02. A five-time Liberty League Track Performer of the Week this winter, Schoenegge set a new Division III record in the 1,000-meter run at the BU John Thomas Terrier Classic in February, clocking a time of 2:50.14. Following the 2025-26 indoor season, Schoenegge was named United States Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division III Mideast Region Track Athlete of the Year for the second straight year.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Ashley Sheldon, Junior, Union College
Union College junior Ashley Sheldon was selected as the Liberty League Indoor Field Performer of the Year. She is the first Union student-athlete in program history to earn the conference’s Field Performer of the Year honor. Sheldon competed in the high jump at her third consecutive appearance at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships, finishing third to earn First Team All-America honors. She cleared a program- and conference-record height of 1.73 meters, becoming the first Liberty League female student-athlete (indoors or outdoors) to reach that mark. At NCAAs, Sheldon cleared the first four heights on her first attempt, including the previous program record of 1.70 meters. At 1.73 meters, Sheldon cleared the bar on her third and final chance to clinch a spot among Division III’s top three. At the Liberty League Championships, she captured her second indoor conference title in three years with a winning jump of 1.68 meters. She also added a fourth-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.04 seconds. A two-time Liberty League Performer of the Week this season, she also took top honors at the All-Atlantic Regional Championship with a leap of 1.70 meters.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Lauren Murphy, University of Rochester
University of Rochester first-year Lauren Murphy was recognized as the Liberty League Rookie of the Year. She is the first Rochester rookie to earn the accolade since 2020. Murphy qualified for two events at this year’s NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships: triple jump and long jump, where she garnered All-America honors in both events. She placed sixth in the triple jump with a mark of 12.06 meters (First Team All-America) and 14th in the long jump at 5.45 meters (Second Team All-America). At her first conference championship, Murphy was the individual champion in the triple jump, with a meet record mark of 11.88 meters, and was the runner-up in the long jump with a mark of 5.77 meters. She also had a hand in Rochester’s winning 4x400 relay (3:52.97) and was named the Liberty League Most Outstanding Field Performer of the Meet. A four-time Liberty League Rookie of the Week and two-time Field Performer of the Week, Murphy concluded the indoor season with nine event wins and five additional top-three finishes.
COACHING STAFF OF THE YEAR: Ithaca College
Ithaca College head coach Jennifer Potter and her staff were named the Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year for the second straight year. The Bombers claimed their second consecutive Liberty League indoor track and field title with five individual victories and one relay win (DMR), scoring 212 points over the two-day championship meet. Ithaca recorded double-digit points in nine of 17 events, including five individual victories and a win in the Distance Medley Relay, as they finished nearly 50 points (48.667) ahead of the team runner-up. 18 Bombers earned All-Liberty League honors at the championship, including five first-team, nine second-team, and four honorable mention selections. The team also swept the top three spots in the pole vault. Ithaca led the league with five athletes qualifying for the NCAA Division III Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championship. A trio of Bombers earned All-America honors: Talia Hutchinson placed fifth in the pole vault at 4.00 meters, Rachel Larson finished eighth in the 60-meter hurdles at 8.69 seconds, and Lily Seyfert earned top-16 finishes in both the shot put (9th, 17.11 meters) and weight throw (15th, 12.81 meters).
ALL-LIBERTY LEAGUE FIRST TEAM (Event Champions at Liberty League Championship)
60-Hurdles – Rachel Larson, Ithaca, 8.50 (MR)
60-Dash – Aynisha McQuillar, Ithaca, 7.72
200-Dash – Nora Chen, Rochester, 25.17
400 – Nora Chen, Rochester, 56.45
800 – Eva Ciuffetelli, Rochester, 2:13.85
3,000 – Haley Schoenegge, Vassar, 9:46.44
5,000 – Jules Bleskoski, RPI, 17:11.44
Mile – Haley Schoenegge, Vassar, 4:55.92
DMR – Vassar (M. Dechet-Wetze P. Koo, L. Lowe, H. Schoengge), 12:27.02
4x400 Relay – Rochester (E. Ciuffetelli, R. Casserino, N. Chen, L. Murphy), 3:52.97
Pole Vault – Talia Hutchinson, Ithaca, 3.91m
Long Jump – Alice Brambati, RPI, 5.79m (MR)
High Jump – Ashley Sheldon, Union, 1.68m
Triple Jump – Lauren Murphy, Rochester, 11.88m (MR)
Shot Put – Leanna Wells, RPI, 11.40m
Weight Throw – Lily Seyfert, Ithaca, 17.23m
Pentathlon – Cameron Ting, Ithaca, 3,167 points
(MR) = Meet Record
Note: The Liberty League also recognizes second-place finishes at the championship as All-Liberty League Second Team and third place garners All-Liberty League Honorable Mention.