NEW YORK – Villanova claimed four of the six major awards as the 2026 BIG EAST Conference women's soccer annual honors were announced Tuesday.
Villanova junior forward Dez Zapata was selected BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year, while her teammate, junior defender Meredith Palmer, received Defensive Player of the Year honors. Graduate student goalkeeper Hannah Dickinson was named Goalkeeper of the Year, while the Wildcats’ coaching staff, led by Samar Azem, earned Coaching Staff of the Year honors.
Xavier graduate student midfielder Regan Dancer earned Midfielder of the Year honors. Providence freshman forward Jocy Koffi rounded out the major awards as Freshman of the Year.
The postseason awards were selected by a vote of the league's head coaches, who were not allowed to vote for their own players or coaching staff.
Zapata ended the 2026 regular season with six goals and seven assists for 19 points in 16 starts. Her seven assists led the league, while her 19 points ranked third in the league during regular season play. She recorded a season-high five points against Providence, scoring two goals and adding one assist.
Dancer recorded five goals and three assists for 13 points for Xavier during the regular season. The midfielder scored a season-high two goals in the team’s 5-0 win over Creighton in October.
Palmer was part of a defensive unit that ranked among the best in the conference throughout the season. The Wildcats posted 12 shutouts across 18 matches, tying Seton Hall for the BIG EAST lead. Villanova also recorded a 0.44 goals-against average, the second-best in the league.
Dickinson, a two-time BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week, posted a 12-1-5 record in goal for the Wildcats. The graduate student finished the regular season ranked second in the BIG EAST in goals-against average (0.47), while finishing with an .822 save percentage. She heads into the postseason with 37 saves and 10 shutouts.
Koffi finished the regular season leading the Friars with eight goals and five assists for 21 points. She was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week three times this year.
Villanova earned the No. 2 seed in the BIG EAST Championship for the first time since 2005, as the team improved to 12-1-5 overall and 7-1-2 in conference action to earn BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year honors. The program finished with 23 points in conference play, marking the most for the program since 2006. Azem and her staff led Villanova to its first win over UConn since 2006, while the Wildcats also scored multiple goals against the Huskies for the first time in series history.
Zapata, Dancer, Palmer, Dickinson and Koffi led the 13-member first team. The five major award winners were joined by Butler junior midfielder Chloe Brecht, Georgetown sophomore forward Abby Droner and junior midfielder Lizzie Heller, Providence junior defender Stephanie Schoeley, Seton Hall sophomore goalkeeper Kate Kleinsmith, Villanova junior forward Morgan Kotch, and Xavier sophomore defender Nastassja Garrett and senior forward Peyton Kohls.
The 11-member second team included UConn senior midfielder Anaya Johnson, Creighton senior forward Olivia Duray, DePaul freshman forward Katelyn Haiser, Georgetown junior forward Caroline Spengler, Marquette freshman goalkeeper Mia Hurd, Providence sophomore midfielder Emma Gregorski, Seton Hall senior defender Cassidy Brown, Villanova sophomore forward Avrie Nelsen and senior midfielder Gabby Koluch, and Xavier senior defender Brooklynn Miltenberger and freshman forward Frances Reuland.
There were 13 players on the All-BIG EAST Third Team, including Butler sophomore goalkeeper Addison Ash and Creighton sophomore defender Olivia Sides. UConn junior defender Shea Boyle and junior forward Se-Hanna Mars, DePaul senior midfielder Shayna da Silva, and Georgetown sophomore forward Aliza Mannon were also named to the third team. Marquette junior forward Megan Murray and sophomore defender Clare Shea, Providence freshman midfielder Signe Tingager and redshirt-sophomore Amaya Coffie, Seton Hall senior midfielder Bri Azevedo, and Xavier junior midfielders McKinley Berry and Breanna Dardano rounded out the team.
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Offensive Player of the Year: Dez Zapata, Villanova, Jr., F
Midfielder of the Year: Regan Dancer, Xavier, Gr., M
Defensive Player of the Year: Meredith Palmer, Villanova, Jr., D
Goalkeeper of the Year: Hannah Dickinson, Villanova, Gr., GK
Freshman of the Year: Jocy Koffi, Providence, Fr., F
Coaching Staff of the Year: Villanova
All-BIG EAST First Team *
Abby Droner, Georgetown, So., F ^
Jocy Koffi, Providence, Fr., F
Morgan Kotch, Villanova, Jr., F ^
Dez Zapata, Villanova, Jr., F ^
Peyton Kohls, Xavier, Sr., F ^
Chloe Brecht, Butler, Jr., M
Lizzie Heller, Georgetown, Jr., M ^
Regan Dancer, Xavier, Gr., M
Stephanie Schoeley, Providence, Jr., D ^
Meredith Palmer, Villanova, Jr., D
Nastassja Garrett, Xavier, So., D
Kate Kleinsmith, Seton Hall, So., GK
Hannah Dickinson, Villanova, Gr., GK
All-BIG EAST Second Team
Olivia Duray, Creighton, Sr., F
Katelyn Haiser, DePaul, Fr., F ^
Caroline Spengler, Georgetown, Jr., F
Avrie Nelsen, Villanova, So., F
Frances Reuland, Xavier, Fr., F
Anaya Johnson, UConn, Sr., M ^
Emma Gregorski, Providence, So., M
Gabby Koluch, Villanova, Sr., M
Cassidy Brown, Seton Hall, Sr., D
Brooklynn Miltenberger, Xavier, Sr., D
Mia Hurd, Marquette, Fr., GK
All-BIG EAST Third Team *
Se-Hanna Mars, UConn, Jr., F
Aliza Mannon, Georgetown, So., F
Megan Murray, Marquette, Jr., F
Amaya Coffie, Providence, R-So., F
Shayna da Silva, DePaul, Sr., M
Signe Tingager, Providence, Fr., M
Bri Azevedo, Seton Hall, Sr., M
McKinley Berry, Xavier, Jr., M
Breanna Dardano, Xavier, Jr., M
Shea Boyle, UConn, Jr., D
Olivia Sides, Creighton, So., D
Clare Shea, Marquette, So., D
Addison Ash, Butler, So., GK
* Due to a tie, there are 13 players on the first and third teams.