WALESKA, Ga. — According to a release from the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) office on Thursday night, two Montreat College women's lacrosse players captured All-Conference recognition for their play during the 2026 season. Behind their stellar and historic campaigns, both
Marley Smith and
Grace Wiegand garnered Second Team All-AAC status.
A native of Greensboro, N.C., Smith improved on her freshman campaign with an even better sophomore year. Smith started in all 11 games in which she played and served as a focal point of the Cavaliers' attack. Not only did Smith lead the team with 11 assists and eight caused turnovers, but she also ranked second on the squad in goals (27), points (38) and draw controls (43). All those marks bettered her season outputs from 2025.
Wiegand led the AAC with a career-high 60 goals. The midfielder's offensive prowess was highlighted by her NAIA-record 14-goal performance against Warren Wilson College on Feb. 18. The senior also set the program's single-game points record against the Owls (18). Wiegand's 10 assists and 70 points were career bests, and her season-point total led all Cavs and ranked fifth in the league in 2026. She paced her squad with 50 draw controls and 27 ground balls as well.
All athletic awards were voted on and selected by the head women's lacrosse coaches of the AAC.
In addition to the athletic accolades, the conference also announced its All-Academic Team and Champions of Character Team recipients.
Madalyn Dillard,
Sophie Duckworth,
Cizzie Griffin,
Karly Horn,
Anastasia Rust,
Ruthann Stout,
Anna White and Wiegand landed spots on the AAC All-Academic Team, while Wiegand also appeared on the AAC Champions of Character Team.
To qualify for the AAC All-Academic Team, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore academically while maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher. Each institution in the league also received one spot on the AAC Champions of Character Team, and the honorees were selected by each program's head coach.
For a look at the 2026 AAC Women's Lacrosse All-Conference awards, click
here.
The Montreat College women's lacrosse team closed out the regular season with a 4-8 (1-5 AAC) record, tied for fifth-best in the league standings.
