PORTLAND, Ore. – Eight Lewis & Clark College women's lacrosse players were named to the 2026 All-Northwest Conference Team, the league office announced Friday. The River Otters set a program record for all-conference honorees and tied Whitman College for the most selections.
First-year attacker Ala Cross earned First Team recognition. Junior attacker Aviana Gonzales, senior midfielder Kate Meinhard, sophomore midfielder Mack Searle and sophomore defender Kaedance Stubbs were named to the Second Team. Junior attacker Sage Swegle, junior defender Finley Allen and first-year goalkeeper Phoebe Labuhn earned Third Team honors.
The eight selections surpass the program's previous high of six in 2025, when Lewis & Clark made its Northwest Conference debut. The River Otters posted an 11-7 overall record and finished 6-2 in NWC regular-season play, qualifying for the first NWC Tournament in program history.
Cross started all 18 games and set program single-season records with 60 assists and 114 points. She added 54 goals, 109 shots and 79 shots on goal, posting a .495 shooting percentage. Cross averaged 6.33 points and 3.33 assists per game and converted 8 of 12 free-position attempts. She recorded a season-high 12 points, including nine assists, in a 22-3 win at Pacific Lutheran on April 11. Cross added 27 ground balls and seven caused turnovers.
Gonzales earned Second Team honors for the second straight season. She started all 18 games and led the River Otters with 64 goals, finishing with 34 assists and 98 points. Gonzales shot .610 on 105 attempts and recorded 85 shots on goal. She tallied a season-high 11 points, with eight goals and three assists, in a 22-3 win at Pacific Lutheran on April 11, then added 10 points (seven goals, three assists) in a 25-5 victory at Puget Sound the next day. Gonzales added 35 ground balls, 19 caused turnovers and two game-winning goals.
Meinhard moved from honorable mention in 2025 to Second Team in 2026. She started all 18 games and finished with 26 goals, 11 assists and 37 points. Meinhard ranked second on the team with 82 draw controls and added 34 caused turnovers and 44 ground balls. She converted 3 of 9 free-position attempts and recorded one game-winning goal. Meinhard scored a season-high three goals in four games, against Baldwin Wallace, Willamette, Puget Sound and Linfield.
Searle earned Second Team honors after honorable mention recognition in 2025. She started all 18 games and led the River Otters with 104 draw controls. Searle finished with 26 goals, nine assists and 35 points, and added 41 ground balls and 22 caused turnovers. She recorded three game-winning goals and converted 4 of 6 free-position attempts. Searle posted a season-high four goals at Puget Sound on Feb. 21 and added 13 draw controls in the game.
Stubbs, a sophomore defender, earned her first all-conference selection. She started all 17 games she played and led Lewis & Clark with 52 ground balls and 37 caused turnovers, while adding 18 draw controls. Stubbs recorded a season-high six ground balls three times, against John Carroll, Whitman and George Fox, and had a season-high five caused turnovers twice.
Swegle earned Third Team honors after starting all 18 games. She finished with 51 goals, 13 assists and 64 points, shooting .515 on 99 attempts with 77 shots on goal. Swegle converted 8 of 11 free-position attempts and added 29 ground balls and 19 caused turnovers. She scored a season-high six goals twice, in an 18-7 win at Linfield on March 4 and in a 22-3 victory at Pacific Lutheran on April 11.
Allen earned her first all-conference selection after starting all 18 games. She finished with 29 goals, 10 assists and 39 points, and added 32 ground balls, 41 draw controls and 25 caused turnovers. Allen recorded three game-winning goals and converted 2 of 8 free-position attempts. She matched a season-high three goals five times and posted a season-high five points (three goals, two assists) in a 22-0 win against Pacific Lutheran on March 15.
Labuhn earned Third Team honors as a first-year goalkeeper. She made five starts in 17 appearances and posted a 5-4 record with a 9.94 goals-against average and a .430 save percentage. Labuhn made 68 saves on 205 shots faced in 543 minutes. She recorded a season-high 14 saves in an 18-7 win at Linfield on March 4 and added 12 saves against George Fox on April 26.
