BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Patriot League announced its first women's lacrosse weekly awards of the 2026 season and Navy's Lily Schmalz and Ava Yovino were selected as Defender and Midfielder of the Week, respectively. The duo helped lead Navy to an upset road victory over #10 / 8 Virginia, posting a 12-10 win over the Cavaliers.
 
It is the first weekly conference accolade of Schmalz's career while it is the sixth for Yovino.
 
In her first collegiate start, Schmalz led the team with three ground balls and two caused turnovers. She was a member of the Navy defense that shutout Virginia for nearly 30 minutes during a 7-0 run between the first and third quarters. The sophomore caused a turnover and picked up the ground ball, sparking a run to the goal for Emma Kennedy's game-winning goal. In addition, Schmalz helped ignite the offense, by helping Navy convert 18 of 21 (85.7%) of its clear attempts.
 
Yovino led the team with six points on a pair of goals and a team-high four assists, while adding a team-best seven draw controls, while tying for the team lead with three ground balls and two caused turnovers. The senior stopped a 3-0 UVA run to start the game with her first goal of the season, sparking a 7-0 run for the Midshipmen to take the lead that they would not relinquish. She scored her second goal during the run and had an assist on Chloe Brown's game-tying goal. Yovino added a helper on Maggie DeFabio's goal that capped the 7-0 run, while also adding assists on goals by Emma Kennedy and Alyssa Chung. In addition, the team captain finished with seven of the Mids' 16 draw controls in the game.
 
Up next, Navy will take on Villanova in the home opener on Saturday, Feb. 14 at 11:00 a.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live stats will be available.