EDISON, NJ (Apr. 29, 2026) – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), today announced the 2026 Women’s Golf Major Award winners, as voted on by the league’s 10 head coaches.
2026 MAAC Women’s Golf Champions, Quinnipiac University, captured two of the three major awards to lead the conference.
Headlining major award winners was Quinnipiac’s sophomore, Sophia Fujita, claiming 2026 MAAC Player of the Year honors. She becomes a two-time MAAC Player of the Year recipient after also winning the award last season and a three-time major award winner as she also won 2025 MAAC Rookie of the Year accolades. Last week at the 2026 MAAC Championship, Fujita claimed her second straight McLeod Trophy and individual MAAC title, with a three-round total of 212 (-4), helping lead the Bobcats to back-to-back MAAC Championships. She became the first Bobcat to win the McLeod Trophy in back-to-back seasons and is just the fifth women's golfer to do so in MAAC history. Fujita also set a new MAAC record with her three-round total of 212 (-4), breaking the previous record of 214 (-2) that was set at the 2023 Championship. Additionally, she was named to the 2026 All-MAAC First Team last week after a phenomenal regular season – her second straight seasons making the top team.
Fairfield University freshman Addie Chang garnered the 2026 MAAC Rookie of the Year award. Chang shot a 225 (+9) at the MAAC Championship, tying for eighth place and earning a spot on the MAAC All-Championship Team. She was one of two freshmen to finish in the top 10 and make the All-Championship lineup. During her first season as a Stag, Chang won one tournament, had a pair of top two finishes, and finished in the top 10 four times. Moreover, she collected Golfer of the Week honors twice and had four Rookie of the Week nods.
Quinnipiac head coach, John O’Connor was named as MAAC Coach of the Year by his peers for the second straight season and fifth time during his tenure. The Bobcats won the 2026 MAAC Women’s Golf Championship last week, their second consecutive title, after shooting a tournament total of 885 (+21), three strokes ahead of second-place Fairfield. Under O’Connor, Quinnipiac has won seven MAAC titles, the most by any team in the conference since the Bobcats joined the MAAC for the 2013-14 season, having taken five out of the last six conference championships. Moreover, O’Connor’s Bobcats landed a pair of players on the MAAC All-Championship Team and had three players placed on the All-MAAC First Team.
| 2026 MAAC Women's Golf Major Awards |
| Award |
Name |
School |
| Player of the Year |
Sophia Fujita* |
Quinnipiac |
| Rookie of the Year |
Addie Chang |
Fairfield |
| Coach of the Year |
John O’Connor |
Quinnipiac |
*Denotes unanimous selection
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 13 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 45th year of competition during the 2025-26 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan University, Marist University, Merrimack College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Sacred Heart University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena University.
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