Bridgewater, N.J. – Five members of the Le Moyne College softball team earned all-conference recognition for the 2026 regular season, as voted upon by the NEC's nine head coaches and announced by the conference office on Wednesday afternoon.

Senior first baseman Audrey Benderski (Spring Lake Park, Minn./Spring Lake Park) and junior DP Arianna Exarchakis (Monroe, N.Y./Monroe-Woodbury) were both named to the all-conference second team while freshman pitcher Tatum Nessman (Calgary, Alberta / National Sport School), freshman catcher Elizabeth Gleghorn (West Henrietta, N.Y. / Rush-Henrietta), and freshman outfielder Kayla Dunkerley (Purcellville, Va. / Loudon Valley) were selected to the all-rookie team. The Dolphins' three members of the 2026 all-rookie team leads all NEC programs. 

Benderski receives all-conference recognition for the third time in her career after being named to the NE10 all-rookie team in 2023 and the NEC second team in 2024. She led all qualified 'Phins and sat fifth in the NEC with a 1.021 OPS and registered team-bests with a .596 slugging rate and .425 on-base percentage while starting in every contest this season. Benderski also sat atop the stat sheet with a .348 batting average, seven homers, 12 doubles, 84 total bases, and 36 RBI, while ranking second on the team with 17 walks. She tied for third on the squad with 23 runs scored through all 49 team games while her five NEC Prime Performer nods this season led all Dolphins.

Exarchakis earns all-conference honors for the second time in her career after being selected to the NEC all-rookie team in 2024. She wrapped up the 2026 season with a .283 batting average and ranked third in both RBI (21) and walks (12), adding two home runs for a .283/.348/.354 slash line. Exarchakis was named an NEC Prime Performer on Apr. 28 after batting .467 with a team-high 1.300 OPS in four games played against St. Bonaventure and Mercyhurst. She tallied one home run, a pair of doubles, three RBI, and two runs scored from Apr. 22-26.
 
Nessman, Gleghorn, and Dunkerley join Exarchakis (2024), current sophomore third baseman Cianna Benamati (2025), and Navaeh Ross (2025) as Dolphins to earn all-rookie honors since Le Moyne joined the NEC prior to the 2024 season.

Nessman worked to a 6.71 ERA and 2.36 WHIP through 16 starts and another nine appearances in the circle this season. She tallied three complete games and struck out 47 batters in 81.1 innings pitched for a 6.7 K/7 rate. Nessman was named the NEC Rookie of the Week on Feb. 10 after working to a 3.60 ERA in three appearances at the Blue Hose Invitational, including a six-inning complete-game (in her first collegiate start) in which she allowed just two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out five against host Presbyterian College.

Gleghorn registered a .351/.342/.622 slashline for a .964 OPS through five starts and 29 total appearances in her first collegiate season. Gleghorn tallied four doubles, two homers, four runs scored, and ranked fifth on the Dolphins with 16 runs driven in. Gleghorn was selected as the NEC Rookie of the Week on Apr. 21 after batting .500 in six at-bats through one start and four pinch-hit appearances in five games against Buffalo and Stonehill, tallying a 1.667 OPS to lead the team. She recorded one double and one homerun while driving in a team-high seven runs and coming around to score once for Le Moyne during that week. All of Gleghorn's seven RBI came in pinch-hit at-bats, including via a 3-run homer on Apr. 17 and a two-RBI double the following afternoon against the Skyhawks.

Dunkerley placed just behind Benderski for second of all qualified batters in Le Moyne's lineup with an .814 OPS, slashing .290/.362/.452 while starting in 41 games in her rookie campaign. Dunkerley tallied 36 hits and sat second on the team with 10 doubles. She added two triples and a pair of home runs while driving in 12 runs and crossing the plate 23 times. She was named the NEC Rookie of the Week two times (Mar. 10, Mar. 31) this season and, during the team's matchups against UAlbany and Saint Francis from Mar. 25-30, tallied a pair of doubles, one triple, her first collegiate home run, and two walks while recording three RBI and coming around to score four times. 

Le Moyne (16-33, 12-12 NEC) will kick off their first NEC Championship tournament on Thursday at 12:00 p.m. with a matchup against top-seeded LIU in Brooklyn. They'll chase their first NEC title, first conference championship on the road, and fourth overall conference championship after claiming three NE10 titles in 2004, 2008, and 2009.