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Bridgewater, NJ -- 2026 continues to be a historic season for Howard women’s golf as the Bison reeled in a significant haul of NEC major awards and All-Conference honors.

Fresh off clinching the programs first-ever conference title, Howard capped off its storybook season finish by sweeping the major awards and becoming the first team in conference history to claim all five spots on the All-NEC first team.

Leading the way for the Bison was NEC Tournament individual champion Marley Franklin (Los Angeles, CA/Notre Dame), who garnered NEC Golfer of the Year honors, while freshman Mia Melendez (Ann Arbor, MI/Greenhills School) was tabbed the NEC Rookie of the Year after a standout performance in the league championship

Howard head coach Sam Puryear earned NEC Coach of the Year accolades for the first time in his career on the women’s circuit after guiding the Bison to the program’s inaugural NEC crown.

A two-time NEC Golfer of the Week/Month, Franklin shined in her senior season with a conference-best 74.1 stroke average across 30 rounds of play. Capping off the year with her first collegiate tournament victory, Franklin put together six top-five finishes across 11 different competitions and posted a top-30 showing in all but one of her tournaments throughout the season. The Los Angeles native posted two individual runner-up finishes at the Bridgestone Collegiate Invitational and the ASU Spring Classic, while adding third-place outings at the Red Flash Invitational and Arcis HBCU Championship. At the 2026 NEC Championship, Franklin cleared the field by seven strokes with a 7-over 220 score to top the individual leaderboard. 

The former NEC Rookie of the Year became the second Howard athlete to take home the individual conference crown and NEC Golfer of the Year laurels as her teammate Paris Fieldings won both a year ago. Franklin also earned recognition as the eighth golfer in league history to win both major awards and was named to the All-NEC first team for the second straight season.

After a strong start to the fall season, Melendez hit her stride in her last two competitions, posting back-to-back top-10 finishes. The rookie sensation catapulted herself to a third-place showing at the conference championship after an impressive final round. On day three, Melendez shot the tournament’s best single round score with a 1-under 70 to help lift the Bison to the team title and completed the championship with a 228 stroke total. Just two weeks prior to the NEC Tournament, the Ann Arbor, MI native tied for ninth at the 2026 National Women’s Collegiate Golf Championship with a 227 over three rounds. Throughout her freshman campaign, Melendez registered five top-20 outings, including a fourth place showing in her collegiate debut at the Bridgestone Collegiate.

Melendez earned distinction as the third Howard golfer in the past four years to earn the NEC Rookie of the Year award, joining Franklin (2023) and Emily Mayne (2024). The freshman was also named to the All-Conference first team squad.

Under Puryear’s tutelage, Howard achieved three different team tournament titles this season, capped by the program's first NEC championionship. Overall, the Bison finished in the top-three in seven of the 11 competitions they participated in. Puryear has also led the program to its first-ever NCAA Regional appearance, which the team will make on Monday, May 11. Puryear helped the Bison make even more history this season as Howard became the first-ever NEC program to claim all five spots on the All-Conference first team. Franklin and Melendez were joined on the All-Howard quintet by Lena Durette (Scottsdale, AZ/Xavier College Prep (Rollins), Paris Fieldings (Chespeake, VA/Enlightium Academy (NC A&T) and Morgan Horrell (Dallas, TX/Hebron). During his time at the helm in Washington, D.C., Puryear has mentored 10 All-Conference selections and has now led the team to the pinnacle of NEC women’s golf.
 
AWARD WINNER HIGHLIGHTS

• 2026 NEC champ Howard led the way with five All-NEC selections with conference runner-up FDU right behind the Bison with three All-Conference picks. Chicago State and North Carolina Central rounded out the all-star teams with one honoree a piece.
• The Bison became the first program in league history to land five athletes on the All-NEC first team, which was highlighted by major award winners Franklin and Melendez.
• After a NEC Golfer of the Year campaign a season ago, Paris Fieldings was selected as a first team all-star in back-to-back seasons after posting the second-best stroke average (74.5) in the conference. Fieldings was a three-time NEC Golfer of the Week/Month this season.
• Senior Morgan Horrell was tabbed an All-Conference golfer for the third consecutive year and landed on the first team for the second time in her career. 
• A NEC Golfer of the Week selection on March 18, Lena Durette achieved NEC all-star status for the first time in her career for the Bison.
• FDU senior Abbey Baker (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada/Halifax West) achieved All-NEC second team status after an individual runner-up finish at the NEC Championship where she fired a 14-over 227. Baker finished the season with a 77.8 stroke average.
• 2025 NEC Rookie of the Year Michelle Yang (Sydney, Australia/Cammeraygal) earned a spot on the All-Conference second team for the second straight season after tying for fourth at the conference tournament with fellow Knight Kashika Misra (New Dehli, India/The Shri Ram School Moulsari), who was also tabbed a second team all-star. Misra was a NEC Golfer of the Week award winner on March 25. 
• After standout rookie seasons, Chicago State's Maria Quintero (Venzuela/Doral Academy Charter Middle High School) and NCCU's Sanaa Carter (Jacksonville, NC/Jacksonville) both finished in the top-10 at the conference championship to each obtain spots on the All-NEC second squad.

About The NEC
Now in its 45th season, the NEC is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of ten institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States including New York (#1), Chicago (#3), Boston (#9). Hartford/New Haven (#32) and Syracuse (#88). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 25 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 16 different NCAA Championships. NEC full member institutions include Central Connecticut, Chicago State, FDU, Le Moyne, LIU, Mercyhurst, New Haven, Saint Francis, Stonehill and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website (www.necsports.com) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on X, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, all @NECSports.