Chloe Humphrey Named USAL Division I Women's Preseason Player of the Year
January 22, 2026
Kenny DeJohn
Nell Redmond / theACC.com
A first NCAA season for the ages earned Chloe Humphrey the nickname "Phenom" — what could she possibly do for an encore?
Well, North Carolina and the lacrosse world at large are expecting quite a bit. The 2025 Tewaaraton Award winner as a redshirt freshman, Humphrey was named the USA Lacrosse Division I Women's Preseason Player of the Year on Thursday.
Humphrey was electric in her return from a stress reaction in her foot that sidelined her for all of 2024. She set an UNC single-season record with 90 goals and chipped in 28 assists, leading the Tar Heels to an undefeated season and NCAA championship with quite the supporting cast behind her.
While fans gravitated toward North Carolina both for Humphrey and the fact that she was playing with her two older sisters, Nicole and Ashley, that won't be the case in 2026. Both her sisters graduated, and now all eyes are on how she will follow up her remarkable debut season.
Kenny DeJohn has been the Digital Content Editor at USA Lacrosse since 2019. First introduced to lacrosse in 2016 as a Newsday Sports reporter on Long Island (yes, ON Long Island), DeJohn specializes in women's game coverage. His search for New York quality pizza in Baltimore is ongoing.
