AMHERST, N.Y. — Kylie Miranto (North Tonawanda, N.Y.) of the women's soccer and women's lacrosse teams has been named the 2026 Daemen University Female Athlete of the Year. The announcement was made at the 2026 Wildcat Night of Honors, an annual event held on campus to recognize the achievements of the university's intercollegiate teams and student-athletes.

This is the second straight season that Miranto has been named Daemen's Female Athlete of the Year.

Miranto earned three postseason honors, highlighted by being named a Second Team All-American by D2CCA, marking the second time in her career she has earned All-America Accolades. She was also named East Coast Conference Offensive Player of the Year and First Team All-ECC for the third consecutive season and D2CCA All-Region for the third straight year.

During the soccer season, the senior finished with an ECC-leading 38 points and 16 goals, also tallying six assists (tied for fourth in the conference). She led the ECC and the nation in game-winning goals (10) while ranking in the top 10 nationally in goals and points. Miranto found the back of the net and logged a point in 12 of the 16 matches she played. A two-time ECC Offensive Player of the Week, Miranto logged four two-goal performances this season, doing so against American International, Bentley, St. Thomas Aquinas, and Southern New Hampshire. She logged a season-high five points (2G, 1A) to help the Wildcats defeat AIC. The forward surpassed the 100-career-point mark, becoming the fourth player in program history to do so. She finished her career with 117 points, logging 49 goals and 19 assists, ranking third in program history in career goals and points and tied for fourth in career assists.

Miranto helped women's soccer finish with an 11-6-1 record, including a 4-2-1 ECC mark. Daemen defeated Queens in the first round of the ECC Tournament before falling to Mercy in the semifinals.

On the lacrosse field, Miranto had a standout final season, earning Second Team All-ECC accolades. It marked the first time in her career that she earned postseason honors for lacrosse. Miranto logged a career-best 26 caused turnovers, tying for the team lead and the most in a season in program history. She also collected 27 ground balls, good for third on the squad. The North Tonawanda, N.Y., native contributed offensively with 15 points, tallying nine goals and six assists. Miranto finished tied for fourth in the ECC in total caused turnovers and caused turnovers per game (1.73). The midfielder logged eight games with multiple CTs, including four with four or more. Miranto caused three turnovers and collected four ground balls during the victory at Lake Erie. She posted a career-best four caused turnovers and corralled two ground balls at Southern New Hampshire. The senior finishes her time as a Wildcat third in program history in career caused turnovers (65) and career ground balls (98).

Miranto helped the women's lacrosse team post a 9-6 record, including a 4-2 record in ECC play. The nine wins and four conference wins are the most in program history. 

Additional nominees for the 2026 Female Newcomer of the Year were Ella Bouley (Auburn, N.Y.) of women's lacrosse, Brenna Forsha (Tonawanda, N.Y.) of women's bowling, Nahirka Malpica (Caguas, P.R.), Patsty Oberholzer (Greece, N.Y.) of women's cross country and track & field, and Claire Pikett (Holland, N.Y.) of women's basketball. 

Miranto is the fourth women's soccer player to earn the Female Athlete of the Year award, which was instituted following the 2011-12 school year. Last year, she was the first women's lacrosse player to win it. Miranto is the first to earn the award back-to-back years since Jamie Boyar of the women's soccer team did it in 2019 and 2020. 

FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
2012 - Lindsay Miller, Soccer
2013 - Monica Kosior, Basketball
2014 - Ye Wang, Volleyball
2015 - Mackenzie Donahue, Cross Country/Track & Field
2016 - Mackenzie Donahue, Cross Country/Track & Field
2017 - Mackenzie Donahue, Cross Country/Track & Field
2018 - Sarah Saba, Basketball
2019 - Jamie Boyar, Soccer
2020 - Jamie Boyar, Soccer
2021 - Caroline White, Basketball
2022 - Katie Titus, Basketball
2023 - Kassandra Nolet, Cross Country/Track & Field
2024 - Alahna Paige, Basketball
2025 - Kylie Miranto, Soccer & Lacrosse
2026 - Kylie Miranto, Soccer & Lacrosse

We will be featuring each of the major award winners throughout the week on www.daemenwildcats.com.

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