PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The Little East Conference (LEC) announced recent University of Massachusetts Boston graduate Aryianna Garceau has been named the 2025-26 LEC Female Student Athlete of the Year. As such, she will be nominated for the Division III Commissioner’s Association (D3CA) Student-Athlete of the Year Award.
 
The LEC Student Athlete of the Year Award is presented in recognition of a student-athlete’s athletic and academic prowess, leadership and community service. The student-athlete must have exhausted their collegiate eligibility in their primary sport.

Garceau was a four-year standout on the track, concluding her career among the most decorated track & field athletes in LEC and UMass Boston history. She was named LEC Track Athlete of the Year four times, sweeping the indoor and outdoor awards in 2025 and 2026, while totaling 18 LEC championships across the 60-meter hurdles, 60-meter dash, 100-meter hurdles, 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, long jump and 4x100 relay. 

Her LEC accomplishments were just the beginning, as Garceau totaled four NCAA DIvision III National Championships and five All-America performances while setting the all-time DIII record in the 60 hurdles and 100 hurdles. She won the indoor 60-meter hurdles and outdoor 100-meter hurdles at the 2025 and 2026 NCAA Division III Championships, setting the meet and all-time DIII record with each of those performances. She owns the top-two indoor 60-meter hurdles times in DIII history with a top time of 8.25 seconds in the 2026 national final, and has the top-seven times in DIII history in the outdoor 100-meter hurdles with a top time of 13.28 seconds in the 2026 national final. 

Garceau was additionally named the U.S, Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Northeast Region Track Athlete of the Year for the 2026 indoor and outdoor campaigns after first being named the USTFCCCA Northeast Region Track Athlete of the Year for the 2025 outdoor season. She was a four-time NEICCCA and four-time DIII New England champion.

As part of her personal statement, Garceau said “One of the biggest takeaways from my college experience is that success is not just about accomplishments. It is about the journey and the determination to keep moving forward. Success is rarely easy or perfect. The journey includes setbacks, failures, and sacrifices, but the pursuit of a dream is always worthwhile. These past four years have taught me that extraordinary things are possible when you are willing to work relentlessly and believe in yourself.”

Garceau earned a 3.78 cumulative grade point average while studying criminology and marketing at UMass Boston, earning a spot on the LEC All-Academic Team and LEC Academic Honor Roll in each year of eligibility. Her community service activities included working with Boston area children through youth events with the Boston Running Collaborative, TeamSmile and the Reggie Lewis Center, raising money as a participant in the Walk to End Addiction, and in cleanup events though Community Rowing, Inc.

Since graduating from UMass Boston, Garceau has begun competing professionally for the Garden State Track Club, and plans to join the Beacons’ coaching staff for the upcoming academic year. “As I continue pursuing my goals in track and in life, I am excited to give back to the sport and community that have shaped me. Through coaching and mentorship, I hope to help young athletes discover their own potential and learn what they are capable of achieving. My college experience has shown me that nothing is impossible when passion, perseverance, and hard work come together.”