Queen's Women's Hockey's Scarlett Nowakowski was named the OUA East Division Defenceman of the Year for the 2025-26 season, the conference announced on Wednesday.

Nowakowski was one of five Gaels to earn a major award from the OUA for the 2025-26 season. Sophie Hudson was named OUA East Division Most Valuable Player. Emma Tennant was named OUA East Division Goaltender of the Year, Jada Wood was named OUA East Division Rookie of the Year, and Morgan McHaffie was named OUA East Division Coach of the Year. Nowakowski was also named an OUA East Division First Team All-Star.

"Winning Defenseman of the Year in only her second season is a remarkable achievement for Scarlett," said Queen's Women's Hockey Head Coach Morgan McHaffie. "She showcased patience, creativity, poise, and stoicism all year, contributing offensively while anchoring our defense and leading the team in blocked shots."

Along with leading the team in blocked shots, Nowakowski (Commerce) was also first on Queen's and in the OUA in scoring among defencemen with 20 points. Nowakowski's 14 assists were also third in the OUA among defenceman and Nowakowski was part of a defence that helped the Gaels finish fourth in the conference in goals against.