BRIDGEWATER, N.J. (April 6, 2026) – The NEC revealed its women's lacrosse weekly honors where Howard University saw a pair of Bison acknowledged for their outstanding performances in the overtime road win at Central Connecticut State (CCSU) Saturday (April 4). The announcement came Monday afternoon.
 
Junior midfielder Cecilia Vitti (Detroit) won NEC Defensive Player of the Week while freshman standout Sophia Lima (Altadena, Calif.) took home the league's Rookie of the Week award for the second time this season.
 
At CCSU, Vitti caused a season-best three turnovers while adding three ground balls. The Detroit native is the first Howard player to win the honor this year.
 
For Lima, she poured in a career-high four goals, including back-to-back scores within a 19-second stretch in the second quarter. Currently, the California product is third on the team with 15 goals this season.
 
Both Bison were named to the NEC Prime Performers list.
 
Francesca Totora (Le Moyne College) and Grace Murphy (Stonehill College) were named NEC Co-Players of the Week.
 
The Bison (3-9, 2-3 NEC) travel to face NEC opponent New Haven Wednesday (April 8) at 3 p.m.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com and/or the NEC website at www.necsports.com.