Emmy Pascal of the Yale women’s lacrosse team received the 2026 Nellie Pratt Elliot Award, which is given to a senior female athlete at Yale, according to a May 17 announcement. The award was presented during Class Day, a tradition that has been part of Yale College since the 19th century.
The Nellie Pratt Elliot Award recognizes excellence in athletics and life at Yale, honoring those who represent sportsmanship and Yale tradition. It is named after Nellie Pratt Elliot, who served as an assistant director of undergraduate admissions at Yale for 46 years.
Erica Bamford, Joel E. Smilow ’54 Head Coach of Women’s Lacrosse at Yale, praised Pascal’s leadership. “Emmy’s commitment to her teammates and dedication to Yale lacrosse are unmatched,” said Bamford. “She fosters a culture of fierce competitiveness balanced with genuine care for others, leading the team on the field while serving as a trusted sounding board for her teammates off the field. Emmy uniquely challenges, champions and supports her teammates in ways that bring out the best in them both individually and collectively, strengthening the program on and off the field.”
Pascal is part of what has become the winningest class in program history with 57 wins over four seasons. During this period, the team achieved three NCAA Tournament appearances—including two quarterfinals—two Ivy League Tournament championships, and two regular season Ivy League titles.
As captain this season, Pascal was one of 25 national nominees for the Tewaaraton Award recognizing college women’s lacrosse players. She also earned first team USA Lacrosse All-America honors along with several other distinctions such as second team ILWomen Media All-America and first team IWLCA All-Northeast Region recognition.
Last month she became the first player from Yale women’s lacrosse to be named Ivy League Defender of the Year. Over her career she started all 74 games played by her class; this year she led defensively by ranking second in caused turnovers (35) and ground balls (40) within conference play while helping anchor a defense ranked sixth nationally in scoring defense.
Off-field achievements include academic honors such as IWLCA Academic Honor Roll recognition in 2025 and studying at London School of Economics during summer break. She also participated in community service initiatives including work with Team IMPACT and volunteering locally.
