BURNSVILLE, MN – Needing very little time to become acclimated to college soccer, University of Mary midfielder Dina Polanco quickly made her mark as one of the most dangerous offensive forces in the league. For her efforts in helping the Marauders set a program record for goals, Polanco was honored as the 2025 Northern Sun Newcomer of the Year.  
 
Additionally Polanco was named to the All-Northern Sun first team as a midfielder. Earning second-team honors for UMary was forward Olivia Gardner and defender Chloe Brand.
 
Polanco is just the second UMary scholar-athlete to receive soccer's Newcomer of the Year award. Amy Tanaka previously won the award her freshman season in 2008.
 
A native of Guatemala, Polanco scored five goals and added three assists for 13 points in 13 Northern Sun games this season. She was 9^th in the NSIC in points/game (1.00) and 11^th in goals/game (.385).
 
On the season Polanco finished with nine goals and three assists for 21 points. She tied for the team lead in points and finished second in goals. Polanco has two game-winning goals and made both her penalty kicks. Her goal total was the most for a freshman since 2007 when Megan Wilson scored 15 goals.
 
Polanco's final goal of the season came in the opening round of the Northern Sun tournament. It was the Marauders 40^th counter of the year, breaking the program's NCAA single season mark of 39 in 2007, a season in which UMary advanced to the NCAA tournament.
 
Gardner capped an amazing career by earning All-Northern Sun honors for a third straight year. The forward previously received second team recognition in 2023 and 2024.
 
The four-year starter from Winona, MN, tallied a career-high and team-leading 10 goals this season and added one assist. Her 21 points tied Polanco for the team lead. Her ten goals is the most for a UMary player since Alex Bachman-Williams had 13 in 2011.
 
In NSIC play Gardner scored nine goals in 15 games to rank third in total goals and goals per game (.60). She was third in game-winning goals (3) and fifth in points (19) and points/game (1.27).
 
Three times she scored a brace of goals over the course of four matches and had a run of scoring at least one goal in 5-of-6 matches.
 
Over the course of her career the UMary team captain scored 25 goals and had seven assists for 57 points in 78 games (72 starts). Gardner is 11^th all-time at UMary in goals scored. Her 57 points ties her with UMary head Coach Sarah Cook for 12^th all-time. During the NCAA era Gardner is third in goals and fourth in points.
 
A newcomer to the Marauders, Brand proved a valuable weapon on set pieces for UMary. The junior defender from London, England, scored three goals and had two assists. Two goals came directly off her corner kick service and the third was on a free kick. Additionally both assists came after she triggered a corner kick.
 
Defensively Brand helped the Marauders post eight clean sheets in 19 games while giving up just 20 goals, the 6^th-fewest in the NSIC. Overall the Marauders outscored the opposition 40-20.
 
UMary finished the season 8-7-4 overall and 6-5-4 in NSIC play. The Marauders scored the most goals by any team in the NSIC during the regular season. Additionally UMary earned a spot in the NSIC tournament for the 8^th straight season and had a winning record for the seventh time in nine seasons. UMary has not had a losing season in nine years, finishing at .500 or better.
 
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