DANBURY, CONN. - Union senior captain Stephanie Bourque has been named the 2025-26 Wayne Dean Sportsmanship Award winner by the ECAC Hockey Awards Committee, the league announced today.

The Wayne Dean Sportsmanship Award recognizes an ECAC Hockey student-athlete (men’s or women’s) who demonstrates the highest level of integrity and sportsmanship, displays the utmost respect for student-athletes, coaches, administrators, and officials, as well as the game/ sport, and encourages all individuals to demonstrate good sportsmanship and ethical conduct inside and outside of the competition setting. It was first awarded in 2023 and is named in honor of Wayne Dean, former deputy director of athletics at Yale University.

Hailing from Moncton, New Brunswick, Bourque has played an integral role on and off the ice during her time in Schenectady. A psychology major off the ice, Bourque appeared in a total of 142 games, scoring 16 goals and tallying 54 assists for 70 points. 

During her time at Union, Bourque has made an impact and broken records. As a freshman, Bourque earned the team's "Ancora Imparo" Process Award, which is awarded to the player who showed the most improvement over the course of the season with development that fuels growth both on and off the ice. She was named a co-recipient of the team's George Morrison MVP Award in her sophomore season, which is voted on by teammates and given to the player who "has had a significant role in the team's success, was looked at to be a leader in the face of adversity, and was someone that the team highly valued as the most consistent contributor on and off the ice."

In her junior year, Bourque set Union's single-season goals record by a defenseman (8) and single-season points record by a defenseman (22). She was awarded the team's Hana Yamashita '97 Award, which is awarded to a player who "demonstrates supreme competitiveness, consistently gives 100% effort in practices and games, and brings the highest level of work ethic every day."

In her senior year, Bourque was named team captain and broke the program's all-time points record on February 13, 2026, a record that had been held for 19 years. On January 24, 2026, she broke the 13-year-old single-season assist record with her 19th assist. Bourque's five-point performance against Delaware tied the program's Division I single-game points record, while her four assists matched the second-highest single-game total. She surpassed the all-time points record by a defenseman and became the all-time assists leader against Clarkson on October 24, 2025.

Stephanie's character, discipline, and drive speak to her remarkable career at Union. Her contributions to Union's team have been widely recognized and deeply appreciated by her coaches and teammates, leaving a lasting mark on the program.