NEWMAC 25 Year Anniversary Informarmation

WESTWOOD, Mass. - As part of the NEWMAC's 25th Anniversary celebration, the conference is taking time throughout the 2022-2023 academic year to reflect on some of the pivotal moments that have transpired in the membership since its inception in 1998. These moments honor the dedication and positive influence of administrators, coaches, and student-athletes over the past two-and-a-half decades that have helped the NEWMAC and its member institutions become champions of academic and athletic excellence and a preeminent conference in Division III.

It is only fitting to start from the beginning and kick off this campaign by celebrating the moment the NEWMAC was created. In 1998 the NEWMAC officially came to be after the founding group of Athletic Directors, who at the time were members of the New England Women's 8 (NEW8), Babson College, MIT, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, Wheaton College, Wellesley College and WPI, joined together to expand its membership to include Springfield College and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and decided to begin sponsoring championship competition for men which is when the NEW8 changed its name to the NEWMAC.

The NEWMAC founding Directors were: Frank Millerick, Babson College; Linda Moulton, Clark University; Ray Cieplik, U.S. Coast Guard Academy; Richard Hill, MIT; Laurie Priest, Mount Holyoke College; Lynn Oberbillig, Smith College; Ed Bilik, Springfield College; Louise O'Neal, Wellesley College; Chad Yowell, Wheaton College and Ray Gilbert, WPI.

From 1998, the NEWMAC only continued to flourish and grow to provide the best experience and resources for its members and student-athletes. This started with creating an official conference office for the membership. In 2003 the NEWMAC created an Executive Secretary position which was held by Katie Hersey. In 2008 Hersey was then elevated to the first full time position created for the conference office and was named the Executive Director where she expanded the office to add an additional position. Since then, the NEWMAC has continued to grow its office which now consistently houses three full time positions.

The NEWMAC would not be what it is today without the dedication and support of those who saw the vision for the conference prior to its inception to those who have retired or moved on to other endeavors, however there is a special group of individuals who you will still find throughout the membership today. "A common theme you will find in the NEWMAC is a strong commitment to our institutions, communities, student-athletes and the conference. This commitment has strengthened our ability to strive for academic and athletic excellence and success which is led by our presidents, administrators and coaches. It's a great honor to recognize so many today" expresses current NEWMAC Executive Director, Patrick B. Summers."

The conference is proud to say that there are currently 32 staff members from 10 different institutions who have been with the NEWMAC since the very beginning. The names of those individuals are listed below.

Name	Affiliated Institution(s)	Position	Year Started
Stephen Brennan	Babson College	Head Coach, Men's Basketball	1995
Norm Govoni	Babson College	Assistant Coach, Baseball	1992
Jon Anderson	Babson College	Head Coach, Men's Soccer	1986
Judy Blinstrub	Babson College	Head Coach, Women's Basketball	1984
Linda Wage	Clark University	Head Softball Coach	1985
Larry Anderson	MIT	Head Coach, Men's Basketball	1995
Paul Dill	MIT	Head Coach, Women's Volleyball	1992
Dan Martin	MIT	Asst. Dept. Head/Facilities & Ops Director	1996
Carol Matsuzaki	MIT	Head Coach, Women's Tennis	1996
Bardee Sadlier	Mount Holyoke College (Prev. Smith)	Associate AD - Facilities	1992
Theresa Collins	Smith	Assistant AD - Facilities	1986
Craig Poisson	Springfield College	Director of Athletics	1996
Naomi Graves	Springfield College	Head Women's Basketball Coach	1991
Mark Simeone	Springfield College	Head Baseball Coach	1997
John Taffe	Springfield College	Head Swimming Coach	1989
Pete Avdolous	Springfield College	Head Diving Coach	1986
Keith Bugbee	Springfield College	Head Men's Lacrosse Coach	1984
Dan Rose	U.S. Coast Guard Academy	Director of Athletics	1996
Donna Koczajowski	U.S. Coast Guard Academy	Associate Athletic Director/SWA	1997
Andrea Stewart	U.S. Coast Guard Academy	SWA/Travel Adminstrator	1995
Bruce Cobb	U.S. Coast Guard Academy	Equipment Manager	1995
Artie Lamoureux	U.S. Coast Guard Academy	Assistant AD for Athletic Operations	1996
Jack Daigle	Wellesley College	Equipment Specialist	1983
Bonnie Dix	Wellesley College	Head Swimming Coach; PERA Associate Professor of the Practice	1987
Martha Dietrick	Wellesley College	Associate Director for Finance & Personnel	1991
Kathy Hagerstrom	Wellesley College	Assistant Director of Operations & Equipment	1991
Dorothy Webb	Wellesley College	Head Volleyball Coach; PERA Professor of the Practice	1993
Greg Steele	Wheaton College	Head Athletic Trainer	1990
Eric Podbelski	Wheaton College	Head Baseball Coach	1998
Brian Walmsley	Wheaton College	Head Men's Basketball Coach	1997
Dana Harmon	WPI (Prev. Mount Holyoke/Wellesley)	Director of Athletics	1992
Evan Holmes	WPI	Assistant Men's Soccer Coach	1992

About the NEWMAC
The New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference is an association of 11 selective academic institutions: Babson College, Clark University, U.S Coast Guard Academy, Emerson College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, Springfield College, Wellesley College, Wheaton College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, that are committed to providing high quality competitive athletic opportunities for student-athletes within an educational and respectful environment that embodies the NCAA Divsion III Philosophy. The conference also partners with five Associate Members: Catholic University of America (Football), Norwich University (Football), Simmons College (Rowing), and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Football), while sponsoring 20 sports. Salve Regina University will become the conferences 12th core member effective June 1, 2023 while N.Y. Maritime will be joining as an Associate Member in football.