WESTWOOD, Mass. - The NEWMAC is excited to announce the Women’s Basketball 25 Year All-NEWMAC Team in recognition of the historic 25th Anniversary season. A total of 17 student-athletes have been recognized from the last 25 years, announced by the conference office. The honored team was voted on by the membership.
A total of nine institutions were represented by their student-athletes with Smith and Babson hosting the most honorees with four each. Next was MIT and Springfield with two each. Clark, WPI, Wheaton, Wellesley and Coast Guard also had representation.
Within the talented group of 17 student-athletes, 11 were recognized as Players of the Year. Among the members, there were three Defensive Players of the Year and a total of 41 First-Team selections.
Babson’s Judy Blinstrub was voted as the top coach from the past 25 years. Blinstrub has been with Babson since 1984 and just finished her 39th season with the Beavers. Coach Blinstrub has led Babson to an impressive eight NEWMAC Championship titles including the first ever crowned NEWMAC women’s basketball championship upon inception in 1998-99. Coach Blinstrub has been voted as the NEWMAC Coach of the Year four times while also leading the Beavers to 12 NCAA Tournament appearances, advancing as far at the Elite 8.
The Women’s Basketball 25 Year All-NEWMAC Team was voted on by current women’s basketball coaches and sports information directors at the conference's 11 member institutions. Voters were asked to rank student-athletes and were not allowed to vote for members or coaches from their own institution. To be eligible for the 25th anniversary team, student-athletes must have been recognized on the NEWMAC First-Team All-Conference team at least twice, and/or earned Player of the Year honors. Coaches must have coached in the NEWMAC for a minimum of 10 seasons.
The NEWMAC was established in 1998, when the former New England Women's 8 Conference (NEW 8) voted to begin sponsoring conference play and championships for men. At this time, the conference expanded its membership to include Springfield College and the United States Coast Guard Academy, while Emerson College became the 11th full-time member of the conference on July 1, 2013. Salve Regina University will become the conferences 12th core member, effective on June 1, 2023.
Women’s Basketball 25 Year All-NEWMAC Team listed alphabetically by first name)
| Name |
Institution |
Years with Conference Awards |
| Abbie Brickley |
Wheaton |
2011-2015 |
| Alex Goslin |
Springfield |
2018-2020 |
| Ama Biney |
WPI |
2016-2018 |
| Amy Barao |
Wellesley |
1999-2000 |
| Christina Antonakakis |
MIT |
2020-2022 |
| Giovanna Pickering |
Babson |
2014-2017 |
| Kara Holinski |
MIT |
2015-2019 |
| Katelyn Pickunka |
Smith |
2019-2022 |
| Kathleen King |
Babson |
2008-2012 |
| Kennedy Guest-Pritch |
Smith |
2016-2019 |
| Lauren Bondi |
Smith |
2017-2019 |
| Marissa Garrity |
Clark |
1998-2000 |
| Natalie Moyer |
Coast Guard |
2005-2008 |
| Nicole Wurdeman |
Babson |
2008-2012 |
| Rosa Drummond |
Smith |
2010-2014 |
| Sam Hourihan |
Springfield |
2019-2022 |
| Sarah Collins |
Babson |
2012-2013 |