Westwood, Mass.- The NEWMAC has announced its Athlete of the Week honorees for the week ending 2/18/24.  The full list of honorees can be found below.
 
Men’s Basketball
 
Offensive Athlete of the Week- John Adams, (Sr., F), WPI
 
Senior John Adams (Douglas, Mass.) averaged 20 points and nine rebounds as WPI won both its games last week to secure the program’s 12th overall and ninth outright NEWMAC regular season championship.  The senior began his week by posting his sixth straight double-double, ninth in his last 10 outings, 14th of the season and 37th in his career with a game-high 24 points and 11 rebounds in a 72-63 triumph of Springfield on Wednesday. Adams then shot 8-of-9 from the field on his way to a 16-points, seven-rebound performance in just 20 minutes of action in a 79-46 road win on Saturday at Wheaton.   For the week. the forward was 15-of-20 (75.0%) from the floor to go along with seven assists, a pair of steals and a block.
 
Defensive Athlete of the Week- Donovan Sevilla (Sr., G), WPI  
 
Senior Donovan Sevilla (San Ramon, Calif.) headlined a defensive effort that yielded just 54.5 points per game last week to help the Engineers got 2-0 last week to claim the program’s 12th overall and ninth outright NEWMAC regular season championship.   The senior led all players with four steals in a 72-63 home win over Springfield on Wednesday before adding another one in a 79-46 road triumph at Wheaton on Saturday. Sevilla chipped in with four total rebounds off the defensive glass in addition to being the Crimson and Gray second top scorer on the week (11.0 ppg).  The WPI defense finishes the regular season ranked sixth in Division III in fewest points allowed (52.8 ppg) and will be the top seed in the week’s NEWMAC Tournament.
 
Women’s Basketball
 
Offensive Athlete of the Week- Jaelen Daubon (Sr., G), Springfield College  
 
Senior Jaelen Daubon (Hyde Park, N.Y.)  helped Springfield secure a share of the NEWMAC regular-season title for the first time since 2014-15 as she was sensational in a pair of wins.  She averaged 23.5 points per game while shooting 56% from the floor and 63% from beyond the arc.  She started the week pouring in a career-best 29 points on 10-of-16 shooting to go along with five rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks in the home finale against Clark.  On Saturday, the senior paced the Pride with a game-high 18 points as it toughed out a road win at Emerson to finish the regular season with a 21-4 record. 
 
Defensive Athlete of the Week- Angela Czeremcha, (Jr., F), Springfield College
 
Junior Angela Czeremcha (West Springfield, Mass.) put together another tremendous week for the Pride, which locked up the top seed in the upcoming NEWMAC Championship Tournament.  In two victories, the junior averaged 16 rebounds, 15 points, and 2.5 steals per outing. She started off her week with 16 rebounds, including nine on the offensive glass, and tallied three steals to go along with 12 points versus Clark.  In the regular-season finale, Czeremcha hauled in 16 rebounds, handed out three assists, produced two steals, and netted 18 points as she has now produced double doubles in her last four outings to bring her season total to 14.
 
Men’s Lacrosse
 
Face-Off Specialist of the Week- James Turco (Gr., FOM), Babson College
 
Graduate student James Turco (Woodbury, N.Y.) had a tremendous debut for Babson winning 15-of-16 face-offs while leading all players with eight ground balls in Saturday’s 20-10 season-opening win at Roger Williams. He won all 10 of his first-half face-offs and the Beavers gained possession on his first 13 restarts on the way to building a 10-goal lead. 
 
Offensive Athlete of the Week- Birk Swan (Sr., A ), Emerson College
 
Senior Birk Swan (Palos Verdes, Calif.) led the Lions to a 1-1 record this week as he netted seven goals and assisted on eight goals. Swan scored four goals and three assists in a loss against Skidmore and found the net three times while assisting on 5 goals in a victory over Wentworth.
 
Co-Defensive Athlete  of the Week – Dylan Harloff (GS, G), Clark University
 
Graduate student Dylan Harloff (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) recorded 12 saves, posting a .706 save percentage, in the Cougars 10-5 win over Curry on Saturday afternoon. 

Co-Defensive Athlete  of the Week – Connor Almstrom (Jr, G), Wheaton College 
 
Junior Connor Almstrom (Cumberland, R.I.) stopped 13 shots to record a sparkling .722 save percentage to earn the win in an 11-5 decision over University of New England on February 17.
 
About the NEWMAC

The NEWMAC is an association of 12 selective academic institutions: Babson College, Clark University, U.S Coast Guard Academy, Emerson College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Salve Regina University, 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 Division III Philosophy. The conference also partners with four Associate Members: Norwich University (Football), Simmons College (Rowing), SUNY Maritime College (Football), and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Football), while sponsoring 20 sports.