Westwood, Mass. – The NEWMAC has released its 2023-2024 men's basketball postseason awards, as announced by the conference on Tuesday morning. The awards are determined by the conference's nine coaches following the conclusion of regular season play.

Forward John Adams (Douglas, Mass.) of WPI was voted NEWMAC Athlete of the Year, while teammate Donovan Sevilla (San Ramon, Calif.) earned Defensive Athlete of the Year honors. MIT's Isaac Dobie (Kitty Hawk, N.C.) was voted Rookie of the Year. The Wheaton College coaching staff was selected as Coaching Staff of the Year by their peers.

Adams and Sevilla headline the first team selections and are joined by two Clark selections in Bruce Saintilus (Plainville, Mass.) and Isaiah Taylor (Methuen, Mass.). Babson College's Steph Baxter (Worcester, Mass.) rounds out the first team selections.

Coast Guard leads the second team selections with two, as Declan Rooney (Seattle, Wash.) and Mitch Shettles (New Albany, Miss.) were selected. Babson's Nate Amado (Hanson, Mass.) and Clark's Kekoa McArdle (Pittsfield, Mass.) each earned second team honors. WPI's Aidan Callahan (Rowley, Mass.) and Salve Regina University's Declan Walmsley (Franklin, Mass.) closes out the all-conference honorees.  

Athlete of the Year- John Adams (Sr., F), WPI

John Adams averages a double-double of 14.5 points per game and 11.3 rebounds per game. He leads WPI in both scoring and rebounding, while topping the NEWMAC and ranking #13 nationally in rebounds per game. The senior has collected 15 double- doubles this season, number one in the conference and tied for 14th in Division III.  Adams was also integral on the Engineers defense, which posted the best scoring defense in the conference by a margin of 7.0 points over the next closest team while the 58.7 points per game yielded by the Engineers is seventh lowest among over 400 Division III programs. 

Defensive Player of the Year – Donovan Sevilla (Sr., G), WPI

Donovan Sevilla has anchored a defensive effort that has allowed 58.7 points per game, tops in the NEWMAC and seventh lowest among over 400 Division III programs.  The senior helped lead the Engineers to its 12th overall regular season title and the top seed in the conference tournament. Tasked frequently to guard the opponent's top scorer, Sevilla has swiped 39 steals, 25 of which came in league play.  Sevilla is also second on the Engineers in scoring with 13.9 points per game in league play, including a team-best 35 3-pointers.

Rookie of the Year- Isaac Dobie (Fy., G), MIT

Isaac Dobie averaged 14.6 points per game overall, tops amongst rookies, while his 18.3 points per game in league play led the league. He posted two 30-plus point games, both against conference opponents. He also shot 51% from the field, tops amongst guards. The first year chipped in 4.9 boards per game, and 1.4 steals per game.

Coaching Staff of the Year – Wheaton College

The Lyons, led by head coach Brian Walmsley, finished the regular season with a 15-9 overall record, including 9-7 in conference play, securing the third seed in the NEWMAC Tournament championship. Wheaton's conference win total is its highest since the 1999-2000 campaign when it posted a 9-3 NEWMAC record. The Lyons' third-place finish in the regular season is their best since a third place showing following the 2008-09 season. The Wheaton coaching staff includes Walmsley, Alex DuBrow, and Conor O'Brien.

2023-2024 NEWMAC Men's Basketball  All-Conference
 

2023-24 First Team All-Conference	Steph Baxter	Babson College
2023-24 First Team All-Conference	Bruce Saintilus	Clark University
2023-24 First Team All-Conference	Isaiah Taylor	Clark University
2023-24 First Team All-Conference	John Adams	WPI
2023-24 First Team All-Conference	Donovan Sevilla	WPI
2023-24 Second Team All-Conference	Nate Amado	Babson College
2023-24 Second Team All-Conference	Kekoa McArdle	Clark University
2023-24 Second Team All-Conference	Declan Walmsley	Salve Regina University
2023-24 Second Team All-Conference	Declan Rooney	U.S. Coast Guard Academy
2023-24 Second Team All-Conference	Mitch Shettles	U.S. Coast Guard Academy
2023-24 Second Team All-Conference	Aidan Callahan	WPI

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.