Westwood, Mass.- The NEWMAC has announced its Athlete of the Week honorees for the week ending 4/15/24.  The full list of honorees can be found below.
 
Baseball
 
Athlete of the Week- Hunter Yaworski (GS, OF), Salve Regina University
 
Graduate student Hunter Yaworski (Brooklyn, Conn.) wielded a hot bat in a 3-1 week for the Seahawks with seven hits in 13 at bats (.538), including five for extra bases. His 1.230 slugging percentage included three doubles and two home runs, the first dinger coming in a pinch-hit appearance in a Sunday sweep of Babson. Yaworski hit safely in all four games and made those hits count with runners on base as he drove in seven runs on the week. His leadoff home run in the fifth inning of game two against the Beavers broke a 5-5 tie that led to the sweep with an 8-5 final.
 
Pitcher of the Week- Aidan Rice (GS., P), Emerson College  
 
Graduate student Aidan Rice (Columbus, Ohio.) played a part in two wins for Emerson, throwing 5.0 innings, and allowing only one hit. He picked up the win in a 4-3 victory over Springfield, throwing 4.0 innings of hitless ball, striking out five. He then picked up a save in a 9-8 win over WPI, throwing 1.0 inning, and allowing one hit, while striking out two.
 
Men's Lacrosse
 
Face-Off Specialist of the Week- Patrick O'Rourke (So., FOM), Clark University
 
Sophomore Patrick O'Rourke (Newton, Mass.) recorded 13 face-off wins (.76 %) and scooped up 12 ground balls in the Cougars 8-7 win over Wheaton on Saturday. 
 
Offensive Athlete of the Week- Jake Degnan (FY., M), Springfield College  
 
First-year Jake Degnan (Mahopac, N.Y.) led the Pride to a 15-11 win at Coast Guard with four goals and two assists for six points. Degnan's efforts helped Springfield pick up its fourth consecutive win and move into a tie for second place in the NEWMAC standings.
 
Defensive Athlete of the Week – Dylan Harloff (GS., GK), Clark University
 
Graduate student Dylan Harloff (Rockville Centre. N.Y.) recorded 13 saves as the Cougars came away with an 8-7 NEWMAC win over Wheaton on Saturday afternoon
 
Women's Lacrosse
 
Offensive Athlete of the Week- Samantha Andresen (Jr., M), Springfield College
 
Junior Samantha Andresen (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.) led the Pride to wins over Westfield State, 13-8, and Wellesley, 26-5, as she tallied ten total goals - five in each game - to go along with six ground balls and four draw controls. Andresen's five goals helped Springfield tie its program record for scoring in a single game and maintained the Pride's undefeated mark in NEWMAC play at 7-0.
 
Defensive Athlete of the Week – Anna Costello (GS., D), Babson College   
 
Graduate student Anna Costello (Milton, Mass.) finished with seven caused turnovers and six ground balls in two games against nationally-ranked opponents for No. 20 Babson. She forced three turnovers and picked up two ground balls as the Beavers held No. 15 MIT to its lowest scoring output of the year in a 10-7 victory on Wednesday night and added four caused turnovers while matching her season high with four ground balls in Sunday's 15-14 loss at No. 16 Amherst. 

Rowing

Boat of the Week – Varsity Eight, WPI
 
In a regatta featuring eight of the top 14 crews in NCAA Division III, the Engineers finished second in its heat and third in the grand final in racing Sunday on Lake Quinsigamond. In its heat, WPI pulled ahead of Hamilton and RIT to secure a spot in the grand final.  WPI used a strong second half to reach the finish line in 7:19.25, ahead of Hamilton (7:24.72) by five seconds and RIT (17.45) by nine seconds.  In the grand final, third-ranked Trinity posted a wire-to-wire winning time of 7:25.25 while fourth-ranked Bates, was second in 7:29.11.  The Engineers, who are 10th in the most recent Pocock CRCA Poll Top 15, fended off defending NEWMAC and NCAA champion and fifth-ranked Wellesley for third by two seconds (7:33.91 to 7:35.91).  No. 7 Hamilton, which defeated WPI last week, was fifth in a time of 7:40.99 and fell to the hosts for a second time on Saturday while No. 13 William Smith (7:43.55) took sixth.  WPI's boat consisted of Jules Prisco (Pelham, NY), Kathryn Woodland (Boxford, MA), Maggie Kirwan (Wolfeboro, NH), Megan Tupaj (Amherst, NH), Nicole Miller (Hanover, MA), Charlotte Bourne (Northampton, MA), Ilyssa Delizo (New City, NY),  Samantha Arroyas (Uxbridge, MA) and coxswain Emily Howard (Riverside, RI).
 
 
Softball
 
Athlete of the Week- Callie Gendron (Sr., C), Springfield College
 
Senior Callie Gendron (Berlin, Conn.) led the Pride to a 3-1 weekend as she hit a team-best .462 with two doubles, a home run and four RBI. Gendron helped Springfield to a two-game sweep over No. 25 MIT as she produced four hits, including her two doubles on Saturday. She followed it up by belting her first home run of the season in game one at WPI en route to a 5-2 win.

Pitcher of the Week- Alex Kelly (Jr., P), Salve Regina University
 
Junior Alex Kelly (East Meadow, N.Y.) led the Seahawks to a 5-1 week while pitching in four games (starting three) and winning all three starts. Started with a complete-game shutout against Mitchell while striking out nine Mariners in a 1-0 final. She went the distance in a 5-2 Friday night in Boston against the Lions of Emerson with eight Ks. On Saturday, she appeared in both games against Clark retiring all six Cougars she faced in the final two frames of a 7-2 win and then starting and blanking the visiting team in the nightcap. Overall, she allowed only nine hits in 20 innings with a 0.65 WHIP for the week.
 
Men's Tennis
 
Singles Athlete of the Week- Ole Lepsoe (Jr.), Babson
 
Junior Ole Lepsoe (Oslo, Norway) ran his personal winning streak to five by going 3-0 at number two singles for No. 32 Babson. He opened the week with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Daniel Papacica of MIT and followed it up with a 6-0, 7-5 triumph over Pierce Garbett of Brandeis as the Beavers beat the Judges for the second consecutive season. Lepsoe capped the week by defeating Brock Ladehoff 6-4, 6-3 as the Green and White stormed past No. 18 Mary Washington. 
 
Doubles Team of the Week – Daniel Papacica and Grant Gallagher, MIT  
 
Graduate student Daniel Papacica and first-year Grant Gallagher went 2-1 in doubles action for the No. 29 MIT Engineers, which posted a 3-0 record during the week. Papacica and Gallagher played all three matches in the top doubles slot, and recorded an 8-4 win over Nika Mori and Yuval Goodman of Skidmore and an 8-6 win over Andrew Watson and Caymus Choi of Babson.  
 
Women's Tennis
 
Singles Athlete of the Week- Kimberly Liao, (Sr.), MIT
 
Senior Kimberly Liao (Commack, N.Y.) recorded a pair of victories in the No. 2 position in a 2-0 week for No. 19 MIT. She clinched the Engineers' match against No. 13 Amherst when she defeated Amy Cui, 6-4, 7-5 on Friday. The next day at No. 43 Wellesley, Liao posted a 6-1, 6-1 win against Veda Madhusudan. 
 
Doubles Team of the Week- Olivia Soffer and Matia Cristiani, Babson College   
 
Olivia Soffer and Matia Cristiani dominated Sunday's showdown of the region's top-ranked teams defeating Rebecca Suarez and Bhakti Parwani of Brandeis, 8-1, at number one doubles to help the Beavers beat the 28th-ranked Judges 6-3. 
 
Men's Track & Field
 
Field Athlete of the Week- Eric Bottern (Sr.), Babson College  
 
Senior Eric Bottern (Saint Paul, Minn.) put together a terrific weekend at the Silfen Invitational finishing first in the shot put, third with a school record in the hammer throw, and sixth in the discus. His throw of 55-feet in the shot put ranks first in the NEWMAC and fifth in Division III this season, and his mark of 162-feet, 8-inches broke his own program record by nearly four feet. Bottern's throw of 135-feet, 8-inches also is his best of the season and ranks third in program history. 
 
Relay Team of the Week- 4X100 Relay, WPI
 
The men's 4x100 meter relay that featured freshman Koray Boybeyi (Reston, VA), senior Tristan Andrew (Newtown, CT), freshman Sam Manteria (Wilbraham, MA) and Alex Cole (Weymouth, MA) combined efforts for a top-10 finish at the Bucknell Bison Outdoor Classic with a season-best time of 42.28. 
 
Track Athlete of the Week- Ziyad Hassan (Jr.), MIT
 
Junior Ziyad Hassan (Ashburne, Va.) finished fifth in the 800m at the Friar Invitational, as his time of 1:51.19 ranks ninth in Division III this year. 
 
Women's Track & Field
 
Field Athlete of the Week- Alexis Boykin (Jr.), MIT
 
Junior Alexis Boykin (Clayton, Ohio) won the shot put, was the runner-up in discus, and finished third in the hammer throw at the UConn Northeast Challenge. In shot put, she produced a PR of 15.15m (49' 8.5"), which currently ranks first in Division III. Boykin posted a mark of 48.48m (159') in discus while her hammer throw performance of 57.23m (187' 9") is second in the country. 
 
Relay Team of the Week- 4X100 Relay, Wheaton College
 
Wheaton's 4X100-meter relay placed first at the Coffey Invitational, hosted by Smith College on April 13, behind first year Savanna Vargas (Peabody, Mass.), senior Schyler Wyse (East Granby, Conn.) and sophomores Amanda Castaldi (Wallingford, Conn.) and Michaina Loriston (Boston, Mass.), who registered a time of 47.59 for the 16th-fastest in NCAA Division III this season.
 
Track Athlete of the Week- Grace Hadley (GS.), WPI  
 
Graduate student Grace Hadley (North Reading, MA) posted a third-place time of 4:17.61 in the 1500m among NCAA Division I competition en route to setting a new school record by over 12 seconds on Saturday at the Bucknell Bison Outdoor Classic. The time stands as the best in NCAA Division III this season and the fifth-best time in division history. On Sunday, Hadley posted a 2:11.17 mark in the 800m that was good for 16th as she now ranks seventh nationally in the event. 
 
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.