Marlborough, Mass.- The NEWMAC has announced its Athlete of the Week honorees for the week ending 10/26/25, presented by SKYBOKX 109 in Natick, Massachusetts. The full list of honorees can be found below. 

Field Hockey 

Offensive Athlete of the Week- MJ Owens (So., F), Mount Holyoke College

Sophomore MJ Owens (Fairfield, Conn.) scored three goals in back-to-back games Thursday and Saturday in a pair of 5-1 victories for the Lyons over Regis and Clark, totaling 12 points on the week. Owens now has 12 goals on the season, tied for fourth in the NEWMAC.

Defensive Athlete of the Week- Eve Martineau (Sr., M), WPI

Senior Eve Martineau (Greene, Maine) tallied a defensive save and netted the only goal of the game with just 2:43 remaining in the contest as the Engineers secured a 1-0 road victory at Wellesley on Saturday. The defensive midfielder also spearheaded a defensive effort that did not allow a goal in a 1-0 OT win over MIT, WPI's first victory over Cambridge's Engineers since 2018 and first triumph in the series in Worcester since 2009. The senior helped keep the Crimson and Gray's opponents off the scoreboard for 133 minutes and 45 seconds last week while facing 25 shots - 12 on goal - en route to improving to 12-4 on the season and 7-1 in conference play. 

Football 

Offensive Athlete of the Week- James Green (Jr, HB), Springfield College

Junior James Green (Gales Ferry, Conn.) registered a career-high three touchdowns and a career-high 141 rushing yards, leading the Pride to a 35-7 win over Merchant Marine on Saturday. Green guided Springfield to its fifth win of the season and to its fourth consecutive NEWMAC victory as the Pride sit atop the conference standings at 4-0 alongside Coast Guard.

Defensive Athlete of the Week- Dominic Hess (Jr., DB), MIT

Junior Dominic Hess (Damascus, Md.) recorded eight tackles and two interceptions to help the Engineers to a 28-20 NEWMAC victory over Salve Regina on Saturday. Both of Hess' interceptions came in the second quarter, including a 39-yard pick-six that put MIT ahead 21-6 at the time. Hess has now recorded back-to-back games with two interceptions giving him a career-high four on the season.

Special Teams Athlete of the Week- Freddy Barber, (Fy., KR), U.S. Coast Guard Academy 

First-year Freddy Barber (Matoaca, Va.) made a major impact in the return game, taking his lone kickoff return 93 yards to the end zone for a touchdown in Coast Guard's matchup with Norwich. The freshman standout also contributed on coverage units, recording a tackle and making a key hustle play to beat all Norwich players to a loose ball on a kickoff recovery, showcasing his all-around effort on special teams.

Men's Soccer 

Offensive Athlete of the Week- Gael Vera (So., F), Wheaton College 

Sophomore Gael Vera (Westminster, Mass.) tallied at least one goal in both of Wheaton's games and ended the week with three markers. The sophomore scored just 35 seconds into the Lyons' match with visiting Worcester Polytechnic Institute and scored again just 3:27 later to set the tone in a 4-0 win over the Engineers on October 22. Vera capped the week by scoring with just 4:58 to play in the game to pull Wheaton even in a 1-1 road tie with United States Coast Guard Academy on October 25 to keep the Lyons' unbeaten streak intact at 16 straight games. Vera has now scored at least one goal in five straight matches to become the first Wheaton player to do so since 2016.

Defensive Athlete of the Week- Joe Logue (Sr., B),  Salve Regina University 

Senior Joe Logue (Acton, Mass.) led the back line and defense to a pair of NEWMAC shutouts for the Seahawks and four out of six points over two games. Logue also had a couple of shots in the victory against the Engineers and created the opportunity that resulted in a failed clear and an own goal to give the Seahawks the win.

Women's Soccer 

Offensive Athlete of the Week- Karina Contreras (Fy, F), Wheaton College 

First-year Karina Contreras (Pawtucket, R.I) tallied the lone goal in a 1-0 shutout over visiting Babson College on October 25 to give Wheaton its first win over the Beavers since 2021.

Defensive Athlete of the Week- Julia Little (Jr., GK), U.S. Coast Guard Academy 

Junior Julia Little (Pensacola, Fla.) was outstanding in goal for the Bears, recording back-to-back NEWMAC shutouts in conference play. She made three saves in a 1–0 win over Salve Regina and followed that with eight saves in a scoreless draw against WPI. Little's consistent performance helped Coast Guard earn four crucial conference points. 

Volleyball 

Offensive Athlete of the Week- Kayleigh May (Jr., S), MIT 

Junior Kayleigh May (Camarillo, Calif.) averaged 8.62 assists and 2.23 digs in a 4-0 week for No. 16 MIT that was capped by winning the New England Challenge title for the fourth year in a row. She tallied 25 assists, nine digs, two aces, and two kills in a 25-20, 25-21, 25-21 win at Babson on Tuesday. In a 25-12, 21-25, 25-9, 25-16 victory against Tufts in the opening match of the New England Challenge on Friday, May recorded 27 assists, four digs, two aces, and two kills. She produced 27 assists, eight digs, and three kills in a sweep of Middlebury (25-17, 25-16, 25-18) before closing out the tournament with 33 assists, eight digs, and an ace in a 25-17, 25-19, 25-20 win over Williams. For her performance, May earned a spot on the New England Challenge All-Tournament Team.

Defensive Athlete of the Week- Laila Baameur (Sr., L), U.S. Coast Guard Academy 

Senior Laila Baameur (Bakersfield, Calif.) was outstanding on the defensive end, totaling 71 digs over three matches last week for the Bears. The senior libero recorded 19 digs against Salve Regina, followed by a career-high 36 digs versus Trinity — tied for the fourth most in a single match in Coast Guard program history — and added 16 digs against Wesleyan. She also contributed seven service aces against Salve, matching the second-highest single-match total in school history, and tallied 13 assists on the week. Baameur currently ranks 19th nationally and leads the NEWMAC with 5.62 digs per set. 

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 eight Associate Members: Brandeis University (Women's Lacrosse, 2026-2027), New York University (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), Norwich University (Football), Simmons College (Rowing), SUNY Maritime College (Football), SUNY New Paltz (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Football), and Vassar College (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), while sponsoring 20 sports.