Marlborough, Mass.- The NEWMAC has announced its Athlete of the Week honorees for the week ending 9/21/25, presented by SKYBOKX 109.  The full list of honorees can be found below.
 
Men's Cross Country  
 
Runner of the Week- Yichen Sun (Jr.), MIT
 
Junior Yichen Sun (Chapel Hill, N.C.) was the top finisher for the No. 16-ranked MIT Engineers at Saturday's 8k Cardinal Invitational, hosted by Wesleyan (CT). Sun finished in third place with a time of 24:43.4, as MIT tied with the host Cardinals at the top of the team leaderboard. MIT ultimately took second place thanks to a tiebreaker.
 
Women's Cross Country  
 
Runner of the Week- Kate Sanderson (Sr.), MIT
 
Senior Kate Sanderson (West Hartford, Conn.) finished as the individual runner-up on Saturday at the Cardinal Invitational, hosted by Wesleyan (CT). Sanderson completed the 6k course in 20:49.59 to lead No. 1 MIT to the overall victory in the team standings. Paced by Sanderson, the Engineers dominated the field, finishing with six runners in the top eight overall.
 
Field Hockey
 
Offensive Athlete of the Week- Rachel Simkewicz (Fy., F), Springfield College
 
First-year Rachel Simkewicz (Westminster, Mass.) registered four goals on the week for the Pride - including two which gave Springfield a 3-2 lead at the time against NESCAC rival Trinity and then a pair of goals in a 3-2 win over Salve Regina in the NEWMAC opener on Saturday. Simkewicz currently ranks second in the NEWMAC with eight goals on the season.
 
Defensive Athlete of the Week- Madison Tibbals (Fy., GK), Babson College
 
First-year Madison Tibbals (Gorham, Maine) was terrific in two starts, making nine saves while posting a 0.93 goals against and an .818 save percentage in back-to-back wins for No. 6 Babson. She made seven saves, including three over the first eight minutes of OT, to help the Beavers edge No. 7 Tufts 2-1 on Wednesday. Tibbals followed it up with two saves in a 5-1 triumph over Wellesley in Babson's NEWMAC opener on Saturday. 
 
Football
 
Offensive Athlete of the Week- Sean Burns (So., QB), U.S. Coast Guard Academy   
 
Sophomore Sean Burns (Absecon, N.J.) turned in a record-setting performance in the Bears' 92-60 victory over Nichols, going 20-for-24 through the air for 384 yards and six touchdowns while adding 69 yards and another score on the ground. His six passing touchdowns tied the program's single-game record and accounted for nearly half of the 14 combined passing touchdowns, which set a new NCAA Division III single-game record.
 
Defensive Athlete of the Week- James Minotti (So., LB), Salve Regina University
 
Sophomore James Minotti (Bedford Hills, N.Y.) led all players with a dozen stops on the day, including seven solo tackles, as Salve Regina never trailed in a 24-12 road victory over William Paterson. Minotti also got into the backfield for a solo and an assist and minus six yards.
 
Co-Special Teams Athlete of the Week- Amr Baadani, (Sr., KR), U.S. Coast Guard Academy  
 
Senior Amr Baadani (Fairfax, Va.) totaled 176 yards on seven returns. His fourth-quarter return of 88 yards for a touchdown broke the record for most total points in a DIII football game. 

Co-Special Teams Athlete of the Week- Nathan Napier, (Fy., K), WPI 

First-year Nathan Napier (Natick, Mass.) continued his strong start to his collegiate career with three field goals, including a final-minute game-winning boot with the Engineers trailing late, as WPI rallied to defeat host Husson 15-13 on Saturday afternoon. The freshman connected on field goals of 22 and 41 (career-high) in the first half before calmly drilling a 35-yarder with 53 seconds to go to put the Crimson and Gray ahead for good.  Napier also kicked off for the first time in his three games this season,  with Husson not picking a single first down following his first three kickoffs and no points after any of the five on the day.
 
Men's Soccer
 
Offensive Athlete of the Week- Parker Thornton (Sr., F), Springfield College
 
Senior Parker Thornton (Malden, Mass.) led Springfield to a 2-0 week with two goals and an assist, which came in a thrilling come-from-behind win against Emerson on Saturday in the Pride's NEWMAC opener. Thornton's goal late in the second half proved to be the game-winner against the Lions, and he then added an insurance goal, both of which came less than three minutes apart. 
 
Defensive Athlete of the Week- Diego Marin (Sr., GK), Clark University  
 
Senior Diego Marin (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) posted a pair of shutouts and tallied eight saves as the Cougars posted a 1-0-1 record. The senior opened his week with a pair of saves as the Cougars recorded a 5-0 victory over Nichols. In Clark's NEWMAC opener against Coast Guard, Marin recorded six saves and earned his second shutout of the week in a 0-0 draw. 
 
Women's Soccer
 
Offensive Athlete of the Week- Maeve Sullivan (So., F), MIT
 
Sophomore Maeve Sullivan (San Antonio, Texas) tallied her first career hat trick in a 6-1 win over Bridgewater St. and followed with a two-goal performance in an 8-0 Engineer victory over Smith to cap a ten-point week. Sullivan is tied for the team and NEWMAC lead with eight goals so far this season and ranks third in the conference with 18 points. 
 
Defensive Athlete of the Week- Riley McNair (Sr., GK), Wellesley College  
 
Senior Riley McNair (Cupertino, Calif.) extended her streak of games without allowing a goal to four this week. The highlight was an eight-save shutout as the Blue defeated Coast Guard 2-0 in its NEWMAC opener. Earlier in the week, McNair stopped a pair of shots on goal in the opening 45 minutes of a non-conference contest at Plymouth State.
 
Volleyball
 
Offensive Athlete of the Week- Jodi Saelua (Jr., MB), Springfield College
 
Junior Jodi Saelua (Mililani, Hawaii) guided Springfield women's volleyball to a quartet of 3-0 wins over Endicott, Stevens, Oneonta, and Sarah Lawrence. Saelua registered a total of 15 blocks at the net for the Pride and also hit .595 with 37 kills, making just three errors across the four matches. Saelua's top performance came against Stevens when she hit .875 on 14 kills and zero errors.
 
Defensive Athlete of the Week- Laila Baameur (Sr., L), U.S. Coast Guard Academy

Senior Laila Baameur (Bakersfield, Calif.) delivered a dominant defensive performance in a pair of wins for the Bears, recording 46 digs over two matches, including a career-high 27 in a 3-1 victory over Roger Williams. She also contributed three aces and three assists, providing consistent floor coverage and playmaking from the back row to help Coast Guard sweep past Nichols and secure the Roger Williams win. She averaged 6.57 digs per set on the week.
 
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.