Marlborough, Mass.- The NEWMAC has announced its Athlete of the Week honorees for the week ending 2/15/26, presented by SKYBOKX 109 Bar & Grill in Natick, Massachusetts. The full list of honorees can be found below.
 
Men’s Basketball
 
Offensive Athlete of the Week- Dimetri Iafrate (Jr., G), Wheaton College  
 
Junior Dimetri Iafrate (Johnston, R.I.) was incredibly consistent over two games,  scoring 27 points in each to average 27.0 points and 4.5 assists per game, while shooting 58.1% (18-31) from the floor, including 53.8% (7-13) from three-point range. He also made 78.6% (11-14) of his free throw attempts and pulled down 5.0 rebounds to go with 3.0 steals per outing. The guard opened the week by scoring 27 points at Clark University, including his 1000th career point to make him the 17th player in school history to reach the mark. He added seven assists, seven rebounds, and four steals, while shooting 8-16 from the floor in Wheaton's 80-65 victory to clinch a NEWMAC playoff spot on February 11. Iafrate capped the week by netting 27 points on a tidy 10-15 shooting, including 4-6 from three-point range against Babson College on February 14 and handed out two assists to go with three boards and a pair of steals.
 
Defensive Athlete of the Week- Tyler Lauder (Sr., F), Babson College
 
Senior Tyler Lauder (Malvern, Pa.) averaged 8.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks as Babson extended its winning streak to five games with a pair of road victories. He pulled down 10 boards while posting his first double-double of the year to go along with two steals and one block in Wednesday’s 82-68 win at Emerson, and contributed seven rebounds, two steals and another rejection to help the Beavers defeat Wheaton, 89-72, on Saturday. 
 
Women’s Basketball
 
Offensive Athlete of the Week- Emily Flynn (Gr., F), Babson College
 
Graduate student Emily Flynn (Hanover, Mass.) averaged 24.5 points and 3.5 assists while shooting 45.9 percent from the field and 46.7 percent from beyond the arc in a pair of victories. The senior forward knocked down a career-best seven three-pointers on the way to scoring a career-high 34 points in an 86-77 win over Salve Regina on Wednesday and followed it up with a team-high 15 points to go along with three assists to help the Beavers defeat Clark, 65-56, on Saturday in Worcester. 
 
Defensive Athlete of the Week- Sofia Neary (Sr., F), Salve Regina University  
 
Senior Sofia Neary (Wayne, N.J.) continued her streak of double-doubles (now 19 in 23 games) while averaging 25.0 points per game and 12.5 rebounds per game in a pair of road contests. She picked up two steals in each game to average 2.0 steals per game, along with 1.5 blocks per game. At Babson, where the Seahawks outscored the Beavers in three of four quarters, Neary made 8-of-12 from the floor and 9-of-11 from the line. All 10 boards were on the defensive glass. At Wheaton, Neary led all players in scoring (25) and rebounding (15) while again snaring 10 defensive boards. She currently ranks fourth in the country among Division III players with double-doubles (19) and free throws made (146).
 
Men’s Lacrosse
 
Offensive Player of the Week – Evan Paturzo (Jr.), Wheaton College
 
Junior Evan Paturzo (Bellingham, Mass.) erupted for a career-high eight points on seven goals and an assist to go with a 63.6% shot percentage and a caused turnover to lead Wheaton to a 12-9 victory over visiting University of Hartford in the team's season opener on February 14. The goal total ties Paturzo for the seventh-most in a game by a Lyon.
 
Defensive Player of the Week – Evan Borchert (Jr., G), Wheaton College

Junior Evan Borchert (Littleton, Colo.) made the most of his first collegiate start, stopping 18 shots to post a 66.7% save mark to help the Lyons earn a 12-9 win over visiting University of Hartford in their season opener on February 14. 

Face Off Specialist of the Week – Will Reading (Sr. FOM), Babson College
 
Senior Will Reading (Southlake, Texas) won 9-of-12 face-offs for a 75% win percentage, and tied for game-high honors by scooping up six ground balls to help Babson open the season with a 19-7 win over Wentworth on Saturday. He won 7-of-9 first-half face-offs as the Beavers raced out to a 14-3 halftime advantage. 
 
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.