Marlborough, Mass.- The NEWMAC has announced its Athlete of the Week honorees for the week ending 3/8/26, presented by SKYBOKX 109 Bar & Grill in Natick, Massachusetts. The full list of honorees can be found below.
 
Baseball
 
Pitcher of the Week- Matthew Donahue (Sr., P), Clark University  
 
Senior Matthew Donahue (Medfield, Mass.) compiled a 1.05 ERA across 6.2 innings pitched and posted a 2-0 record in relief for the Cougars. In a victory over Allegheny, Donahue tossed 3.2 innings, gave up no runs, allowed only one hit, and struck out two batters to earn his first victory of the season. Against Gwynedd Mercy, he pitched 3.0 innings, allowing only one hit, and only gave up one run as he recorded his second victory of the season.
 
Athlete of the Week- Michael Soares (Sr., 1B), Clark University  
 
Senior Michael Soares (Concord, Mass.) led the Cougars this week with a .478 batting average, five homers, 14 RBI’s, 10 runs, 11 hits, three doubles, and tallied a slugging percentage of 1.261 as Clark went 5-1. Soares hit three homers, four hits, and recorded 8 RBI in a victory over Grove City on Monday. In a pair of wins against Allegheny on Tuesday, he registered three hits, a homer, three runs, and drove in two runs. Against Cornell College, Soares tallied a combined three RBI, two hits, and a homer in two games. He closed out the week with two hits, two runs, and an RBI in a victory against Gwynedd Mercy. 
 
Men’s Lacrosse
 
Offensive Player of the Week – Daniel Naglieri (Sr., A), Salve Regina University
 
Senior Daniel Naglieri (Westhampton Beach, NY) had five goals and an assist for six points in a 13-11 win over Merchant Marine. He also scooped up a ground ball in the victory. Naglieri leads the 4-0 Seahawks in goals (16) and points (22).
 
Defensive Player of the Week – Ethan Corby (Sr., GK), Emerson College
 
Senior Ethan Corby (Whitby, Ontario) averaged 11.0 saves per game with a 10.63 goals against average and .600 save percentage over three games for the Lions. He also collected four ground balls for the week. He backboned the Lions’ defensive effort in Sunday's 15-4 win over Emmanuel with a season-high matching 17 saves, while yielding just three goals over 49-minutes of play, collecting two ground balls. Corby kept in Emerson's 7-5 setback to Montclair State on Friday with 14 saves and three ground balls. Opened the week with two first-quarter saves at No. 20 Bates on Tuesday.
 
Face Off Specialist of the Week – Beau Burns (Gr. FOM), Babson College  
 
Graduate student Beau Burns (Washington, D.C.) won 16-of-19 face-offs and matched his career high by picking up 10 ground balls to help No. 9/8 Babson defeat Western New England, 19-8, on Saturday. He did much of his work in the first half, winning 11-of-12 face-offs, including each of his last eight, while collecting nine ground balls as the Beavers built an 11-3 lead at the break. 
 
Women’s Lacrosse
 
Offensive Player of the Week – Laina Gustafson (So., M), Emerson College  
 
Sophomore Laina Gustafson (Cross Plains, Wis.) scored 14 of the Lions’ 30 goals in a 2-0-week, netting both game-winning goals, including a free-position marker with 1:03 remaining in Wednesday's 12-11 win over UMass Boston. She also totaled seven ground balls, nine draw controls, and four caused turnovers for the week as Emerson finished off its first 4-0 start in program history. Gustafson scored two of her four goals in the final 2:30 of regulation to lift Emerson past UMass Boston, capping a rally from a two-goal deficit in the final 8:40, and she also collected a team-best seven draw controls in the win. She followed that up with a career-high ten goals, including four of her eight second-half goals in the fourth quarter as the Lions broke open a two-goal lead at the half by scoring 14 goals in the second half. She also collected seven ground balls, four caused turnovers, and two draw controls for the Lions.
 
Defensive Player of the Week – Ellie Spotts (Sr., GK), Emerson College
 
Senior Ellie Spotts (Corona Del Mar, Calif.) averaged 12.5 saves per game while posting a 9.00 goals against average while playing all 120 minutes of a 2-0 week as the Lions finished off the first 4-0 start in program history. She also collected a team-high 13 ground balls, two caused turnovers, and dished an assist on a second-quarter goal as Emerson grabbed a three-goal lead (7-4) of Wednesday's eventual 12-11 triumph over UMass Boston. She followed that up with eight saves, two caused turnovers, and nine ground balls in the Lions’ 18-7 win at Gordon on Friday.
 
Men’s Tennis
 
Singles Player of the Week – Edward Shepherd-Johnson (Sr.), Clark University  
 
Senior Edward Shepherd-Johnson (Tacoma Park, Md.) earned a pair of victories at number one singles with wins over JWU (N.C.) and Roanoke. In the JWU win, he won his match 6-1, 6-1. He then tallied a 6-1, 6-3 win against Roanoke. He closed his week with a 6-7, 5-7 loss to LeTourneau. 
 
Doubles Team of the Week – Edward Shepherd-Johnson (Sr.) & Graham Russo (Sr.), Clark University
 
Seniors Edward Shepherd-Johnson (Tacoma Park, Md.) and Graham Russo (Bridgewater, Mass.) combined to go 3-0 this week at number one doubles. Against JWU (N.C.), the tandem won 6-1. The duo topped Roanoke 6-2. They closed out their week with a 6-3 win over LeTourneau.
 
Women’s Tennis
 
Singles Player of the Week – Teah Login (Fy.), Emerson College
 
First-year Teah Login (Huntington, N.Y.) capped the Lions’ comeback in Sunday's 4-3 victory over Wisconsin-Superior, in which they not only won four of six singles matches, but rallied from a set down in two matches to secure their second-straight win to open the spring schedule. Login sealed the comeback win for Emerson with a comeback of her own from a set down in securing a 5-7, 6-4, 10-5 win at No. 1 singles against junior Claudia Curtis.
 
Doubles Team of the Week – Kara Greenlee (Sr.) & Alissa Ortiz (Sr.), Wheaton College
 
In Wheaton's only match of the week, seniors Kara Greenlee (San Antonio, Texas) and Alissa Ortiz (El Paso, Texas) cruised past Paula Sendele and Sophia Cosgrove of College of St. Scholastica, 6-1, at number one doubles. 
 
Softball
 
Pitcher of the Week- Sofia De La Rosa (Jr., P), Wheaton College   
 
Junior Sofia De La Rosa (Middle Village, N.Y.) hurled 14 shutout innings, while giving up just six hits to hold opponents to a paltry .125 (6-48) batting average. De La Rosa was the ultimate power pitcher, striking out 22 batters while issuing just one free pass in two complete game victories. She began the week by tossing a two-hit shutout against Anderson University on March 7, while fanning 12 batters and surrendering no walks. De La Rosa came back the next day to spin another shutout on just four hits and a walk, while striking out 10 in a 1-0 win over Ohio Northern University.
 
Athlete of the Week- Amelia DeRosa (3B/P), Springfield College  
 
Senior Amelia DeRosa (Miller Place, N.Y.) went 4-for-7 (.571) at the plate for the Pride in a doubleheader against No. 22 Williams on Saturday. DeRosa notched a double, scored a run, and drove in two as the Pride defeated the Ephs for the first time since 2011. DeRosa's two RBIs came as a double in the bottom of the second frame, putting Springfield ahead 2-0 en route to an eventual 7-3 victory.

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.