Marlborough, Mass.- The NEWMAC has announced its Athlete of the Week honorees for the week ending 4/26/26, presented by SKYBOKX 109 Bar & Grill in Natick, Massachusetts. The full list of honorees can be found below.
 
Baseball
 
Pitcher of the Week- Luis Ortiz Ramirez (Jr., P), Salve Regina University
 
Junior Luis Ortiz Ramirez (Boston, Mass.) pitched his first collegiate complete-game shutout on the road against Coast Guard on Saturday as No. 3-ranked Salve Regina swept the Bears with a 5-0 win in the nightcap. Ortiz Ramirez allowed just five singles and no walks, and induced three double plays while facing just three batters over the minimum (30).
 
Athlete of the Week- Ryan Grace (Gr., 1B/DH), Babson College
 
Graduate student Ryan Grace (Concord, Mass.) batted .346 with a .692 slugging percentage and two home runs, three doubles, nine RBI and eight runs scored in six games last week. He had at least one knock in all six outings and recorded three multi-hit games. He homered twice and drove in six runs in Thursday’s 15-4 win over Johnson & Wales, had three hits, including a double, two RBI and two runs scored in Saturday’s sweep of Clark, and capped the week by doing 2-for-4 with another double, two RBI and a run scored in Sunday’s 9-4 win at Keene State. 
 
Men’s Lacrosse
 
Offensive Player of the Week – Joey Allen (Gr., A), Babson College
 
Graduate student Joey Allen (Philadelphia, Pa.) produced two goals and three assists for five points as No. 5/9 Babson fought off a challenge to defeat MIT, 12-8, in Saturday’s regular season finale. He scored to open the contest and then contributed a goal and two assists to spark a six-goal run that spanned parts of the third and fourth quarters as the Beavers turned a one-goal deficit into a 12-7 lead. 
 
Defensive Player of the Week – Ethan Corby (Sr., GK), Emerson College
 
Senior Ethan Corby (Whitby, Ontario) celebrated his Senior Night with a season-high 21 saves to preserve the Lions’ 10-9 triumph over Clark on Saturday night, marking the third 20-plus save performance of his career and second-straight against Clark after posting 26 stops against the Cougars last season. He closes his collegiate career with nine-straight double-digit save efforts and 13 this season overall, also chipping in with four ground balls. Corby made 11 of his saves on Saturday night in the second half to protect the lead and win.
 
Women’s Lacrosse
 
Offensive Player of the Week – Courtney Laden (So., M), Babson College
 
Sophomore Courtney Laden (Wilmette, Ill.) matched her season high with four goals and had three draw controls in Babson’s 13-9 win at Wheaton in the regular season finale on Wednesday night. She scored all four of her goals in the first 19 minutes of the contest to spark an eight-goal run that helped the Beavers build a 9-2 lead late in the second quarter. 
 
Defensive Player of the Week- Francesca Tamburini (Fy., GK), Babson College
 
First year Francesca Tamburini (North Bend, Wash.) finished with a season-high eight saves to help Babson defeat Wheaton, 13-9, in Wednesday’s regular season finale. She made three key saves during the third quarter to help the Beavers maintain their six-goal halftime lead and also scooped up two ground balls in the victory.
 
Softball
 
Pitcher of the Week- Katie Vlacich (Jr., P), Babson College
 
Junior Katie Vlacich (Concord, N.H.) recorded back-to-back shutouts and went 2-0 with 10 strikeouts over 12.0 innings to go along with a 0.75 WHIP and a .135  opponents’ batting average in two starts over the weekend. She fanned five and gave up just two hits in Friday’s  9-0 win at Salve Regina and followed it up with a complete-game three hitter that included five strikeouts to help the Beavers sweep Clark on Saturday afternoon. 
 
Athlete of the Week- Ella Molinari (Jr., CF), Wheaton College
 
Junior Ella Molinari was outstanding at the plate in four games, batting an eye-popping .646, while slugging an improbable 1.545 to go with a .733 on-base percentage for a 2.278 OPS. She also hit three home runs to go with a double and knocked in six runs to go with six runs scored and three walks. Molinari made the move to center field and was outstanding in the field, making 11 putouts in as many chances, including a sliding catch and some plays that showcased her range. The Pre-Health major hit safely in all four game and began the week by going 1-3 and scored the only run in a 1-0 win over No. 24 Massachusetts Institute of Technology on April 24. She came back the next game against the Engineers to go 2-4 with a three-run homer. Molinari did not make an out in a twinbills at Salve Regina University with two hits and one homer in each game to give her a long ball in three straight games. She was 4-4 on the day with two homers, three walks, three RBI and a double to go with four runs scored. 
 
Women’s Tennis
 
Singles Player of the Week – Matia Cristiani (Sr.), Babson College
 
Senior Matia Cristiani (San Salvador, El Salvador) went 2-0 at number one singles to end the regular season with a perfect 30-0 record. She beat Lauren Long of No. 13 Washington & Lee 6-1, 7-5 in Thursday’s 7-0 victory and then posted a 6-2, 6-2 triumph over 13th-ranked Saina Deshpande in the Beavers’ 4-3 loss to No. 10 MIT on Saturday. 
 
Doubles Team of the Week – Anastasia Samets (Jr.) & Katie Driscoll (Fy.), MIT
 
In a 2-0 week for No. 10 MIT, Anastasia Samets and Katie Driscoll won both of their matches at No. 2 doubles. The duo claimed the doubles point with a 6-0 victory as the Engineers went on to defeat Springfield, 7-0, on Tuesday. In a 4-3 victory at No. 7 Babson on Saturday, Samets and Driscoll won three games in a row to come from behind for a 6-4 victory. 
 
About the NEWMAC

The NEWMAC is an association of 13 selective academic institutions: Babson College, Clark University, U.S Coast Guard Academy, Emerson College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Saint Anselm College (beginning reclassification process with NCAA in 2027-28), 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 21 sports.