Marlborough, Mass. - September 8, 2026 - The New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) has released its selection for the league's Field Hockey Athletes of the Week, for the week ending September 7. The first weekly award winners of the 2026 season include Diane Lee (Boston, Mass.) of Mount Holyoke College and Alexia Ninios (London, England) of MIT. The NEWMAC's weekly awards program is presented by SKYBOKX109 Sports Bar & Grill in Framingham, Massachusetts.

Offensive Player of the Week - Diane Lee - Mount Holyoke - Senior - Boston, Massachusetts

Mount Holyoke senior forward Diane Lee scored in all three games in the Lyons' 3-0 season-opening week totaling four goals and a career-high five assists. Lee produced a goal and three assists in a 6-1 win over UMass Boston before tallying what was counted as the game winner in a 3-0 victory at Salem State. The senior capped the week with two goals and two assists for six points in a dominant 8-1 win over Framingham as Mount Holyoke is off to its best start to a season since 2014.

Defensive Player of the Week - Alexia Ninios - MIT - First Year - London, England

In a 2-0 week for MIT, Alexia Ninios made five saves and recorded the first shutouts of her career. She was not forced to make a save but defended a penalty corner in a 4-0 win over Simmons on Tuesday. Ninios followed this up by making five saves in a 2-0 victory at the University of New England on Saturday.

Results From Across The League: September 1 - September 7
Tuesday, September 1
Salve Regina 4, Russell Sage 3 - Box Score
Roger Williams 3, #24 WPI 1 - Box Score
MIT 4, Simmons 0 - Box Score
Westfield State 4, Clark 1 - Box Score
Mount Holyoke 6, UMass Boston 1 - Box Score
Colby-Sawyer 3, Wellesley 2 (2OT) - Box Score
#3 Babson 2, #10 Endicott 0 - Box Score
Western New England 2, Smith 1 - Box Score
Wheaton 4, Worcester State 1 - Box Score

Wednesday, September 2
Springfield 6, Hartford 0 - Box Score

Thursday, September 3
Mount Holyoke 3, Salem State 0 - Box Score

Saturday, September 5
Springfield 7, Saint Joseph (Maine) 2 - Box Score
#4 Christopher Newport 6, #3 Babson 1 - Box Score
Salve Regina 6, Lasell 0 - Box Score
Smith 3, Gordon 0 - Box Score
#24 WPI 2, Western New England 0 - Box Score
MIT 2, University of New England 0 - Box Score
Wheaton 4, Nichols 1 - Box Score
Clark 5, UMass Dartmouth 0 - Box Score
Mount Holyoke 8, Framingham State 1 - Box Score

Sunday, September 6
Bryn Mawr 2, Wellesley 0 - Box Score
Westfield State 3, Smith 1 - Box Score

NEWMAC Statistical Leaders: As of September 8
 

Goals	Assists	Points
T1. Diane Lee, Mount Holyoke (4)	1. Diane Lee, Mount Holyoke (5)	1. Diane Lee, Mount Holyoke, (13)
MJ Owens, Mount Holyoke (4)	T2. Rory Bernardo, Mount Holyoke (3)	2. Ava Coppola, Springfield (10)
Zoey Candito, Mount Holyoke (4)	Ingrid Tomovski, MIT (3)	3. Zoey Candito, Mount Holyoke (9)
Ava Coppola, Springfield (4)	T4. Elliot Lund, Salve Regina (2)	4. MJ Owens, Mount Holyoke (8)
T5. Reese Interrante, Salve Regina (3)	Sarah Goldstein, Springfield (2)	T5. Elliiot Lund, Salve Regina (6)
Rachel Simkewicz, Springfield (3)	Ava Coppola, Springfield (2)	Reese Interrante, Salve Regina (6)
	Sophia Sares, Springfield (2)	Sophia Sares, Springfield (6)
		Rachel Simkewicz, Springfield (6)
Saves	Goals Against Average
1. Siany Ortez, Salve Regina (19)	1. Alexia Ninios, MIT (0.00)
T2. Myles Lakin, WPI (16)	2. Addie Oakes, Mount Holyoke (0.42)
Rachel Reiter, Clark (16)	T3. Grace Ferguson, Wheaton (1.00)
4. Iseul Park, Smith (11)	Sam Orcutt, Springfield (1.00)
5. Katelyn Hurt, Wellesley (8)	T5. Siany Ortez, Salve Regina (1.50)
	Myles Lakin, WPI (1.50)

NEWMAC Standings: As of September 8
 

Team	Overall Record	NEWMAC Record
Mount Holyoke	3-0	0-0
MIT	2-0	0-0
Salve Regina	2-0	0-0
Springfield	2-0	0-0
Wheaton	2-0	0-0
Babson	1-1	0-0
Clark	1-1	0-0
WPI	1-1	0-0
Smith	1-2	0-0
Wellesley	0-2	0-0

NEWMAC Top-10 Plays of the Week



2026 NEWMAC Women's Soccer Athletes of the Week
September 8 - Diane Lee, Mount Holyoke (Offensive) & Alexia Ninios, MIT (Defensive)

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 seven Associate Members: 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.