Newbury Volleyball & Softball Honored for Academic Excellence

Members of the Newbury College men's volleyball and softball teams were honored for their superb academic performance by being named to the New England Collegiate Conference Academic All-Conference Team.  A total of 40 student-athletes from the NECC received this honor for the winter/spring 2009 semester, including Nighthawks Joshua Aberly, Timothy MacMillan, Bryan McDermand, Matthew Sadowski, Mark Thomas, and Leanne Merritt.

The NECC began its inaugural year this fall with nine full-time members including Bay Path College (Longmeadow, Mass.), Becker College (Leicester, Mass.), Daniel Webster College (Nashua, N.H.), Elms College (Chicopee, Mass.), Lesley University (Cambridge, Mass.), Mitchell College (New London, Conn.), Newbury College (Brookline, Mass.), Southern Vermont College (Bennington, Vt.) and Wheelock College (Boston, Mass.).

To be eligible for the NECC Academic All-Conference, a student-athlete must post a minimum grade point average of 3.40 on a scale of 4.00 and must be a junior or higher in class standings. Student-athletes who competed in men's and women's basketball, baseball, softball, men's tennis and men's volleyball were eligible for the winter/spring NECC Academic All-Conference.

MEN'S BASKETBALL

NAME                 SCHOOL        CLASS         MAJOR                     HOMETOWN
Joe Esile*            Elms                Senior         Sport Management   Salisbury, Mass.
Chris Hartmann   Elms                Junior          Business                   Canberra, Australia
Ellis Jones            Elms               Senior          Business                   Malden, Mass
Mike DePaolo       Mitchell           Junior          Criminal Justice         Asbury, N.J.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

NAME                      SCHOOL        CLASS         MAJOR                        HOMETOWN
Kathleen Rodrigue   Bay Path         Junior           Forensic Science         W. Stewardstown, N.H.
Courtney Fiske        Becker             Junior           Vet Science                 Westfield, Mass.
Heidi Miller               Becker             Junior           Vet Science                 Sanborton, N.H.
Shannon Tibbetts    Becker             Junior           Sports Management   Warren, Mass.
Tomie Lafond           Elms                Junior           Sports Management   Hatfield, Mass.
Paige Schneider       Elms                Senior          Sports Management   Windsor, Conn.
Kelly Harrington       Lesley             Senior           History                       Toledo, Ohio
Lani Cabral-Pini*      Lesley             Senior           Math                          Wilmington, Mass.
Rachel O'Mara          Lesley             Junior            Environmental Science Levittown, N.Y.
Georgia Saltzman*   Lesley             Junior           Child & Family Studies   Lynn, Mass.
Sarah Brown            Wheelock        Junior           Social Work                  Plainville, Conn.

BASEBALL

NAME                      SCHOOL            CLASS          MAJOR                       HOMETOWN
Christal Fiztgerald   Daniel Webster   Junior           Sports Management   Sydney, Australia
Joe Esile*                Elms                    Senior          Sport Management     Salisbury, Mass.
David Gage             S. Vermont           Junior          Sports Management    Gloversville, N.Y.

SOFTBALL

NAME                      SCHOOL            CLASS           MAJOR                       HOMETOWN
Kristal Cormier        Bay Path              Junior            Forensic Science         Rochester, N.H.
Sarah Gates            Bay Path              Junior            Occupational Therapy Crown Pointe, Ind.
Samantha Gunseth Bay Path              Junior             Forensic Psychology   Swanzey, N.H.
Jessica Nizinski        Bay Path              Junior            Business/Marketing     Springfield, Mass.
Sarah Palmer           Bay Path             Senior            Criminal Justice            Topsham, Maine
Amanda Fogaren     Becker                 Junior             Vet Science                  Tewksbury, Mass.
Kristina Rieger         Daniel Webster   Junior             Sport Management      Concord, N.H.
Allyson Graffum        Elms                    Junior             Psychology                   Ipswich, Mass.
Tiffany Williams        Elms                    Junior             Business                       Berlin, Conn.
Lani Cabral-Pini*      Lesley                 Senior            Math                            Wilmington, Mass.
Georgia Saltzman*   Lesley                 Junior             Child & Family Studies   Lynn, Mass. Lindsey Donelin        Mitchell               Senior             Criminal Justice             Niantic, Conn. Kelly Reynolds           Mitchell               Junior             Human Development    Waterford, Conn. Liz Roy                      Mitchell               Senior             Business                       Jewitt City, Conn. Leanne Merritt          Newbury              Senior             Psychology                      Fairfield, Conn. Amanda Siebert        Wheelock           Junior              Human Dev                    Salem Conn. Erin Jenkins              Wheelock            Senior             Theatre                          Methuen, Mass

MEN'S TENNIS

NAME                       SCHOOL             CLASS          MAJOR                      HOMETOWN
Johanna Crowley      Wheelock            Junior            Education/Biology     S. Portland, Maine Kate Needham          Wheelock            Junior            Human Dev               N. Conway, N.H.

MEN'S VOLLEYBALL

NAME                      SCHOOL              CLASS          MAJOR                    HOMETOWN
Miguel Jack              Lesley                   Junior            Business                  Buenos Aires
Joshua Aberly          Newbury                 Junior           Corporate Comm        Palatine, Ill.
Timothy MacMillan    Newbury                Senior          Communications         Merrimack, Mass. Bryan McDermand    Newbury                Senior          Sports Management     Palatine, Ill.
Matthew Sadowski   Newbury                 Senior          Psychology                  Feeding Hills, Mass. Mark Thomas            Newbury               Junior           Sports Management     Wilbraham, Mass.

* Two-Sport Honoree