Collins Headlines NEWMAC Women's Lacrosse Postseason Honors
BABSON PARK, Mass. -- On the heels of its fourth consecutive New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Championship, the 10th-ranked Babson College women's lacrosse team saw seven of its athletes receive honors when the league announced its postseason awards this week. Senior captain Anna Collins (Winchester, Mass.) was named NEWMAC Player of the Year for the second straight season, while first-year Jamie Spang (Kennebunk, Maine) was selected as Babson's sixth consecutive NEWMAC Rookie of the Year honoree. Collins, senior captain Kaitlyn Pettengill (Hopkinton, Mass.), junior Sarah Macary (Woodbury, Conn.), junior Alyssa Hood (Newport, R.I.), and sophomore Trisha Babson (Duxbury, Mass.) were all named to the All-Conference First Team, while junior Kristy Benoit (Shrewsbury, Mass.) earned Academic All-Conference honors.
Collins' second straight NEWMAC Player of the Year award comes after yet another magnificent season. A Third Team All-American in 2008 and a Second Team All-American last spring, the senior midfielder currently leads the Beavers with 56 goals and 21 assists for 77 points - the second highest single-season point total in program history. A three-time All-NEWMAC First Team and a two-time All-New England First Team honoree, Collins currently ranks second among Babson's all-time leaders with 214 goals and 271 points while ranking fourth with 57 assists and 150 groundballs.
Currently Babson's all-time leader with 216 goals and 274 points in her illustrious career, Pettengill earned her fourth straight All-Conference First Team selection. Also a three-time All-New England First Team honoree and a 2009 Second Team All-American, the senior midfielder has amassed 54 goals and 17 assists for 71 points this spring while also leading the team with 29 caused turnovers and ranking third with 37 groundballs.
Joining Babson's two senior co-captains on the All-NEWMAC First Team were Macary, Hood, and Trisha Babson. Macary received her third straight all-league nod after leading the conference with a 9.74 goals against average and a .482 save percentage. She was magnificent in the NEWMAC Championship game, making 12 saves on 15 shots on net in a 17-3 victory over Springfield. Macary also ranked among the team leaders with 30 groundballs this spring, as she improved her career record to 43-9. Trisha Babson garnered her second straight All-NEWMAC First Team honor, as she led the team and the league with 33 assists and 131 face-off wins. She also ranked second in the conference with 87 draw controls while contributing 26 goals for 59 points. The Beavers' fifth First Team selection, Hood received conference honors for the first time in her career after a tremendous break-out season. The junior attack ranked third on the team with 39 goals and 21 assists for 60 points this spring while also ranking among the team leaders with 31 draw controls and 21 groundballs.
The program's sixth consecutive NEWMAC Rookie of the Year selection, Spang joins Trisha Babson, Macary, Pettengill, Jackie Godfrey '09, and Anita Martignetti '08 in winning the award since 2005. The first-year midfielder ranked fifth on the team with 25 goals and 10 assists for 35 points this spring. She also added 23 groundballs, 17 draw controls, and 13 caused turnovers, and she led the Beavers with an outstanding .595 shooting percentage.
Babson's lone three-sport athlete, Benoit earned the sixth NEWMAC Academic All-Conference selection of her career and the second in women's lacrosse. Also a member of the Beavers' soccer and basketball teams, Benoit played 14 games after joining the squad in mid-March, making 12 starts and recording three goals and two assists for five points while picking up 12 groundballs.