MARLBOROUGH, Mass.—Six Babson College student-athletes were recognized when the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) announced its Sportsmanship Team for the 2025 fall season last week.
The award is intended to recognize one student-athlete from each institution in every sport that best demonstrates the ideals of the NEWMAC and its Code of Conduct, regardless of his/her overall performance or statistics for the season.
Men's Cross Country
Connor Andrews | Fy. | Wrightsville Beach, N.C.
Andrews competed in all six of the Beavers' meets this fall, recording his season-best 8k time (26:44) at the UMass Dartmouth Invitational on September 20 and averaging a time of 26:57. He placed 33rd overall and sixth for the team at the NEWMAC Championships on November 1, and finished 79th overall and sixth for the team at the NCAA East Regional Championships on November 15.
Women's Cross Country
Brigid Kelly | So. | Sandwich, Mass.
Kelly competed in five of the six races this fall, posting a 6k career-best time of 25:54 at the Connecticut College Invitational on October 19. She placed 133rd overall with a time of 30:09 at the NEWMAC Championships on November 1.
Field Hockey
Josie Ashton | Sr. | Chatham, N.J.
Ashton saw action in three games this fall with one start as a goalie for the Beavers. She totaled 120 minutes between the pipes, allowing three goals and making a pair of saves, helping the Beavers to three victories. A four-year veteran, she played in seven games with one start and registered a 1.19 goals against average with a .571 save percentage.
Men's Soccer
Albion Bacaj | GS | Chappaqua, N.Y.
Bacaj started 13 of his 16 games this season as a defender after transferring from Marist College, where he played the last three years, and Sacred Heart, where he played as a first-year in 2021. He averaged 75 minutes per game and logged all 90 minutes for the Beavers 10 times, including all four post-season games. He helped the team record seven clean sheets and a 0.86 team goals against average and was a key defender that helped the team capture the NEWMAC championship and advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Women's Soccer
Gabby Michalski | Sr. | East Longmeadow, Mass.
Michalski appeared in just one game this season, the Senior Day contest against Emerson on November 1, after being forced to sit out most of the season with an injury. The senior back is a four-year veteran who saw action in 37 games with 17 starts, logging more than 500 minutes each of her first three seasons and a total of 1751 minutes on the field over her four seasons.
Women's Volleyball
Nora Whitehurst | Jr. | Atlanta, Ga.
Whitehurst played in 31 sets in her 19 matches as a middle blocker this season. She registered 19 blocks, including two solo and 17 block assists, as well as 35 kills on 85 attempts for a .212 attack percentage. The three-year veteran has recorded 67 total blocks and 93 kills in her three-year career, producing 135.5 points.
