MARLBOROUGH, Mass.—Seven members of the Babson College women's lacrosse team were recognized for their hard work on the field and in the classroom when the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) announced its Academic All-Conference team on Wednesday.
Junior
Lilly Bedard (Jupiter, Fla.) earned NEWMAC Academic All-Conference honors for the second year in a row, while graduate students
Abbie Downer (North Andover, Mass.),
Ellie Hilsabeck (Hingham, Mass.) and
Eileen Manning (Needham, Mass.), seniors
Clare Connolly (Hanover, Mass.) and
Kathryn Blake (Medfield, Mass.) and sophomore
Mia Fierro (Oswego, N.Y.) were named to the squad for the first time.
Academic all-conference honorees must have met the following criteria: earned a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5/4.0 scale after the 2024 fall semester, achieved second year academic status, and been a member of the varsity team for the entire season.
A junior majoring in Economics and Leadership, People & Organizations,
Bedard saw action in 14 games for the Beavers this spring, finishing eighth on the team in scoring with 20 points on 11 goals and nine assists. She had multiple points in five games, including a career-high five points (3g, 2a) in a win over Mount Holyoke.
A graduate transfer from Vanderbilt,
Hilsabeck appeared in 15 games this season for the Green and White and tied for fourth in scoring with 39 points on 29 goals and 10 assists. She scored multiple goals in nine outings, including a season-high five goals and an assist against both Emerson and Wellesley.
A grad student and four-year veteran for the Beavers,
Downer saw action in six games with five starts on defense, finishing with five caused turnovers, two ground balls and two draw controls.
The leader of the Babson defense and a Business Analytics major,
Manning topped the squad with 27 caused turnovers and finished fourth with 21 ground balls, earning her third All-Region and All-NEWMAC recognition. She started 61 of 71 career games and ranks sixth in program history with 96 caused turnovers while scooping up 113 ground balls.
A Business major,
Connolly finished with another tremendous season, earning NEWMAC Player of the Year and first-team All-Conference, All-Region and All-America accolades. A starter in all 19 games, she set career highs with 59 goals and four assists for 63 points to go along with a single-season program record 243 draw controls. She is the all-time Division III leader and ranks second in NCAA history with 766 draw controls, while scoring 117 goals and contributing 11 assists for 128 points in 78 career games.
A Business major,
Blake started all 19 games this spring and finished second on the team in scoring with 76 points on 52 goals and 24 assists. She ranked in the top five in the NEWMAC in both goals and points to earn All-Conference accolades. She scored at least two goals in 18 of her 19 games, including season-high five goals in wins over Coast Guard and Wellesley, and produced at least five points 11 times, including a season-high seven points (4g, 3a) in an NCAA Tournament victory over Worcester State. A veteran of 71 career games, she finished her career 119 goals, 59 assists and 178 points.
A Finance/Accounting major,
Fierro saw action in nine games off the bench for the Beavers, scoring nine goals and adding three assists for 12 points. She had three-goal games in wins over Mount Holyoke and Emerson, and tallied had two assists in a victory over Clark. A two-year veteran, she has appeared in 17 games with 16 goals and three assists for 19 points.
No. 16 Babson earned an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the second round for the third year in a row to finish the season with a 15-4 record.
