BABSON PARK, Mass.—Six members of the Babson College women's lacrosse program were recognized for their success in the classroom when the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) announced its Division III Academic Honor Roll late last week.
Graduate students
Abbie Downer (North Andover, Mass.),
Ellie Hilsabeck (Hingham, Mass.) and
Eileen Manning (Needham, Mass.), seniors
Kathryn Blake (Medfield, Mass.) and
Clare Connolly (Hanover, Mass.), and junior
Lilly Bedard (Jupiter, Fla.) were all honored for the first time in their respective careers.
The Beavers' six honorees were among 1,289 student-athletes to earn a spot on the IWLCA Academic Honor Roll. To be eligible for this award, student-athletes must be a junior, senior, or graduate student and have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.50 or better.
In addition to the individual accomplishments, Babson was one of 179 Division III programs to receive IWLCA Academic Honor Squad laurels with a team GPA of 3.29 during the 2024-25 academic year. To qualify for this prestigious honor, the women's lacrosse team must have posted a 3.2 or higher team GPA for the academic year.
Connolly, who graduated as Division III's all-time leader with 766 draw controls, finished with career highs of 59 goals and 63 points to go along with a program-record 243 draw controls in 19 games on the way to being selected as the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Player of the Year and earning All-America first-team honors this past spring. Blake also put together her best offensive season scoring a career-high 52 goals and recording 24 assists for a career-best 76 points in 19 starts to collect all-conference and all-region accolades.
Hilsabeck, who transferred to Babson from Vanderbilt University, provided 29 goals and 10 assists for 39 points before suffering a season-ending injury prior to the postseason. Bedard set new career highs in all three scoring categories with 11 goals and nine assists for 20 points in 14 games.
Manning concluded her career with All-NEWMAC and all-region honors for the third consecutive season after recording a team-high 27 caused turnovers and scooping up 22 ground balls in 19 starts. Downer, who started 59 of 64 career games, was limited to just six contests this past spring after suffering a season-ending injury in late March.
Babson, which captured its second consecutive NEWMAC regular season title, finished the year with an overall record of 15-4 after reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
