Nine Wheaton Student-Athletes Named to NEWMAC Spring All-Academic Team

NORTON, MA- Nine Wheaton College student-athletes have been named to the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) All-Academic team for the spring of 2004. Out of the ten schools, there were 179 student-athletes to receive this honor.

Honorees must follow a certain criteria to qualify, including having a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or better upon completion of the 2003 fall semester, attaining at least a sophomore standing and participating on a varsity team for the entire season.

The women's lacrosse and women's track and field teams led the way with three recipients each, while men's tennis boasted two members and men's track and field one. Senior Lauren Maynes (Woodstock, VT/Woodstock Union) and sophomores Rose Jackson (Indianapolis, IN/North Central) and Kate Weston (Bedford, MA/Bedford) represented the women's lacrosse team.

Senior Kim Spence (Barrington, NH/Dover) and sophomores Christina Langevin (Wilbraham, MA/Minnechaug Regional) and Kendra Leith (Holden, MA/Wachusett Regional) represented the women's track and field squad. Rounding out the list were men's tennis sophomores Nick Potter (Concord, NH/Concord) and Jeff Selesnick (Concord, NH/Concord) and men's track and field junior Christopher Wilbur (Weymouth, MA/Weymouth).

Maynes, Jackson and Weston were all contributing members to Wheaton's most successful season in women's lacrosse program history, boasting a record of 15-3 with a national quarterfinal round finish in the NCAA Tournament. Maynes, who was voted NEWMAC Player of the Year for the third straight season, was selected to play in the STX Farewell Lacrosse Festival North-South Senior All-Star game. In 17 games, Maynes contributed 54 goals, 20 assists and 74 points, moving her into 10th place on the NCAA all-time scoring list with 254 goals. Weston posted three goals and two assists in 17 games, while Jackson had one goal and a pair of helpers in 10 games.

Spence, who competed in cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field this year, helped lead the indoor track squad to a runner-up finish at the NCAA Division III Championship. Spence ran a leg on the All-America 4x400-meter relay team and then in the outdoor season garnered NEWMAC All-Conference team honors in the 400-meter hurdles and 3,000-meter steeplechase. She also qualified for the NCAA national outdoor meet in the 3,000M steeplechase. Leith, who owns school records in both the indoor and outdoor 5,000-meter run, posted a national indoor meet provisional qualifying time in the event. Leith and Langevin, Wheaton's record holder in the outdoor 10,000-meter run, both run cross country as well.

On the men's tennis team, Potter was named to the NEWMAC All-Conference first team at third doubles following a 5-0 record and to the second team at fourth singles after an 8-3 mark. Selesnick, who was victorious in two matches at third doubles, played mostly exhibition throughout the year. A member on Wheaton's track and field squad for the second season, Wilbur competed in the javelin throw.

Spring sports sponsored by the NEWMAC include: baseball, women's lacrosse, women's rowing, softball, men's tennis and men's and women's track and field.

The NEWMAC consists of ten highly selective institutions committed to academic excellence: Babson College, Clark University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, Springfield College, United States Coast Guard Academy, Wellesley College, Wheaton College and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.