HADLEY, Mass. The New England Small College Athletic Conference announced its 2009 Fall All-Academic selections today, with 373 student-athletes that participated in a fall sport earning All-Academic recognition. To be honored, a student-athlete must have reached junior academic standing and be a varsity letter winner with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.35. A transfer student must have completed one year of study at the institution.
HADLEY, Mass. The New England Small College Athletic Conference announced the 2009 Fall All-Sportsmanship Team for each sport sponsored by the conference. The All-Sportsmanship Team is composed of one student-athlete from each institution for each sport and is selected by the players and coaches from their respective team for their positive contributions to sportsmanship.
HADLEY, Mass. Middlebury junior QB Donald McKillop (Poway, Calif.) and Amherst senior LB Mike Taylor (Evanston, Ill.) have been selected by the conference coaches as the 2009 NESCAC Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, respectively. McKillop is the first Panther player to receive top offensive honors since running back Bryan Sanchez in 2000, while Taylor becomes the first member of the Lord Jeffs to garner defensive recognition since lineman Pat McGee in 2001.
HADLEY, Mass. Williams senior defender Conor Smith (Yardley, Pa.) has been chosen by the conference coaches as the 2009 NESCAC Player of the Year. Overcoming a late season injury that held him out of the lineup for three games, Smith helped his Ephs squad win the 2009 NESCAC Mens Soccer Championship this past weekend, the programs first since 2006 and sixth league crown overall. He is the first back this decade to win NESCAC Player of the Year.
HADLEY, Mass. Senior forward Brianna Wolfson (Brookville, N.Y.) of Williams has been chosen by the conference coaches as the 2009 NESCAC Player of the Year. Wolfson assisted her Eph squad in putting together the programs third perfect season this decade (2001, 2007) along with winning the NESCAC Womens Soccer Championship for the third-straight year. She is the second Williams player in the past three years to win the conferences top honor, after Gabrielle Woodson became the first Eph since 1999 to earn Player of the Year in the fall of 2007.