Collins, Seven Others Garner NEWMAC Postseason Recognition

The New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) recently announced its 2009 women's lacrosse postseason award winners, and a total of eight athletes represented three-time conference champion Babson College. Junior Anna Collins (Winchester, Mass.) was named NEWMAC Player of the Year while joining senior captain Jackie Godfrey (Franklin, Mass.), senior captain Lindsay Bucci (Medford, Mass.), and junior Kaitlyn Pettengill (Hopkinton, Mass.) on the All-Conference First Team, and first-year Trisha Babson (Duxbury, Mass.) became the program's fifth straight NEWMAC Rookie of the Year while joining sophomore Sarah Macary (Woodbury, Conn.) and senior captain Jess Parker (Cataumet, Mass.) on the All-Conference Second Team. Sophomore Kristy Benoit (Shrewsbury, Mass.) was also honored, as she was named to the Academic All-Conference Team.

Collins earned her second straight All-Conference First Team honor and her first-ever Player of the Year award after one of the greatest seasons in Babson lacrosse history. The junior midfielder led the team and set new single-season program records with 75 goals and 91 points this spring. Collins also contributed 16 assists, 43 groundballs, 40 draw controls, and 19 caused turnovers. As a result, she moved up to seventh place on Babson's all-time goals (158) and points (194) lists, and she now ranks ninth in assists (36) and 12th in groundballs (109). Collins is Babson's third-straight NEWMAC Player of the Year honoree after Anita Martignetti '08 claimed the award in 2007 and 2008.

The All-Conference First Team honor was the fourth straight for Godfrey, who set a new single-season program record with 37 assists this spring while scoring 27 goals for 64 total points. The former All-American also ranked among the team's leaders with 25 groundballs, 34 draws, and 17 caused turnovers. With the record-setting assist numbers this season, Godfrey is now Babson's all-time leader with 84 career helpers while ranking eighth in career goals (150), third in groundballs (156), and third in points (234) behind only Martnigetti and Babson Athletics Hall of Famer Tracy Russell '97.

Bucci garners All-NEWMAC First Team honors for the second time in her illustrious career, as she tallied 37 goals and nine assists for 46 points in her senior campaign. She graduates in fifth place on the program's all-time goals list with 164 while ranking 10th in assists (34) and sixth in points (198). Meanwhile, Pettengill was tabbed All-Conference First Team for the third straight year after amassing 58 goals for 17 assists for 75 points this spring, trailing only Collins on Babson's all-time list of single-season point leaders. Switching from attack to midfield this season, she also led the Beavers with 46 groudballs and 33 caused turnovers while picking up 20 draw controls. She will head into her final collegiate campaign already ranked sixth on the program's career goals list (162), seventh in assists (41), fifth in points (203), and 17th in groundballs (95).

Representing Babson on the All-NEWMAC Second Team were Parker, Macary, and Babson, who all earned league recogntion for the first time. Parker enjoyed the finest season of her career this spring, tallying 27 goals and eight assists for 35 points to go with 20 groundballs, while Macary started all 18 of the Beavers' games in net, going 15-3 with 136 saves, an 8.54 goals against average, and a .484 save percentage. Meanwhile, Babson garnered NEWMAC Rookie of the Year and All-League Second Team status after totaling 21 goals and 23 assists for 44 points in 17 games this season. She also led the team with 78 draw controls while adding 21 groundballs and 11 caused turnovers. Already 17th on the program's all-time assist list after just one season of play, Babson joins Macary (2008), Pettengill (2007), Godfrey (2006), and Martignetti (2005) as part of Babson's run of five consecutive conference Rookie of the Year honorees.

A three-sport athlete, Benoit earned a spot on the Academic All-Conference Team for the third time this year and the first time in lacrosse. Also a member of the soccer and basketball teams, Benoit played a pivotal role off the bench this spring, amassing three goals, three assists, 15 groundballs, and nine caused turnovers in 13 games. In her first two years at Babson, she has already been a member of three NEWMAC Championship and NCAA Tournament qualifying teams - twice with lacrosse and again earlier this year with basketball.