Babson Park, MA --- Three WPI women's basketball student-athletes have been named to the 2008-09 NEWMAC Women's Basketball All-Academic team. The Engineers were tied for the second most in the conference with Clark while MIT had the most with five athletes.

Melissa Kuhn (Stoughton, MA), Caitlin Macko (Cromwell, CT) and Natasha Deschene (Presque Isle, ME) were selected to the team. The selection marks the third straight year that Deschene has received this honor.

Honorees must have met the following criteria: earned a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5/4.0 scale or 4.35/5.0 scale after the 2007 fall semester, achieved second year academic status at her institution, and been a member of the varsity team for the entire season.

The NEWMAC consists of 10 highly selective institutions committed to academic excellence: Babson College, Clark University, U.S Coast Guard Academy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, Springfield College, Wellesley College, Wheaton College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

WPI currently stands at 21-6 and finished first in the NEWMAC with a 12-1 conference record. The Engineers, coached by Cherise Galasso, are competing in the ECAC New England Championships beginning Wednesday at WPI's Harrington Auditorium. The Engineers take on Colby-Sawyer in the tournament's first round at 7pm.

Written by Ray Cotrufo '98 - WPI Athletics

The 2008-09 NEWMAC Women's Basketball Academic All-Conference Team

Kristy Benoit '11 - Babson
Becky Pelletier '09 - Babson
Blaize Denfeld '10 - Clark
Sara Hagstrom '09 - Clark
Emily Skelton '10 - Clark
Chanel Lee '09 - Coast Guard
Melissa McCafferty '11 - Coast Guard
Emily Prentice '11 - MIT
Sally Simpson '10 - MIT
Kristen Whaley '11 - MIT
Alice Yeh '09 - MIT
Clara Yuan '09 - MIT
Katie Austen '09 - Mount Holyoke
Shea Callahan '11 - Mount Holyoke
Corey Finch '09 - Springfield
Anne Lasek '11 - Springfield
Meaghan Macarthur '11 - Springfield
Courtney Richter '09 - Wellesley
Stephanie Michals '10 - Wheaton
Jennie Pleat '09 - Wheaton
Natasha Deschene '09 - WPI
Melissa Kuhn '11 - WPI
Caitlin Macko '09 - WPI

NEWMAC Release