Peirce earns academic all-conference honors

May 4, 2006

NORTON, MA- Ten Wheaton College student-athletes were named to the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Academic All-Conference team for the spring of 2006. From the NEWMAC's 10 member schools, 155 student-athletes received this honor. Student-athletes receiving the award must maintain a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.5 or better upon completion of the 2005 fall semester, attain at least a sophomore year standing and be a competing member of a varsity team for the entire season.

A trio of athletes from each the women's lacrosse, men's tennis and women's outdoor track and field teams earned accolades, while the track and field program was represented once more on the men's side.

Three seniors from the women's lacrosse team corralled academic all-conference nods, as Julia Coit (South Portland, ME/South Portland), Rose Jackson (Indianapolis, IN/North Central) and Kate Weston (Bedford, MA/Bedford) were each honored. This is the third selection for Jackson and Weston and the second for Coit, who is also a NEWMAC All-Conference second team pick this spring. Each was an Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Honor Roll pick last spring. The Lyons went 9-7 this year, including 5-1 in the NEWMAC, and reached the league tournament final for the fifth consecutive season. Coit tied for first on the team with nine assists while finishing second with 37 goals and 46 points, while Weston started all 16 games at midfield.

Seniors Nick Potter (Concord, NH/Concord) and Brian Spielman (Madbury, NH/Oyster River) and junior Will Stoddard (Huntington, VT/Mount Mansfield Union) of the men's tennis team each drew accolades after leading the Lyons to an 11-6 mark, including 4-1 in the conference, and advancing to the NEWMAC Tournament title match. This is third academic league honor for Potter, who has twice been an Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Scholar-Athlete and earned a spot on at least one NEWMAC All-Conference team all four years. Spielman and Stoddard each earned their second academic all-conference awards, while Spielman has also been named an ITA Scholar-Athlete three times and Stoddard has drawn the honor twice.

Wheaton was represented in women's track and field by senior Kendra Leith (Holden, MA/Wachusett Regional), junior Jennifer Ziello (Litchfield, CT/Litchfield) and sophomore Abbe Bosk (Narberth, PA/Springside), while junior Matt Peirce (Lincoln, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury Regional) earned an academic all-conference citation on the men's side.

A three-time honoree in cross country, Leith drew her third academic accolade for track and field after also being named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District I team last year. Bosk and Ziello were each first-time academic all-conference members, though Ziello has twice received the award in cross country and Bosk nabbed her first cross country honor in the fall. The trio helped Wheaton picked up its ninth consecutive conference title last weekend, as the Lyons have now won all eight NEWMAC Championship meets during the league's eight-year history. Peirce was a first-time academic all-conference member and helped the men finish fourth at the conference meet and earn 123 points, their most since 2001.

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.

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