NEWBA Passes Out Awards For February 14

Jen Wehner
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
Junior • Forward • Cooperstown, N.Y.

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts junior forward Jen Wehner has earned the NEWBA/PrestoSports Player of the Week award for the week of February 7-13. This is the second time this season that she has been been selected to receive the honor. Wehner was nearly unstoppable in a 2-1 week for the Trailblazers. The forward piled up 25.0 points and 18.3 rebounds per game while shooting 60.5% (26-43) from the floor and 78.6% (22-28) from the charity stripe. With her 22 points against Westfield State University on Tuesday, she became the first player in program history to reach the 1,000-point plateau during her junior season. Wehner exploded for a career best 32 points to go with 25 boards in a 72-60 victory over Salem State University on Thursday. Two days later, she closed her week out with a 21-point, 13-rebound performance in a 72-63 win over Framingham State University.

Alyssa Leonard
Castleton State College
First Year • Guard • Amherst, Mass.

Castleton State College first year guard Alyssa Leonard has been named NEWBA Rookie of  the Week for the week of February 7-13. Leonard recorded 14.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists per outing in a perfect 3-0 week for the Spartans. She converted 69.2% (18-26) of her shots from the field and all six of her free throws. The guard was at her best on Friday, when she posted career highs of 16 points and eight assists in a 76-60 victory over the Maine Maritime Academy. Leonard opened her week with 12 points in an 81-43 win over Green Mountain College on Tuesday. She then collected 14 points, six rebounds and six assists in an 85-62 triumph over Husson University on Saturday. With the win, Castleton State moved within a game of the Eagles at the tope of the NAC standings.

• Melissa Teel, Western Connecticut State University (Sr, C, Hamden, Conn.) - Teel continued to put her name in the Western Connecticut State University record books with her outstanding play this week. The center averaged 16.5 points, 20.0 rebounds and 5.5 blocked shots per game in a perfect 2-0 week for the Colonials. With her 11 points in a 74-53 win over Rhode Island College on Tuesday, she became the 17th player in program history to reach 1,000 in her career. Teel also pulled down a school record 25 rebounds in the contest, surpassing the previous high set by Tina Shanahan in 1996. Four days later, she piled up 22 points, 15 boards and six blocks in a 68-44 victory over Keene State College. It was her seventh straight double-double and her 13th this season.
• Sarah Collins, Babson College (So, C, Weymouth, Mass.) - Collins helped nationally ranked Babson College remain unbeaten with her 24.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game this week. The center drained an eye popping 72.4% (21-29) of her shots from the field and 100.0% (6-6) of her free throw attempts in two games. After posting 16 points and eight rebounds in her team's 75-49 win over Wellesley College on Wednesday, she amassed 22 points, seven boards, three assists, four blocked shots and three steals in an 83-34 victory over the Coast Guard Academy on Saturday.
• Vanessa Powers, Castleton State College (Jr, F, Marshfield, Vt.) - Powers tallied 24.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game in a flawless 3-0 week for Castleton State College. The forward was nearly unstoppable, converting 74.4% (32-43) of her shots from the field and 81.8% (9-11) of her free throw attempts. After starting the first 22 games of the season, Powers came off the bench on senior day and registered a career best 34 points to with 10 rebounds in her team's 85-62 win over Husson University. With the win, Castleton State moved within a game of the Eagles at the top of the NAC standings. Earlier in the week, she scored 19 points in an 81-43 victory over Green Mountain College and 20 more in a 76-60 triumph over the Maine Maritime Academy.
• Margo Russell, University of New England (Jr, F, Madison, Maine) - Russell guided the University of New England to a pair of league wins with her 22.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists per contest. Over the course of the week, she drained six three-pointers and all 14 of her free throws. The forward erupted for a career high 26 points in a 76-73 triumph over Colby-Sawyer College on Saturday. Four days earlier, she piled up 18 points in a 71-64 win over Endicott College.
• Christine Daniels, Norwich University (Sr, F, Concord, N.H.) - Daniels averaged a double-double on 20.5 points and 16.0 rebounds in a 1-1 week for Norwich University. The forward racked up 23 points, 12 boards and five assists in her team's 86-68 victory over Rivier College on Tuesday. She then totaled 18 points and 20 boards in a heartbreaking 54-52 setback to Johnson and Wales University on Saturday. Daniels has recorded double-doubles in all 22 over her team's games this season and is the national leader in the category. She is also among the national leaders in rebounds per game.