Wellesley's Spillane Named 2017 NEWMAC Rowing Coach of the Year

WELLESLEY, Mass -- The New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) announced the 2017 Rowing Coach of the Year following the conference championships. After leading the Blue to their seventh consecutive championship title, Head Coach Tessa Spillane has been voted as the 2017 Rowing Coach of the Year.

Spillane has now earned the honor six times (2008, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017) since she took over the Wellesley Crew program at the start of the 205-06 season. In addition, at the Championship Regatta, Wellesley senior Kathryn Barth (Bellevue, Wash.) was voted the 2017 NEWMAC Rower of the Year while her teammate, earning the award for the second time in her career. Junior Stephanie Kim (Wellesley, Mass.) was voted the 2017 NEWMAC Coxswain of the Year for the third time.

Barth and Kim were joined on the NEWMAC All-Conference first team by Wellesley's Olivia Duggan (West Newbury, Mass.) and Ali Rondeau (Ocala, Fla.), as well as Olivia Shaw (Wayland, Mass.) and Nomfuneko Mafunda (Jwaneng, Botswana) of Smith, and Christine Hovermale (Alameda, Calif.), Kinsey McNamara (Chelmsford, Mass.) and Jasmine Loukola (Wells, Maine) of WPI. 

The NEWMAC All-Conference second team was made up of WPI coxswain Madison Healy (Atkinson, N.H.), as well as Lydia Warters (Simsbury, Conn.) and Halley Glier (Shelburne, Mass.) from Clark, Marissa Marsh (Vienna, Va.) and Alyssa Laystrom (Lake Zurich, Ill.) from Coast Guard, Azulina Green (Austin, Texas) and Ariya Lawson (Washington, D.C.) of Mount Holyoke and Alex Frongillo (Franklin, Mass.) and Kate Krawczuk (Harrisburg, Pa.) from Simmons.

Wellesley returns to action on Friday, April 12, at the National Invitational Rowing Championships on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester. Competition begins at 8:30 AM. 

2017 NEWMAC Rowing All-Conference Teams

Coach of the Year: Tessa Spillane, Wellesley
Rower of the Year: Kathryn Barth
Coxswain of the Year: Stephaine Kim 

First Team 

Olivia Shaw, Smith
Nomfuneko Mafunda, Smith
Stephanie Kim, Wellesley
Kathryn Barth, Wellesley
Olivia Duggan, Wellesley
Ali Rondeau, Wellesley 
Christine Hovermale, WPI
Kinsey McNamara, WPI
Jasmine Loukola, WPI 

Second Team 

Madison Healy, WPI
Lydia Waters, Clark
Halley Glier, Clark
Marissa Marsh, Coast Guard
Alyssa Laystrom, Coast Guard
Azulina Green, Mount Holyoke
Ariya Lawson, Mount Holyoke
Alex Frongillo, Simmons
Kate Krawczuk, Simmons