Five Athletes Earn NECC Weekly Honors
ATTLEBORO, Mass. – Elms College had five student athletes garner New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) weekly honors as announced by the league on Monday.
Senior shortstop Brendan Cordeiro (Berkley, Mass.) earned NECC Co-Hitter of the Week honors in baseball, helping the Blazers to a 5-5 week during their spring break trip to Fort Myers, Fla. Brendan Cordeiro hit a team-best .350 for the week highlighted by a 5 for 6 effort at the plate against Defiance College that also included four doubles. He finished the week with 14 hits, earned five walks and was 3 for 4 in stolen base attempts en route to his first NECC accolade of the season.
On the softball diamond, Elms’ sophomore catcher Sarah Buckley (Wilbraham, Mass.) was named NECC Co-Hitter of the Week after hitting .333 during the Blazers’ spring break trip in Florida, blasting seven hits in 21 at-bats. She also drove in three runs, blasted a double, earned four free passes, and recorded a .440 on-base percentage to help Elms to a 2-6 week. This is Buckley’s first conference award of the season.
Junior pitcher Courtney Hampton (Westfield, Mass.) was named NECC Pitcher of the week following a 1-3 week in the circle for Elms. Hampton tossed 26.0 innings in four starts and collected a stellar 2.96 earned run average (ERA) during the week. She also pitched the Blazers to their first win of the season, a 10-9 victory over Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) on the strength of a six-strikeout performance. The honor marks Hampton’s first of the season.
On the volleyball court, junior middle hitter Yonalvy Acosta (Holyoke, Mass.) earned NECC Player of the Week for the second time this season after hitting .264 at the York College Men’s Volleyball Classic in Jamaica, N.Y. Acosta floored 39 kills, including team-best 16 kills in a five-set loss to host York. He added 20 digs and three solo and three assisted blocks during Elms’ four-match week.
Freshman setter Daniel Lebron (San Juan, Puerto Rico) was named NECC Rookie of the Week in men’s volleyball after dishing out 107 assists in the Blazers’ 1-3 week. Lebron handed out 35 helpers against York and followed with a 41-assist performance against New York City College of Technology (City Tech), helping Elms claim a 3-1 win. This is Lebron’s third NECC weekly accolade of the season.
