Upperclassmen Lead 12 For Women's Soccer On MASCAC Academic Team

Westfield, MA --- Senior Margo Clifford (Attleboro, MA) along with junior classmates Mackenzie Foye (Ludlow, MA) and Jillian Witkowski (Leicester, MA) lead 12 selections for the women's soccer team on the MASCAC Fall All-Academic Team as announced by conference publicist Emily Diekelmann.

The trio were honored for the third time in their careers while senior Sarina Lathrop (Hopedale, MA), classmate Cassie Giardina (Pittsfield, MA), junior Alicia Macomber (Stoughton, MA) and sophomore Beth Spinazzola (Westford, MA) were distinguished for the second occasion.

Those who were named to the squad for a first time included senior Alyssa Sawyer (W. Springfield, MA), fourth-year teammate Kaleigh Evans (Saugus, MA), sophomore Sarah Kane (Sutton, MA), sophomore Vanessa O'Donnell (Worcester, MA/Burncoat) and freshman Justine Butler (Marlboro, MA).

To earn a spot on the MASCAC All-Academic Team, a student-athlete must have achieved a 3.20 cumulative or semester-based GPA during their season of competition.

The women's soccer team posted a Fall grade point average of 3.20 and were one of seven programs in the the conference to have 10 or more representatives on the MASCAC Fall All-Academic Team.

During the 2013-14 academic year, the Lancers also were recognized for the first time in program history with the NSCAA Team Academic Award for posting a stellar 3.08 overall cumulative GPA.

Under the tutelage of seventh-year head coach Kevin Cumberbatch, the Lancers (14-4-1) captured the MASCAC Regular Season Championship with a 7-0 record, earned their sixth MASCAC Tournament crown and made an appearance in the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Tournament. It marked the 11th straight winning campaign for the Blue and Gold.

Among institutions in the MASCAC, Worcester State had 99 overall selections on the league fall academic honor roll for the third highest total in the conference. The total number of WSU student-athletes also marked the highest since the league began listing its all-academic honor roll on a season-by-season basis during the 2009-10 academic year.

2014 Worcester State MASCAC Fall All-Academic Team Honorees

2014 MASCAC Fall All-Academic Team