MARLBOROUGH, Mass. – Wellesley College crew has placed 22 of its members on the 2025 NEWMAC Rowing Academic All-Conference Team.

Seniors Mel Daniels (Wilmington, Del.), Claire Johnson (Lexington, Mass.), and Colette Kennedy (Mill Valley, Calif.) have all received the honor for the third time in their respective careers. Classmate Alice Yao (Hong Kong) has earned a first trip to the Academic All-Conference Team.

Juniors Bronnie Bailey (Virginia Beach, Va.), Hannah Bates (Fair Haven, N.J.), Caroline Hester (Washington, D.C.) Marina West (Friday Harbor, Wash.) and Caroline Witty (Framingham, Mass.) have all scored a second consecutive Academic All-Conference accolade.

Sophomores Meg Behe (Huntingtown, Md.), Bella Cooper (Dallas, Texas), Frances Dickinson (Pittsford, N.Y.), LiLi Finch (Seattle, Wash.), Presha Goel (Chandigarh, India), Rachel Hu (Newbury Park, Calif.), Temitope Ibironke (Laurel, Md.), Evyn Lally (Ogunquit, Maine), Sophia Lutch (Palo Alto, Calif.), Mia Saracino (West Kingston, R.I.), Cordelia Thomas (St. Paul, Minn.), Derin Timucin (Sakarya, Turkey) and Mariafatima Varias (Anaheim, Caif.) have each been recognized in their first year of eligibility.

Honorees must have met the following criteria: earned a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5/4.0 scale or 4.35/5.0 scale after the 2024 fall semester, achieved second year academic status at their institution, and been a member of the varsity team for the entire season.

The complete list of Blue honorees can be found below (*indicates number of times named to the NEWMAC Academic All-Conference team): 

• Mel Daniels '25 (Wilmington, Del.) ***
• Claire Johnson '25 (Lexington, Mass.) ***
• Colette Kennedy '25 (Mill Valley, Calif.) ***
• Alice Yao '25 (Hong Kong) *
• Bronnie Bailey '26 (Virginia Beach, Va.) **
• Hannah Bates '26 (Fair Haven, N.J.) **
• Caroline Hester '26 (Washington, D.C.) **
• Marina West '26 (Friday Harbor, Wash.) **
• Caroline Witty '26 (Framingham, Mass.) **
• Meg Behe '27 (Huntingtown, Md.) *
• Bella Cooper '27 (Dallas, Texas) *
• Frances Dickinson '27 (Pittsford, N.Y.) *
• LiLi Finch '27 (Seattle, Wash.) *
• Presha Goel '27 (Chandigarh, India) *
• Rachel Hu '27 (Newbury Park, Calif.) *
• Temitope Ibironke '27 (Laurel, Md.) *
• Evyn Lally '27 (Ogunquit, Maine) *
• Sophia Lutch '27 (Palo Alto, Calif.) *
• Mia Saracino '27 (West Kingston, R.I.) *
• Cordelia Thomas '27 (St. Paul, Minn.) *
• Derin Timucin '27 (Sakarya, Turkey) *
• Mariafatima Varias '27 (Anaheim, Calif.) *

The New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) consists of 12 highly selective institutions committed to academic excellence: Babson College, Clark University, U.S Coast Guard Academy, Emerson College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Salve Regina University, Smith College, Springfield College, Wellesley College, Wheaton College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.