WESTWOOD, Mass. — Wheaton College (Mass.) had a school-record eight student-athletes named to the New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Academic All-Conference Team, it was announced by the league.
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 2023 fall semester, achieved second year academic status at their institution, and been a member of the varsity team for the entire season.
The eight Lyons represent the second-highest number honored from any institution in the NEWMAC with only Worcester Polytechnic Institute boasting more with nine honorees for the most in the conference.
Senior Emma Kiernan (Wayland, Mass.), juniors Abby Fernandes (Assonet, Mass.), Sydney Ropes (Duxbury, Mass.) and Riley Sprague (Jamestown, R.I.) all earned recognition for the second straight year, while senior Maddie Mueller (Carver, Mass.) and sophomores Nasha Arnold (North Reading, Mass.), Regan Keyter (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) and Kiki Walters (Fleetwood, Pa.) all got the nod for the first time.
Kiernan saw action in 23 games, while making a pair of starts and averaging 3.0 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. Playing in her second year with Wheaton since transferring to Norton prior to last season, the Philosophy major shot a career-best 47.5% (28-59) from the floor and was nearly automatic at the free throw line, making seven of eight attempts.
Fernandes started all 25 games and has started all 74 for her career. The Biology major ranked seventh in the league with 3.6 assists per game, while placing 10th with 1.7 steals per outing. The guard netted 9.4 points and grabbed 3.4 rebounds per game and shot a career-high 68.5% (37-54) from the free throw line.
Ropes saw time in 15 contests and shot a career-best 37% (10-27) from the floor to go with 1.6 points and 0.9 rebounds per game. The Psychology/Sociology double major netted a season-high seven points and pulled down three boards at Lasell University on November 15.
Sprague shot a career-high 52.8% (19-36) from the floor, including a stunning 47.8% (11-23) from three-point range and played in 17 games for the Lyons. The Biochemistry/Business Management double major averaged 3.0 points and netted a season-high 10 points on a perfect 4-4 from the floor, including 2-2 from three-point range against national runner-up Smith College on January 20.
Mueller enjoyed a career year, where she averaged 4.9 points and 2.4 rebounds. The Business Management major started five of 24 games that she appeared in and registered 16 blocks to rank second on the team. The forward shot a sparkling 83.3% (30-36) from the free throw line to go with a 43.3% (42-97) field goal percentage.
Arnold led the team with 6.9 rebounds per game to stand 11th in the league, while scoring 7.2 points per game. The Biochemistry major was among the best free throw shooters in the league, making 76% (38-50) of her tries. The sophomore started 23 of 25 games for Wheaton and notched a pair of double-doubles, while recording double-digit points or rebounds in nine different games.
Keyter started 20 of 23 games and averaged 9.0 points and 4.8 rebounds. The forward registered 34 blocks to place just outside of the program's all-time top 10 marks for a season and ranked fifth among NEWMAC leaders in rejections. The Biochemistry major recorded a pair of double-doubles on the season and netted double-digits in points on 12 occasions. The sophomore was also named the NEWMAC Defensive Athlete of the Week during the season.
Walters battled through injuries during the season, but still managed to average 8.7 points and remained one of the best rebounding guards in the league with 5.4 caroms per game. The Biochemistry major came up with 41 steals for an average of 2.1 thefts per game to rank fifth in the NEWMAC. The guard showed that she could score, putting up 10 or more points on eight occasions.
Wheaton finished the season with a 10-15 overall record, including 2-9 in league play.
