Marlboro, MA --- WPI women's basketball junior Ava Hyams (Kearny, NJ) has been selected as the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Women's Basketball Defensive Athlete of the Week for the week ending February 22nd.

Joining Hyams in this week's conference recognition was Dorothy Stotts of Coast Guard, who garnered Offensive Athlete of the Week accolades.

Hyams keyed WPI's defensive effort during a 2-0 week, pulling down 13 boards while contributing 19 points. The junior forward compiled seven rebounds in the Engineers' wire-to-wire victory over Wellesley on Wednesday before adding six more in WPI's win over Clark. Hyams anchored a defensive unit that limited opponents to just 37.0 points per game on 29.0% shooting from the field and a mere 12.5% from beyond the arc. The Crimson and Gray also maintained a commanding +13.5 rebounding margin across the two victories.

This week's honor marks Hyams' first career NEWMAC weekly award and is the first for the Crimson and Gray during this season.

The Engineers open the postseason stint on Wednesday venturing down Park Avenue to Clark for the NEWMAC Tournament semifinal at 7pm.

NEWMAC Release