SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Nichols College placed 18 student-athletes on the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Fall 2012 Academic All-Conference Team. The women's tennis squad led all Bison teams with seven student-athletes while the field hockey team saw six student-athletes recognized and the women's tennis team had five.

Graduate student Kimberly Cummings (Woodbridge, Va.) led the women's soccer squad, along with juniors Shelby Aminti (Pepperell, Mass.) and Gabriella Sarkis (Springfield, Mass.), and sophomores Michelle Gardner (Ayer, Mass.), Sam MacMillan (Bridgewater, Mass.), Kelsey Murphy (Maynard, Mass.) and Kim Whalen (Dedham, Mass.). Overall, the University of New England and Endicott topped the list with 11 student-athletes, followed by Curry and Gordon (10), Salve Regina and Roger Williams (nine), Nichols (seven), Eastern Nazarene (six), Wentworth (four) and Western New England (two).

Senior and CCC Player of the Year Emily Widdison (Greenfield, Mass.) joined sophomore and CCC First Team selection Jenn Townsend (Wethersfield, Conn.) on the field hockey academic squad. Also honored were senior Leah Hartwell (East Bridgewater, Mass.) and sophomores Rachel Dalrymple (Belvidere, N.J.), Molly Melanson (Simsbury, Conn.) and Andrea Wilson (Bedford, N.H.). Endicott led all schools with 10 student-athletes on the squad, followed by Gordon (eight), University of New England (seven), Western New England and Nichols (six), and Salve Regina (four).

Seniors Alex Cifone (Bristol, Conn.) and Megan Woodruff (Morris, Conn.) were each honored on the women's tennis team. Joining the two were junior and CCC Player of the Year Anna Dyakiv (Amsterdam, N.Y.) and sophomores Katie Malloy (Norwell, Mass.) and Samantha Rydell (Williamstown, Mass.). Western New England placed eight on the team, followed by Eastern Nazarene and Nichols (five), Roger Williams, Salve Regina and Endicott (four), Curry (three) and Wentworth (two).

“I congratulate the members of the CCC All-Academic team and am very proud of our student-athletes for their pursuit of excellence in the classroom, in sport and for their contributions in our community,” said Nichols Director of Athletics Charlie Robert.

A total of 317student-athletes from the conference's 10 member institutions were honored for their academic achievements. The academic all-conference honor rewards varsity student-athletes who attain a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 (on a 4.0 scale) or higher. The fall academic all-conference team encompasses student-athletes who participated in the sports of men's and women's cross country, field hockey, men's and women's soccer, women's tennis, and volleyball.

Of the honorees, 69 were a first team, second team, or honorable mention All-CCC selections in their sport. Below is a complete list of the Nichols College student-athletes who were honored.

		Field Hockey
Name	Cl.	Major	Hometown
Rachel Dalrymple	So.	Sport Management	Belvidere, N.J.
Leah Hartwell	Sr.	Sport Management	East Bridgewater, Mass.
Molly Melanson	So.	International Business	Simsbury, Conn.
Jenn Townsend	So.	Sport Management	Wethersfield, Conn.
Emily Widdison	Sr.	Accounting & Finance	Greenfield, Conn.
Andrea Wilson	So.	Business Communication	Bedford, N.H.
		Women's Soccer
Name	Cl.	Major	Hometown
Shelby Aminti	Jr.	Marketing	Pepperell, Mass.
Kimberly Cummings	Gr.	Accounting & Finance	Woodbridge, Va.
Michelle Gardner	So.	Finance	Ayer, Mass.
Sam MacMillan	So.	Undecided	Bridgewater, Mass.
Kelsey Murphy	So.	Psychology	Maynard, Mass.
Gabriella Sarkis	Jr.	Marketing	Springfield, Mass.
Kim Whalen	So.	Criminal Justice	Dedham, Mass.
		Women's Tennis
Name	Cl.	Major	Hometown
Alex Cifone	Sr.	Marketing / Sport Management	Bristol, Conn.
Anna Dyakiv	Jr.	Sport Management/Int'l Business	Amsterdam, N.Y.
Katie Malloy	So.	Undecided	Norwell, Mass.
Samantha Rydell	So.	Marketing	Williamstown, Mass.
Megan Woodruff	Sr.	Business Communication	Morris, Conn.