HADLEY, Mass. – Six student-athletes from the NESCAC were selected for the 2022-23 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-American At-Large teams. Middlebury women's lacrosse players Jane Earley and Hope Shue along with fellow Panther Charlotte Marks of the field hockey team garnered spots on the Second Team while Amherst golfer Jessica Huang and women's lacrosse athletes Becca Gable of Tufts and Erica Barr of Middlebury landed on the Third Team.
The At-Large grouping consists of sports that do not have a designated award for their sport, as At-Large consists of sports such as lacrosse, field hockey, golf, skiing, gymnastics, fencing, water polo, ice hockey, and rowing.
Earley claimed a multitude of on-field accolades this season, including being named the Division III Honda Athlete of the Year as well as the IWLCA National Player and Attacker of the Year for the second-straight season. She was also a First-Team All-American, First-Team All-Region honoree, the NESCAC Player of the Year, and an All-NESCAC First Team selection. Earley became the first Middlebury player in program history to eclipse the 100-point mark in a season and led the conference in points (106) and draw controls (138), while ranking second in goals (74) and assists (32). The attacker concluded her Middlebury career with 217 goals, 290 points, and 257 draw controls, each ranking second in the program record books.
Shue was named the NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player after scoring 11 goals to go along with four assists during the national semifinal and final to help the Panther claim their third straight NCAA title. The attacker broke the Middlebury single-season record for goals with 83, which also led the NESCAC. She finished second on the squad in points (105). The neuroscience major was named the Elite 90 winner at this year's NCAA Championship. The award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average (GPA) participating at the site of the finals.
Marks became the first Panther in program history to be named the NFHCA Division III National Scholar-Athlete. She is a three-time NFHCA National Academic Team and a three-time NESCAC All-Academic honoree. The molecular biology and biochemistry major was also selected as an NFHCA Scholar of Distinction for a grade point average of 3.90 or higher. The defender started every game this season and registered the second-most minutes on the team (1,215). She anchored a defensive unit that allowed a NESCAC-best 0.54 goals per game and recorded 13 shutouts as the Panthers captured their fifth straight NCAA title.
Huang is the first Amherst golfer to earn Academic All-America honors. She is a mathematics major with a 3.97 GPA and is a two-time All-American. Huang finished third or better in the first eight tournaments the Mammoths played in and tied for fourth at the NCAA Division III Women's Golf Championship, matching the best individual finish at the NCAAs in Amherst history and helping the Mammoths place eighth overall. Huang was the individual runner-up at the NESCAC Championship and earned NESCAC Co-Golfer of the Year honors in 2023.
Gable earned Third Team honors after having another stellar season on defense for the Jumbos, while adding a 3.92 grade point average in biochemistry. Gable is the first At-Large honoree for the Tufts women's lacrosse team in 2021.
Barr ended her career by scooping up IWLCA National Defender of the Year and NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year accolades. She was also named to the All-American, All-Region, and All-NESCAC First Teams. In this season's national championship game, Barr caused seven turnovers which tied a program single-game record. She also became both the Middlebury single-season (48) and career (110) leader in caused turnovers during the title tilt. Barr led the Panthers in caused turnovers (14) in the NCAA Tournament and was third in draw controls (14). The economics major also paced the Panthers with 42 groundballs, which was second in the NESCAC. The senior finished second on the team in draw controls with 76 and ended her career third in the Middlebury record books with 220.
The Division III Academic All-America® program is being financially supported by the NCAA Division III national governance structure to assist CSC with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2022-23 Division III Academic All-America® program.
