NESCAC Softball Player of the Week 
Jen Westphal - Middlebury - Sr. - C - Westport, Conn.
Westphal excelled when it mattered most for the Panthers. In the bottom of the 11th inning against Colby in the conference semifinals, the senior lifted a walk-off home run over the left-field wall to seal a 6-4 victory. Westphal reached base four times over the three-game weekend and had four total runs batted in while scoring twice. She also flashed the leather defensively, recording 17 putouts and an assist while splitting time at first base and catcher. Westphal leads the Panthers and ranks second in the NESCAC in RBI with 40.

NESCAC Softball Pitcher of the Week
Emily Dowd - Middlebury - Sr. - Fairfield, Conn.
Dowd was a star in the circle, going 3-0 on the weekend to help lead Middlebury to their first conference title since 2011. The rookie surrendered just four runs alongside 14 strikeouts to just four walks over 16 innings of work. Her strongest performance came in the NESCAC Semifinals against Colby. Entering the game in the top of the fourth with a 4-3 deficit, the Panther kept the Mules' offense quiet, allowing no runs and striking out eight over eight frames to help seal a 6-4 marathon win in 11 innings. It was the longest outing of the season for any Middlebury pitcher. Over the three contests, Dowd became the program’s single-season wins leader (14) and is three strikeouts away from breaking the program record total in a campaign.