Release: Immediate
Contact: Stephen Roulier or Barbara Campanella

WESTERN NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE SOFTBALL TEAM RANKED 10TH IN FINAL DIVISION III POLL

SPRINGFIELD, MA…The Western New England College softball team completed its "Silver Anniversary" in fine fashion by being ranked 10th in the final USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division III poll (released Wednesday, May 28). It is the school’s highest ranking ever in any sport.

"This is a great way to finish the season," said coach Lori Mayhew. "I thought we deserved to be a top 10 team based on our showing in the regionals." Western New England College compiled a 32-7 record this spring that was the second most wins in the school’s 25-year history. It was the program's second straight 30-win campaign. The Golden Bears were 34-9-1 last year.

Western New England College also repeated as Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament champions and captured its first NCAA Division III New England Regional Championship to earn an invitation to Salem, Virginia for the championship finals.

At the NCAA Division III Final Eight Championship, the Golden Bears lost to eventual national

champion Central College (Iowa), 7-0, and Cortland (N.Y.), 2-0.

There are 385 NCAA Division III softball teams in the country.

Western New England College is a private, independent, coeducational institution founded in 1919. Located on an attractive 215-acre suburban campus in Springfield, Massachusetts, the College serves 4,500 students on its main campus and at 17 sites throughout the Commonwealth. Undergraduate and graduate programs are offered through the College’s Schools of Arts and Sciences, Business, Engineering, and Law.

Western New England College - Named among top 100 U.S. colleges considered hidden gems --Washington Post survey.

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