Unpack the NEWMAC

In honor of Women's History Month and National Girls & Women in Sports Day, we brought together all seven of the NEWMAC’s women athletic directors for a convo on leadership, representation, & their journeys in college athletics.

On this episode, we talk with retired Springfield men's lacrosse head coach Keith Bugbee, his successor Sean Quirk, and Sean's son and assistant coach Kaden Quirk, who both played for Bugbee at Springfield. We discussed how Bugbee maintained success over more than four decades and the responsibility of carrying that torch after his retirement.

On this episode, we talk to Mount Holyoke alum, Cathleen Pruden. Pruden was an All-American swimmer and an NCAA Woman of the Year Top-30 honoree. Now the head swimming & diving coach at Trinity College (Texas), Pruden delves into her journey to becoming a successful head coach and the lessons she has learned along the way.

It's Officials Appreciation Week, and we are excited to chat with women's basketball official Ashley Rivera about her start in officiating and what advice she has for those looking to join the officiating ranks!

In honor of the holiday season, we put together some of our favorite Unpack the NEWMAC moments!

On this episode, Smith Women's Basketball coach Lynn Hersey talks about Smith's incredible run, including back-to-back NCAA National Championship appearances, sustaining success, and how she keeps raising the bar.

On this episode, we're joined by one of the most decorated players in Division III history and a true NEWMAC legend — Babson’s Joey Flannery. From four-time NEWMAC Player of the Year to national champion and now a 2025 Small College Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, Joey’s story is one of excellence, leadership, and lifelong connection to the game.

In honor of Officials Appreciation Week, we chatted with NCAA volleyball referee Wade DuBois. He has been officiating for 37 years, across all three NCAA divisions, including the Division I women's Final Four in 2021. He offers great insight into officiating and advice for those looking to get into the field.

On this episode we catch up with MIT women's volleyball alum, Dr. Ali Lowe, who was recently inducted into the College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Hall of Fame. Dr. Lowe is now an Associate Professor at Pathology at Stanford University School of Medicine, as well as an award-winning researcher. We are also joined by MIT women's volleyball head coach Paul Dill, who coached Dr. Lowe Ali at MIT, and is now celebrating his 30th year with the program.

Get a glimpse behind the scenes of MIT's Women's Swimming & Diving National Championship as we chat with head coach Meg French, Diving Coach Gabe Bamforth, swimmer Kate Augustyn and diver Rachel Loh.