SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (December 8, 2025) – Four winter sport athletes, representing women's basketball, men's wrestling, women's swimming, and women's wrestling, have been named Golden Bear Athletes of the Week following a dominant week for Western New England Athletics, all leading to wins of their own kind throughout the week. 

Women's basketball's Sophie Hedge picks up honors this week after scoring at least 15 points in all three of Western New England's wins this week. Hedge opened the week by recording a career-high 24 points, shooting 9/15 from the field, going 4/6 from the outside. Hedge also picked up six rebounds and a steal for the Golden Bears in the 74-62 Conference of New England victory over the University of Hartford. Just 24 hours later, Hedge dominated the offense again, helping the Golden Bears smoke the Blazers of Elms College, defeating Elms by a final score of 95-54. In just 14 minutes played, the WNE junior picked up 15 points on 5/6 shooting, going an efficient 3/3 from three-point land, while grabbing three rebounds and an assist in the victory. To round out the week, Hedge dropped another 15 points, shooting 6/11 from the floor against the Owls of Westfield State. She recorded eight rebounds, three assists, and a steal for the Blue and Gold in another convincing victory to wrap up the weekend and the first semester of play.  Through the first ten games of the season, Hedge is averaging over 14 points per game, while also averaging over seven rebounds a game. 

James Linder had a dominant weekend on the mat for the Western New England men's wrestling team, going 3-0 at Rhode Island College and a pair of home matches against Hunter College and Roger Williams University. Linder opened the weekend with a Friday night victory over Saliou Job of Rhode Island College, a 5-4 decision victory, helping WNE pick up a dual victory, 28-14, over the Anchormen. Linder and the Golden Bears returned home for a tri-match with Hunter College and Roger Williams University on Saturday afternoon where Linder dominated the 149 lb. weight class, going 2-0 against both Hawk teams, getting a sudden victory win over Hunter's Jayden Medina, picking up a takedown in overtime to come up with the win, and then earning an 8-4 decision victory over Nick Fatone of Roger Williams University, going 3-0 on the weekend overall. Linder has victories in his last six matches and is 9-6 on the season.

Alexandra Watroba helped lead the Western New England women's swimming team to a fourth-place finish at this past weekend's Bridgewater State University Invitational. Watroba helped the WNE 200-yard medley relay open the invite with a second-place finish in 1:57.85. Individually, Watroba placed second overall in the 400 Yard IM event, swimming in 5:01.43, picking up 13 points overall for the Golden Bears in the race. The West Springfield, Massachusetts native continued with a sixth-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke event, swimming in 1:07.51. To cap off her individual races, Watroba earned a first-place finish in the 200-yard backstroke, swimming in 2:20.99, two seconds faster than the second-place finisher. The first-place finish is the first in the event of the season for Watroba and the second overall first-place finish for the season in any event. To round out the invitational, the WNE junior helped the Golden Bears women's swimming team earn another second-place finish in a relay event, this time coming in the 400-yard freestyle relay, coming in 3:54.85. 

Maddie Ripley impressed in the 117 lb. weight class for the WNE women's wrestling team this past weekend, earning a first-place finish at The New Standard Invitational. Ripley opened with a bye in the first match of the day and then took down Taylor Mazzoni of Delaware Valley University in just 18 seconds, getting a fall victory in the round of 16. In the quarterfinal round, Ripley needed just 11 seconds to defeat Janyla Anderson of Apprentice College, getting another fall win to advance to the semifinal round. Third-seeded Ripley took just 59 seconds to pick up her third fall win of the afternoon, this time defeating second-seeded Gisele Ramirez of York College of Pennsylvania, getting into the championship match of the weight class. In the finals, Ripley matched with Delaney Bisaillion of Ithaca College and got her fourth fall victory of the invitational, and won the weight class with a pin in 48 seconds, claiming the 117 lb. weight class. With her four wins this weekend, Ripley improves to 14-1 on the season. 

At the break, the Western New England women's basketball team sits 7-3 overall, with a 1-1 mark early in the Conference of New England schedule.
WNE men's wrestling continues its schedule this coming Saturday, December 13, at 9:00 AM at the Scott Viera Open. 
WNE women's swimming takes a month off from competition before hosting Rhode Island College on Friday, January 9, at the Anthony S. Caprio Alumni Healthful Living Center at 6:00 PM. 
WNE women's wrestling will head to the 2026 NWCA National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa, at the UNI Dome for a weekend of action on January 9 and January 10.