SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (March 27, 2025) – Four student-athletes from the Western New England women's basketball team and one from WNE men's basketball have earned recognition from the College Sports Communicators (CSC) organization, named to the 2024-2025 Academic All-District Team. 

In order to be recognized by the College Sports Communicators organization, a student-athlete must obtain a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale. The student-athlete must also be a sophomore academically and contribute to 90% of the team's games or be a starter in 66% of the games this season.

Women's basketball's Nora Young, a graduate-student transfer from American International College (AIC), joined the Golden Bears this season and made an immediate impact on the court as well as in the classroom. On the hardwood, Young played in all 29 games for the WNE, making starts in the final two games of the season, both in the NCAA Tournament. Young averaged just under 20 minutes per game, shooting 42% from the field while scoring 179 total points for the Golden Bears this season. Young was also a defensive force for the blue and gold totaling 41 offensive rebounds and 91 defensive rebounds, coming away with 132 on the season, third most on the team. Young also had 53 assists, 22 steals, and 15 blocks overall. Between her four seasons at AIC and one season with WNE, Young scored a total of 737 points. 

Junior Paige Winter also played in all 29 games for Western New England during the season. Winter notched career highs in every statistical category this season, including minutes played (485), field goals made (37), three-pointers made (26), free throws made (26) and attempted (39), rebounds (52), assists (76), blocks (7), steals (20) and total points for the season (126), Winter's 76 assists were the third highest this season for the Golden Bears. 

Senior Emma Novajasky has been honored by the CSC organization after playing in 27 games for the blue and gold this season, making 24 starts. Novajasky shot 46% from the field this season, sinking 169 total points. The Farmington, Connecticut native also pulled down 118 rebounds, averaging over four rebounds per game, which sat fourth overall on the team. Over her four-year career at Western New England, Novajasky has totaled 433 points and 309 rebounds over 90 games played, including 34 starts. Novajasky also registered 83 assists and 53 steals at WNE, including career highs with 35 assists and 25 steals in 2024-2025. 

Junior Perry Blasetti played in 28 of 20 games for the Golden Bears this year, making two starts. Blasetti is honored for the first time in her career by the College Sports Communicators organization. The Hingham, Massachusetts native dropped 143 points this season for the Golden Bears, including a career-high of 11 points twice, coming in two road Conference of New England (CNE) victories, at Endicott College and at the University of Hartford. Other career highs for Blasetti this season include minutes played, field goals made (51), field goals attempted (128), three-pointers made (14), rebounds (94), assists (25), blocks (6), and steals (23). Blasetti helped the Golden Bears rank fourth in rebound margin this season in NCAA DIII while also leading the Golden Bears to an average of just over 27 points per game from bench points, ranking first in the CNE and 22^nd in the nation. 

On the men's side, junior Nate Kasper earns honors this season, playing in all 30 games for the blue and gold, making one start. Kasper helped the Golden Bears earn their first-ever win in an NCAA Tournament game and helped WNE capture the Conference of New England title, the team's first conference title in the Commonwealth Coast Conference/Conference of New England era. Kasper poured in plenty of career highs during his junior campaign, including minutes played (568), field goals made (61), field goal percentage (.575), free throws made (54), rebounds (74), assists (59), blocks (7), steals (22) and points scored (181). Kasper scored in double figures four times this season, including once in the CNE playoffs, dropping 12 points on 6/6 shooting against Roger Williams University and went 5/8 from the floor against Montclair State University in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Kasper, the finance major, is honored by the CSC for the first time in his career. 

This is the first time since 2020 in which the Golden Bears have received all-region academic honors from the College Sports Communicators.