Ballon-Landa named NESCAC Rookie of the Year; Vandermeer, two other Ephs honored

HADLEY, MA — Williams College head coach Fran Vandermeer was named the New England Small College Athletic Conference Coach of the Year for the second year in a row Wednesday and three of her players were named All-Conference.

Vandermeer, in her eighth season at Williams, has guided the Ephs to a 27-7 record to date heading into the first round of the NCAA Tournament New England Regional tomorrow at MIT. This season she became the all-time winningest coach in Williams history and currently has a 225-59 record.

The Ephs won their seventh NESCAC Tournament title last weekend — their first since 2004 — by knocking off top-seeded Amherst in the championship match, three games to two. They are making their eighth appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 1994.

Williams first-year Nicole Ballon-Landa was named the 2007 NESCAC Rookie of the Year, while sophomores Alisha Cahlan and Melissa Pun both garnered First Team All-NESCAC honors and Ballon-Landa was selected Second Team All-NESCAC.

Pun and Cahlan were each Second Team All-NESCAC selections in 2006.  

Cahlan currently ranks among the league leaders in hitting percentage at .260, while Pun, the 2006 NESCAC Rookie of the Year, is eighth in the conference in kills with 3.07 per game and 10th in digs at 4.35

Ballon-Landa, a first year MB, is in the midst of a stellar campaign for the Ephs. She is currently third in the league in hitting percentage at .277, the highest percentage by any first-year player, while placing fifth in the conference in blocks at an even 1.0 per game. She has also contributed 2.76 kills per game and 29 service aces for Williams.

Click here for 2007 NESCAC All-Conference Teams. 

Fran Vandermeer	Alisha Cahlan	Melissa Pun	Nicole Ballon-Landa