Kristin Hensinger ‘07 Named CCC Co-Coach of the Year
Former Western New England captain led Golden Bears to 7-2 CCC record in 2017
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (October 27, 2017) – Second year Head Coach Kristin Hensinger '07 of the Western New England University women's soccer team has been named the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Co-Coach of the Year, the league office announced on Friday along with its major award winners and All-Conference teams.
Hensinger, who shares Coach of the Year honors with Endicott's Jodi Kenyon, led the Golden Bears to a 7-2 record in CCC play (9-7-2 overall) and the third seed in the CCC Tournament, which gets underway on Saturday. Western New England was picked eighth in the CCC Preseason Coaches' Poll after posting a 6-11-3 mark (3-5-1 CCC) last fall.
Under Hensinger's leadership, the Golden Bears have enjoyed a resurgence this season. Western New England's league finish represents its best since 2010, when the team also placed third in the standings with a 10-3 record.
The Golden Bears have gone 6-2 at Suprenant Field with key wins over Wentworth and Roger Williams on October 11 and 17, respectively. On the road, Western New England earned a 1-0 victory at the University of New England on September 16, and later secured an impressive 1-1 result at No. 23 nationally ranked Western Connecticut State University on October 3, snapping the Colonials' 11-game winning streak to open the season.
Western New England has been one of the stingiest teams in the CCC all year, with a CCC-leading 1.03 goals against average.
Six of Hensinger's student-athletes earned All-CCC honors, including freshman forward Morgan Smith (Manchester, Conn.), who was named the CCC Rookie of the Year, as well as sophomore goalkeeper Alex Lemekha (Stamford, Conn.) and senior forward Brooke Labrie (Granby, Mass.), who both received All-CCC first team accolades.
Junior defender Erin Grimes (Attleboro, Mass.), senior midfielder Danielle Dixon (Plainville, Conn.) and senior defender Marielle Caron (East Longmeadow, Mass.) were also recognized by the CCC.
A 2007 graduate of Western New England, Hensinger majored in psychology and was a four-year member of the women's soccer program. She was a four-time All-Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) selection, earning GNAC Tournament MVP honors as a senior in 2006 after leading the Golden Bears to the conference title and an appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Hensinger, who also served as team captain during her senior year, was inducted into Western New England's Downes Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015.
The Golden Bears (9-7-2) host sixth-seeded UNE tomorrow in the quarterfinal round of the CCC Tournament at 1:30 p.m.
