The New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference

Babson Park, Mass. - The New England Basketball Hall of Fame announced its 2009 Induction class and a number of the honorees have close ties to the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC). NEWMAC Executive Director, Katie Hersey, a pair of current women's head coaches, Pat Glispin of Clark and Naomi Graves from Springfield, along with a number of former coaches, administrators and alumni will be honored in a ceremony on Friday, October 9 at the Mohegan Sun Hotel in Uncasville, Conn.

Hersey, who has headed up the conference office since 2003, is being honored for her playing career while a student at Amherst College. A four-year member and two-time captain of the Lord Jeffs' women's basketball team, Hersey holds the school's single-game scoring record, courtesy of a 37-point effort against rival Williams as a senior.

A two-time NEWMAC Coach of the Year selection, Glispin has been at Clark for 25 years and is one of just four Division III coaches in New England to win at least 400 career games. Her teams have captured four NEWMAC Tournament titles and advanced to the NCAA Tournament seven times. She also has 11 seasons of at least 20 wins.

Graves is entering her 19^th season as the head coach at Springfield College and 25^th overall. She has compiled an impressive 266-117 record since Springfield joined moved to Division III in 1995. Her teams have won the NEWMAC Tournament Championship in five of the past nine years and she has been named the league's Coach of the Year three times. Graves also spent the first six years of her career as the head coach at WPI.

Former Coast Guard men's head coach, and current Springfield assistant, Pete Broaca, is also among the honorees. Broaca coached the Bears from 1971-1984 and led the team to its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament during the 1978-79 season. That Coast Guard squad earned an induction into the New England Hall of Fame in 2004. His 139 wins are the second most in the Academy's history, behind the recently retired Pete Barry.

Current WPI women's assistant, Kate Lynch, is one of 11 women to be inducted in the Ronald S. Perry category. Lynch graduated from Southern Connecticut State as the school's all-time leader in points (1,779), field goals (650) and free throw percentage (.803). She was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2007 Division II NCAA Tournament while helping lead the Owls to the National Championship that year.

Clark alumna, Tara McGuire, is one of seven inductees, along with Hersey, in the Division III Women's Player category. McGuire helped the Cougars win an NCAA Division III record 36 consecutive games while finishing her career as the third-leading scorer in program history with 1,631 points.

Former Springfield men's coach, Dr. Hal Wissel, has earned induction after a successful career as a college coach and professional scout. Wissel spent four years on the bench at Springfield, from 1986-1990. In his career, Wissel won over 300 games and captured the 1981 Division II NCAA Championship with Florida Southern College. He also has a wealth of experience as an NBA assistant coach and scout.

The final inductee is longtime Clark Athletic Director and coach Russ Granger. Granger is receiving special recognition for his 47 years of work with the annual Clark High School Basketball Tournament.

Also being honored at Friday's ceremony is MIT men's coach, Larry Anderson, who has been named the New England Division III Coach of the Year by the Hall of Fame. Anderson was tabbed as the 2009 NEWMAC Coach of the Year, after guiding his team to a program-record tying 21 wins, including a dramatic, first round upset of Rhode Island College in the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Tickets for the event, which begins at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, have sold out. More information on the New England Basketball Hall of Fame and the inductees can be found here.

Hersey, Glispin and Graves Among NEWMAC Inductees to New England Hall of Fame