Three Ravens Earn 
NE-10 Weekly Honors
Leedham named women’s basketball 
Player and Freshman of the Week
Utman named Goaltender of the Week, 
McCarthy Freshman of the Week in ice hockey

RINDGE, N.H. (November 20, 2006) – Three Franklin Pierce winter student-athletes earned weekly honors in their respective sports from the Northeast-10 Conference office this afternoon.

            Freshman Johannah Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England/Cheshire Academy) collected both Player and Freshman of the Week honors for women’s basketball, while junior Spencer Utman (Brockville, Ontario/SUNY-Canton) earned Goaltender of the Week and Joe McCarthy (Whitman, Mass./Boston Jr. Blackhawks) was selected as Freshman of the Week for ice hockey.

            Leedham, the first women’s basketball freshman to sweep both awards since Franklin Pierce joined the NE-10 prior to the 2000-01 season, was impressive in her first two collegiate outings, averaging 23.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.5 blocks for Franklin Pierce at the Doubletree Doc Jacobs Classic. She connected on 57.6-percent (19-of-33) of her shots from the field and converted 8-of-11 (72.7%) free-throw attempts overall.            

Leedham nearly single-handedly led Franklin Pierce to its 62-36 victory over LIU-C.W. Post on Saturday afternoon as she notched her first collegiate double-double in just her second game, totaling a season-best 27 points (11-of-17 shooting from the field) and 11 rebounds to go with three blocks and three steals. She led the Ravens with 20 points, six rebounds and two steals in the Ravens season-opener at Saint Michael’s College.

            Through the first two games of the season, Leedham ranks second in the Northeast-10 in scoring (23.5 ppg), sixth in blocks (1.5), eighth in rebounding (8.5) and 14^th in steals (2.5).

            Franklin Pierce (1-1, 0-0 NE-10) opens its Northeast-10 slate tomorrow evening at Assumption College at 5:30 p.m. The Ravens first home game is Sunday against Bryant University at 1:30 p.m.

Utman, who earns NE-10 Goaltender of the Week honors for the second time this season, averaged 27 saves per game and posted an .890 save percentage in the Ravens 2-1 week. He collected 31 saves in the Ravens 5-3 victory over Worcester State College on Monday and stopped 19 shots in Wednesday’s 4-3 NE-10 win over Assumption College.

In his first season with Franklin Pierce, Utman has totaled 190 saves in 346 minutes played. The junior goaltender ranks third in the Conference with a 3.99 goals against average while his .892 save percentage is fourth-best.

            McCarthy earns Freshman of the Week honors for the second-straight week after posting a goal and two assists for three points in Franklin Pierce’s 2-1 week. McCarthy registered his second goal of the season to lead the Ravens to a 4-3 victory at Assumption, while adding an assist in Monday’s 5-3 win over Worcester State. McCarthy also chipped in an assist in Sunday’s 4-3 overtime setback at Johnson & Wales University.

McCarthy ranks 13^th in the Northeast-10 with four points through his first six collegiate contests on two goals (T-7^th) and two assists. He has totaled two goals and an assist for three points in four ECAC-Northeast games.

Franklin Pierce (3-2-1, 1-0-0 NE-10, 1-2-1 ECAC NE) is off until Wednesday, November 29, when it travels to Suffolk University for a face-off at 8:25 p.m.