03/03/2009
Roderigue Earns Third Straight NEWMAC All-Conference Honor

WORCESTER, MASS. 3/3/09 - Clark University's Brian Vayda was named Rookie of the Year and two Cougars received All-Star recognition as the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) announced its 2009 basketball honors on Tuesday. It marks the first time a men's basketball player has received rookie of the year honors since Dave McNamara '04 earned the award in 2001.

"I didn't expect to have the season that I had coming in as a freshman," said Vayda, who led the team in rebounds with 7.4 per game. "It feels great to be recognized, but I know that I still have a lot of work to do. I have three seasons ahead of me, so hopefully our team can improve and make a strong run to get back to the NCAA Tournament."

Vayda, a freshman forward from Sturbridge, Mass., started in every game for Clark this season. He produced six double-doubles, 17 double-digit scoring performances and career-highs of 23 points at WPI and 15 boards in a win against then nationally ranked Engineers. Vayda ranked third in scoring (12.4) on the team and finished in the top-10 in the conference.

Vayda was a standout player at Tantasqua Regional High School, where he helped the Warriors to a Division 2 Massachusetts State Championship his junior year and the state finals as a senior. The two-time Most Valuable Player earned the 2008 Central Mass. Player of the Year honor.

Junior Mark Alexander and senior Sarah Roderigue garnered second-team All-Conference recognition.

Originally from Providence, R.I., Alexander earned the All-Conference nod for the third straight season. The Cougars' three-year leading scorer (16.4) also topped the team in assists (4.0), steals (46/1.8) and blocks (17/.7). Alexander notched double-figures in points in 22 of 25 games en route to a fifth place finish in scoring in the conference. This year he surpassed the 1,000-point plateau, becoming the 24th Clark men's basketball player to reach the coveted milestone. Alexander now sits 20th on the program's all-time scoring list with 1,151 points.

Roderigue, a three-time NEWMAC All-Star, also eclipsed the 1,000-point landmark while averaging 14.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. The Oakland, Maine native and two-year captain has led the Cougars in scoring for the past three years and is ranked 11th on Clark's all-time list with 1,314 points. Roderigue finished sixth in the conference in scoring after recording 20 double-figure performances this season. She capped her career with career-highs of 32 points at Wellesley College (1/20/07) and 18 rebounds at Coast Guard (2/27/08) and a D3hoops.com All-Northeast Region second team honor last year.