Augusta Dixon ’24.5 of Middlebury women’s basketball was named NESCAC player of the week on Jan. 8. Dixon earned the honor after helping the Panthers to a 3–0 week, including a pair of NESCAC wins. She averaged an impressive 12.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game during the week.
“It’s a huge honor,” Dixon said, in reference to the award. “The whole team has been working hard this year and I’ve been working on my game a lot, so it’s nice to get league-wide recognition.”
Dixon put up a career high of 19 points against Hamilton College, and followed that outing with a double-double (10 points, 12 rebounds) against tenth-ranked Amherst College. Despite her terrific performances, Dixon was surprised when she read that she had been tabbed the best player in the conference for the week.
“One of my teammates texted in our team group chat, and I was definitely shocked when I first found out, but I was also very excited,” Dixon said.
Dixon’s impressive week was a continuation of what has been a strong season for the player so far. Dixon is ranked 18th in the NESCAC in points per game with 10.5 and leads the league in rebounds per game with a 10.2 average A weapon on both ends of the court, Dixon also ranks high in steals and blocked shots, helping the Panthers limit opponents to a league-low 50.7 points per game.
The Panthers have started the season off strong with a 12–6 overall record and a 4–1 record in NESCAC play at the time of writing. With the combination of Dixon and Alexa Mustafaj ’25, the team boasts a serious dual-threat offense to complement their stout defense, which has forced a league-leading 19.4 turnovers per game.
Dixon attributes the team’s success to their defensive intensity and growing chemistry over the years.“We’ve been locked in playing championship level defense all year, which has helped us hold teams below their scoring average,” she said. “Spending time together has also helped. Our starting seven has been together for three years now, so that chemistry has helped build that perfect click on the court.”
The Panthers face off next against Bates College at home on Friday, Jan. 26, at 7 p.m. in Pepin Gymnasium.
