Athletes

In 2006, Chelsea Newton, as a member of the Chicago Sky, recorded a career-high six steals versus her old team, the Sacramento Monarchs. The year before, Newton helped lead her first Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team, the Sacramento Monarchs, to their first WNBA championship in 2005. During the 2005-2006 winter break, Newton helped lead her team, the Lotos Gdynia of the Polish Women's Basketball League, to the championship game. As a rookie during the 2005 season, Newton started in all 34 regular-season games and all eight playoff games. During that season, she was named the Big East Defensive Player of the Year and the All-Big East Third Team (2004-2005). At Rutgers University, Newton was known as the heart and soul of the Scarlet Knights, helping them to earn the title of 2005 regular-season- champions. That season, she was named the 2005 Big East Defensive Player of the Year, to the All-Big East third team and Met Basketball Writers Association All-First Team and was a candidate for the Naismith National Player of the Year preseason award. During her high school career, Newton, who used to also run track and field, was a three-time first-team all-state athlete, was twice named Northeast Louisiana Player of the Year and had her basketball jersey retired. (10/06)