Atkinson became the first freshman in the circuit this season to three-peat as the NEC Rookie of the Week. The Franklin, MA native capped off a two-game week by delivering her fourth hat trick of the season — and her third in the past five games — during Merrimack’s 22-4 triumph against Howard on Saturday. In addition, Atkinson doled out a pair of assists to match a game-best effort and her season-best point output of five points. In two games, the attacker had six points after she handed out an assist in the Warriors’ defeat to Harvard earlier in the week. Atkinson leads Merrimack with 12 dimes, while her 17 goals and 29 points are good for third and second on the squad, respectively. The Warriors have claimed back-to-back NEC Rookie of the Week honorees as Kristina Castellano took home the distinction last week.