Women’s Notebook – Major award and All-Star picks
By Stephen Zerdelian
The end of the regular season is upon us and with that, it’s time to celebrate the best the region has to offer. All three conferences will soon name their major award winners and all-stars but let’s jump the gun here and name ours (well, mine). For brevities sake, this space will select (for each league) a Player, Coach and Rookie of the Year, along with five All-Stars (aside of the Player of the Year). This exercise is always dauting and proved to be once again.
The criteria used to select recipients includes seasonal performance, importance to the team and overall team success. No formula is perfect but balance here was the goal.
Going alphabetically…
Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference
Player of the Year – Jess Huber, Sciences
Rookie of the Year – Emily Chmiel, Chestnut Hill
Coach of the Year – Jim Connolly, Chestnut Hill
All-Stars
Anyssa Fields, Georgian Court
Sha’Raya Haines, Post
Briana Lee, Felician
Haley Meinel, Jefferson
Cassie Sebold, Chestnut Hill
As time went along, the CACC Player of the Year became clear, as Jess Huber grabbed the University of the Sciences by the lapels and dragged them to what should be another 20-win season and an NCAA bid. Huber exploded for a program-record 45 points against Goldey-Beacom, shooting 14-22 from the floor and 6-11 from long-range, and netting 32 points in the second half alone. It is ironic that she sets the record about a month before the program closes shop for good, but the rest of the season gives us all a chance to enjoy watching the 5-10 lefty in action… Chestnut Hill’s best season ever in Division II (by a huge margin) means they are in the hardware, with Jim Connolly and Emily Chmiel claiming Coach and Rookie of the Year honors. Connolly has worked wonders with the Griffins this winter and has them in the picture for the CACC title and a certain NCAA bid. There have been more than a few very good coaching jobs turned in around the CACC (Jon Plefka at Post, Steve Fagan of Felician, Jackie Hartzell at Sciences and Tom Shirley at Jefferson are among them) but the jump CHC has taken this year earns Connolly my nod… The 6-2 Chmiel helped pick up the slack when CHC’s center, Leah Miller, went down with injury, and despite not starting a single game, has made a massive difference for the Griffins. In a team packed with experience, Chmiel has proven to be a valuable addition.
The CACC All-Stars feature a raft of players that can take over a game at the drop of a hat and have displayed leadership and poise all season… Fields has continued to grow her game in her second season and has been a dependable and explosive player for the rising Lions… Haynes is a potent scorer with range and ball-handling skills that dazzles at times. Post is nowhere near the top of the North Division without her drive and competitiveness… Lee’s season has been terrific, as she is among the scoring and rebounding leaders in the loop. She gets to the line a ton, scores in bunches and is a primary reason the Golden Falcons are enjoying their best campaign in more than a decade… Meinel is one of a handful of Rams to have turned in solid seasons and her activity level all over the floor makes a real difference for the Rams… Sebold may not be the most eye-catching player on the Chestnut Hill roster but her myriad of skills and leadership has been central to their sensational season.
East Coast Conference
Player of the Year – Katie Titus, Daemen
Rookie of the Year –Sarah Ericson, St. Thomas Aquinas
Coach of the Year – Jenepher Banker, Daemen
All-Stars
Gabriela Aspuru, Molloy
Dimitra Gkizani, Roberts Wesleyan
Alexa Huertas, St. Thomas Aquinas
Sara Pfeiffer, D’Youville
Katie Wall, Mercy
Katie Titus was ticketed for ECC Player of the Year honors by the league in the pre-season and has done nothing to dispel that notion. The 6-foot senior leads the league in scoring, is a great foul shooter, can make the triple and rebounds with the best of them. She’s had big games this season (four games of 30+ points) along with being consistent. If Daemen is to claim the ECC playoff title and make a real run at another regional title, one suspects Titus will be right in the middle of the action… It can be easy to forget that with high expectations comes pressure, but Daemen’s Jenepher Banker has handled that with aplomb this year and gets my Coach of the Year award. The Wildcats won their first 14 league games and are on track to be the ECC’s #1 seed, and while it’s simple to think that since she has a lot of talent on the roster, it’s easy to win, that’s not the case – it may be even harder to do it when anything less would constitute a disappointment. Banker had a lot of company in my consideration (Molloy’s Joe Pellicane, Mercy’s Scott Laggis, STAC’s Bill Cleary, D’Youville’s Payce Lange and UDC’s John Nakpodia all deserve mention) but edges the field thanks to keeping a favorite where they were expected to be… Rookie of the Year boiled down to Queens’s Jennah DeGout and St. Thomas Aquinas’ Sarah Ericson, and I went with the latter. Ericson has played a pivotal role in the Spartans rise in the standings, especially after the holiday break, as her combination of scoring, three-point potency and ball-distribution has stood out.
The ECC All-Stars were not easy to select, since a lot of different players made their marks at different times this winter, but I had to draw the line somewhere… Aspuru has been the key to Molloy’s recent rise, as her ability to dominate the paint makes the Lions offense dangerous and their defense stifling… Gkizani supplies interior power for the Redhawks (nine double-doubles thus far this season) and does the dirty work any contender needs. Her best stretch coincided with RWC’s recent nine-game win streak, which was no coincidence…Huertas is the most important player on the Spartans roster, illustrated by the fact they started 1-5 in her absence. STAC has turned it around since the calendar flipped to ’22 and her return to prominence is a major part of that… Pfeiffer is among the best long-range shooters in the region and, other than a few quiet games, she’s been terrific for the Saints. Her 40-point bomb against Bridgeport got everyone’s attention but she’s handled the spotlight with composure… Wall’s season has remained consistent despite her team hitting the metaphorical wall a few weeks ago. That doesn’t change the fact her contributions are critical to the unit nor that she is among the ECC’s most versatile players.
Northeast-10 Conference
Player of the Year – Peyton Steinman, Saint Anselm
Rookie of the Year – Gabby Turco, Saint Anselm
Coach of the Year – Karen Pinkos, Southern New Hampshire
All-Stars
Emma Carter, Franklin Pierce
Jessica Fressle, Southern Connecticut
Meg Knollmeyer, Southern New Hampshire
Kayla Raymond, Stonehill
Lauren Schetter, Pace
I went around and around for Player of the Year and wasn’t about to cop out and pick co-POY’s, which would have been more than understandable given the circumstances. In the end, I went with Saint Anselm’s Peyton Steinman over Pace’s Lauren Schetter but, my gosh, it was close. Steinman is the region’s best at getting buckets but does so much else for the Hawks. According to the league stats, she is in the top 10 in 16 different categories (some are duplicative, but still…), an indication of her value and wide-ranging impact. Naturally, her 40 and 43-point games this season garnered massive attention but even though opponents know how dangerous she is, Steinman just keeps producing. The 5-8 senior gives the Hawks a chance in any game they play, and, for me, her explosiveness is the ultimate difference... Coach of the Year was a three-woman chase that ends up in Karen Pinkos’ hands. The Southern New Hampshire mentor is on track to guide the program to their best season ever and claim an NCAA bid for the first time in more than three decades. This season marks the first time the Penmen have ever won a divisional crown in the NE10 and they certainly deserved it. Mary Grimes (Le Moyne) and Carrie Seymour (Pace) have also done magnificent jobs this season and dueled for the Southwest Division title until the final week. Either would be a worthy recipient in a highly competitive league… Rookie of the Year was a straightforward choice. With all due respect to all the other candidates, Saint Anselm’s Gabby Turco is the selection. Riding shotgun to Steinman, Turco has been brilliant from the start, scoring from everywhere on the court and adding a dash of everything else to the mix. Taken separately, Turco should receive consideration for NE10 All-Star status, indicative of her ability to influence a game.
As for the NE10 All-Stars, let’s start in Rindge, with Franklin Pierce’s Carter. Her season started with a burst and stayed hot, as her ability to score, create and lead shined brightly for the Ravens. The toll of the season has shown of late, but Carter hasn’t dropped her level of play very much and her team has reaped the benefit… Fressle (who recently hit the 1,000-point plateau) never seems to leave the floor for the Owls and finds ways to contribute at both ends. She has length, scores in a variety of ways, rebounds, and leads her team with a minimum of fuss. Every team could use a player of her caliber… Knollmeyer, out for the moment with an injury, has been an integral part of SNHU’s success. The former NYIT star is one of the nations’ best rebounders, scores at a regular clip and can defend as well as anyone in the region. At her best, she can decide a game and Penmen fans can only hope she recovers quickly… Raymond is a smooth, skillful forward that sparkles in every aspect of the game. She can score, make the trey (seven in a win at Bentley), board and create. Injury has dented her season but there is no doubt the Stonehill star belongs among the elite… Schetter’s season is among the best in Pace history, and that’s saying something. Her overall ability and importance to the Setters this season is obvious to anyone who has watched them for a single minute. Schetter scores, gets to the line, rebounds, distributes, and defends, all while being ultra-consistent.
That’s my say but ask me tomorrow (or next week) and it may change, such has been the nature of this wacky season. Any feedback is more than welcome, so feel free to reach out at Anfield13@aol.com and let me know what you think about this, or any, of my columns.