Women's Notebook - Awards and All-Stars primer, conference races and more

Women’s Notebook – Award and All-Star primer

By Stephen Zerdelian

Don’t call this a preview – a primer is more like it. I don’t claim to know more than the coaches doing the voting but as we approach the end of the regular season, awards and all-star teams start to become more of a thing. Not that a lot of it is clear; in fact, much of it is cloudy. The balance and competitiveness of each of the regional conferences means that there are a lot of potential candidates for honors and very little certainty. 

Keep in mind that this is just one person’s opinion. Hopefully I won’t miss any real candidates as I take a check on each league and possibilities for major awards and all-star teams. I’ll keep it to Player, Rookie and Coach of the Year, though – since I never know the criteria for Defensive Player of the Year, I find it best to stay away from that one.

Ok, here we go. Let’s start with the conference likely to provide at least half of the NCAA regional field, the Northeast10 Conference.

I'd say there are three major candidates for Player of the Year but a glut of choices for all-star teams. Given how wacky the season has been in the NE10, ‘favorite’ status changes regularly. Along with statistical profiles (which are part of the reckoning but which I’ll stay away from leaning on), I consider how well a players’ team is doing, and their role within that structure. As such, my main options are Lytoya Baker (Le Moyne), Adriana Timberlake (Southern New Hampshire) and Taylor Tomlinson (AIC).

Each of the candidates are central parts of teams in the mix for league and regional honors. Baker is the fulcrum for a young Dolphins unit and her energy is a sight to see. She also defends like a demon, runs the floor with urgency and boards with the best of them in D2. Timberlake is a high-level scorer who impacts the game in several ways. Her passing eye is a joy to watch, and she never shies away from the situation. Going from support player to leader this season has elevated Timberlake’s status and SNHU is enjoying another good season as a result. Tomlinson joined AIC as a graduate student after a fine career at Dominican and immediately assumed the role of top option for the Yellow Jackets. Capable in all areas, she brings experience and poise to the table.

Along with these three players, there are a glut of players worth considering for first team all-star status. I like Gabby Turco (Saint Anselm) and Molly Stokes (Assumption) for first team honors. Turco is a great bucket-getter and deadeye at the line, which is great because she gets there a ton. Stokes is the most dangerous scorer/shooter for a team that has surged into the regional elite but features balance and defense instead of individuals. Also in serious consideration for first team honors are Camryn DeBose and Aurora Deshaies (New Haven), Ty’zhea Hawkins and Jenna Jordan (Adelphi), Liv Robles (Saint Anselm), Ja’Lyn Armstrong and Amanda Mieczkowski (Assumption) Maggie Whitmore (Bentley), Jess Knight (SNHU), Haedyn Roberts (Le Moyne), Kayla Robinson (AIC), Ines Gimenez Monserrat (Franklin Pierce) and Isabella Santoro and Zoe Amalbert (Southern Connecticut). That’s a lot, admittedly, and there are others who could sneak into the chat with a strong finish. But it shines a light on the league’s balance, which is fun for a fan of the loop.

Coach of the Year in the NE10 could go in many directions and they would all be worthy. How do you rate a coach? Is it that they fulfilled high expectations or that he/she over-achieved? Kerry Phayre (Assumption), Mary Grimes (Le Moyne), Debbie Buff (New Haven), Karen Pinkos (SNHU) and Kristin Hutchison (AIC) have all done well and their teams are flourishing.

As for Rookie of the Year, there are some strong choices here. Le Moyne’s trio of Sydney Lusher, Kaia Goode and Sierra Linnin all merit consideration, as do Ciara Norman (Bentley), Ciara Collins (Pace), and Sara Macary (Franklin Pierce). There are a handful of others who will contest for a spot on the all-rookie team, too. All told, there has been a nice infusion of talent into the NE10.

If the season ended today, my NE10 choices would be Baker, Phayre and Lusher.

Moving along to the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference, we start with the Player of the Year candidate list, which for me is one name – Jefferson’s Haley Meinel. No disrespect to anyone else but Meinel is proficient in every category of the game at both ends, which makes her my selection. Defensively Meinel is a pure menace with active hands, quick reads, and a ruthless nature. The Rams have a bunch of very good players, but Meinel makes it all come together and makes them a league and regional favorite.

There are other legitimate options for POY, though, and two of them are Meinel’s teammates. Do-it-all guard Morgan Robinson is a walking triple-double who sets the tempo for the Rams, while Sam Yencha quietly and effectively rolls up double-doubles in the paint with regularity. Post’s Sha’Raya Haines is among the best scorers in the region and Felician’s paint powerhouse Briana Lee makes the Golden Falcons a threat every night. All are likely all-star picks in the CACC.

The CACC doesn’t lack in terms of depth for all-star candidates. Among the players who merit consideration are Amani Melendez and Stephanie McBride (Bridgeport), Tanasha Mills (Dominican), Casey O’Shaughnessy (Caldwell), Skyler Searfoss (Holy Family), Alexis Harrison (Goldey-Beacom), Emily Sekerak and Leah Miller (Chestnut Hill), Cassie Murphy (Jefferson) and Jariah Patterson (Georgian Court). The top tier mentioned above will get their props but below that is a rising crop of players highlighted by this group and others.

Coach of the Year may come down to two of the Philadelphia-based leaders, Tom Shirley (Jefferson) and Bernadette Laukaitis (Holy Family). Shirley has done a superb job with a team expected to win while Laukaitis has revived her alma mater and made the Tigers relevant. Others that merit mention include Jim Connolly, who has revived Chestnut Hill after a slow start, and Bill Deiner (Dominican) and Jon Plefka (Post), who have their teams battling for the CACC North top seed.

My CACC Rookie of the Year is Searfoss. The power guard has helped transform the Tigers with her ability to influence all areas of the game. Searfoss, along with fellow rookie Taylor Hinkle, gives Holy Family a great base to build upon as they attempt to reclaim South Division supremacy. Other possible all-rookie team choices would include Cayla Howard (Dominican), Rory Ciszkowski (Goldey-Beacom), and Lucy Coogan (Caldwell).

If the season ended today my CACC choices would be Meinel, Shirley and Searfoss.

Moving along to the East Coast Conference, I think the mantle of Player of the Year comes down to Erin Leary of St. Thomas Aquinas or Katie Wall of Mercy. Both have enjoyed excellent seasons for two of the teams jousting for the top seed in the league and post season honors. Leary has broadened her game and makes the Spartans a tough squad to cover while Wall (the pre-season ECC Player of the Year) does everything well despite being targeted by opponents. Either would be an appropriate choice.

Both Wall and Leary will certainly be first team all-stars in the league, and I’d say that Latavia Jackson (UDC) has a good chance to joint them, Other primary candidates include Sarah Ericson (STAC) and Destiny Ryles (UDC), while a balanced Daemen unit features Paige Emborsky and Mikayla Ivy. Keep an eye on Jenalyse Alarcon (Staten Island), Stella Mollica and Anna Jankovic (D’Youville) and Chelsea Reeves (Queens) as others who could stake a claim for an all-star spot.         

The ECC doesn’t lack for coaches that deserve recognition. The trio of teams fighting for the top seed, Daemen (Jenepher Banker), St. Thomas Aquinas (Bill Cleary) and Mercy (Scott Lagas), all have coaches that would be deserving Coach of the Year candidates. I’ve also been impressed with Ali Bouman, the first-year head coach at D’Youville, John Nakpodia, who has steadily made UDC a threat, and Nicole Sarcone at rapidly-improving College of Staten Island. Depending on your personal criteria, any of these coaches could grab the award.

In the Rookie of the Year race, the ECC has some solid candidates with Queens and Roberts Wesleyan building around two new faces each. Cecilia Lapertosa and Brianna Davis (Queens) along with Grace Galgano and Paris Anthony (RWC) have played a lot and all rate serious consideration. It’s more difficult to get the minutes required to be in this race if a team has several veterans but both Claire Pikett (Daemen) and Angelina Barrera (Mercy) should get a shout here, since they’ve made an impact on strong, veteran-laden clubs.

The NCAA released its first official regional ranking of the season… kind of. In their infinite wisdom, the NCAA (regional committees) list ten (10) teams that are in consideration to be ranked in their official rankings alphabetically. So, it’s not really a ranking, merely a list of teams they are thinking about ranking. Sounds a little odd, eh? Indeed, this space thinks so, also.

If you’re not ready to actually rank teams now – after all, there are only two-and-a-half weeks until the NCAA field is set to be revealed – then why bother with splitting the baby? Might as well list all 35 teams in the region, right? Or maybe they can keep it to the teams with winning records (of which there are 16 right now) and consider them all.

My frustration with the NCAA has been ever-present for a long time and when they trot out half-baked ideas like this, it only confirms my ire. I won’t list the ‘teams under consideration’, nor should you bother to seek out this non-informational list. I’d say just read McCaffrey’s Musings this week to get an accurate picture of what the regional race looks like and get back to me next week when the NCAA decides to finally take a stand on something and rank teams.

There isn’t much left to the regular season. Teams have two or three games left to play for the most part but there is still much to be decided in terms of seeding. How does it break down (conference records are included)?

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That’s it for now - until next time, enjoy the games!