All-Conference, All-Region Honors Roll In For Skyhawks
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Trish Brown - 2008 Northeast-10 Women's Basketball Coach of the Year |
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Kelsey Simonds - First-Team All-Northeast-10 |
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Erika Stupinski - Second-Team All-Northeast-10 |
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Kristen McWhirter - All Rookie Team |
South Easton, Mass. - To the victors go the spoils. After posting a 19-3 Northeast-10 Conference record, the Skyhawks were rewarded with four key members of their tenth-ranked team earning All-Conference recognition it was announced on Friday evening by the Conference office.
Head coach Trisha Brown was named the 2007-08 Northeast-10 Women's Basketball coach of the year, while junior Kelsey Simonds was named to the first-team. Erika Stupinski collected second-team honors while freshman Kristen McWhirter landed a spot on the All-Rookie team.
After a season that saw the Skyhawks put together a nine-game winning streak and the current 113game stretch, Stonehill had more individuals recognized than any other team in the Conference.
Brown, now in her seventh season, has five 20+ win seasons and a .702 winning percentage. With their impending NCAA selection this season, she will have guided the Skyhawks to NCAA Tournament on five occasions. Closing in on 150 career wins, Brown has reached the regional semifinals twice and made an appearance in the regional finals back in her second season when Stonehill went 22-8.
Simonds appearance on the first-team completes an amazing recovery for the 6-3 junior. After being named the 2005-06 Northeast-10 Rookie of the Year, she missed the entire 2006-07 season with a twice broken foot. She returned this season with a vengeance, registering totals of 16.6 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks. She twice tied her career-high with 27 points and recorded 20+ points seven more times. She posted nine double-doubles and led the Conference in both field goal percentage and blocks per game. Named Northeast-10 player of the week after averaging 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in wins over Southern Connecticut and Pace, Simonds needs only one block to break the single season school record for rejections in a season.
Stupinski, who was named to the second-team, also returned from injury to play a crucial role in the Skyhawks first regular season title since 1994-95. She leads the Northeast-10 in assists per game (7.9) to go along with her 9.0 points every time out. A member of the Northeast-10's All-Academic first team, she has eight double-digit assist games, including a season-high 13 in a win over Merrimack. One of her best performances came in a come-from-behind win at Assumption where she pumped in a career-high 21 points and added nine assists and three steals.
McWhirter, who joins teammates Simonds and Megan Methven (Corning, N.Y.) as members of the current Stonehill squad who have been named to the All-Rookie team, has seen action in every game this season. She opened her career in fine fashion, scoring 16 points and grabbing eight rebounds in a season-opening win over Concordia (N.Y.). She was named Conference freshman of the week after scoring a career-high 17 points in a win against Bryant. At 34 percent from behind the arc, she ranks second on the team in three-pointers made and is the Conference's top shooting freshman from three-point land.
In addition to all-Conference recognition, Simonds and Stupinski were named to the WBCA's All-Region team, while Brown was named as one of eight coaches in the running for national coach of the year. Simonds and Stupinski are among 40 finalists, who are voted upon by WBCA member coaches in each of the eight WBCA award regions, are now in the running for selection to the 10-member State Farm Coaches' All-America Team.
The winner for coach of the year is selected through a two-level process. The first level is by region, in which coaches from each WBCA geographical region vote for their respective top coach.
The winners of the WBCA National Coach of the Year for each division will be honored on Monday, April 7, 2008, at Noon (ET) during the RUSSELL ATHLETIC/WBCA National Coach of the Year Luncheon presented by AstraZeneca in the Marriott Waterside's Grand Ballroom. The luncheon is part of the 2008 WBCA National Convention, held in conjunction with the NCAA® Women's Final Four®.
