Bowdoin senior guard Kate Kerrigan named NEWBA Player of the Year
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (March 13, 2018) – The New England Women’s Basketball Association (NEWBA) announced its award winners and All-Region selections on Tuesday afternoon.
Bowdoin College senior guard Kate Kerrigan (Wellesley Hills, Mass.) was named the NEWBA Player of the Year, while Southern Maine freshman Kristen Curley (Gorham, Maine) earned Rookie of the Year honors, and Saint Joseph’s (Maine) head coach Mike McDevitt received Coach of the Year recognition.
Nominations for NEWBA awards and All-Region were submitted by both coaches and sports information directors in the region, and selections were made based on a vote by coaches. More information on all honorees can be found below.
Player of the Year
Kate Kerrigan • Bowdoin (Senior • Guard • Wellesley Hills, Mass.)
Kerrigan, the NESCAC Player of the Year, averaged 10.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists and a conference-best 2.5 steals per game during the regular season. The senior guard leads a Polar Bears squad that is 28-2 and gearing up for the program’s second Final Four appearance on Friday.
Rookie of the Year
Kristen Curley • Southern Maine (Freshman • Guard • Gorham, Maine)
Curley made an immediate impact during her first season with the Huskies, as she averaged a team-high 16 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.1 steals, 1.3 assists and 1.1 blocks per game on her way to LEC Rookie of the Year, All-LEC First Team, and LEC All-Defensive Team accolades.
Coach of the Year
Mike McDevitt • Saint Joseph’s (Maine)
McDevitt, who completed his 25th season at the helm of the Saint Joseph’s women’s basketball program, led the Monks to a remarkable 2017-18 campaign. Saint Joseph’s went 27-1 during the regular season, including 16-0 in conference play, en route to the team’s third straight GNAC title. The Monks also won their first ever NCAA Tournament contest against UMass Boston, before falling to Amherst in the second round.
Official of the Year
Frank Mohr
Kerrigan |
Curley |
McDevitt |
All-Region 1st Team
Nakira Examond • UMass Dartmouth (Junior • Forward • New Bedford, Mass.)
Examond earns All-Region first team honors for the second consecutive year following an impressive campaign in which she led the LEC in rebounding (10.3 rpg) and field goal percentage (58.0). The All-LEC first team honoree also ranked third in the conference in scoring (19.7 ppg) while posting 14 double-doubles.
Kennedy Guest-Pritchett • Smith (Junior • Forward • Fairburn, Ga.)
The NEWMAC Co-Athlete of the Year, Guest-Pritchett averaged a double-double with 15.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, which ranked first and third in the conference, respectively. She shot a NEWMAC-best 61.5 percent from the field and tallied 12 double-doubles over the course of the season.
Kate Kerrigan • Bowdoin (Senior • Guard • Wellesley Hills, Mass.)
Kerrigan was named the 2017-18 NEWBA Player of the Year. See above for more information.
Kelsi McNamara • Saint Joseph’s (Maine) (Junior • Guard • West Newbury, Mass.)
McNamara received her second straight All-GNAC first team nod after averaging 18.7 points, 5.2 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game. She helped lead the Monks to their third straight conference title and the program’s first ever NCAA Tournament triumph this season.
Mariah Nicholas • Roger Williams (Senior • Forward • Acushnet, Mass.)
Nicholas, the CCC Player of the Year, produced 16.2 points and 7.1 rebounds per game for Roger Williams, as the Hawks set a program record for wins (23) and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. She made a strong impact on the defensive end with a CCC-leading 55 blocks.
Examond |
Guest-Pritchett |
Kerrigan |
McNamara |
Nicholas |
All-Region 2nd Team
Ama Biney • WPI (Senior • Guard • Worcester, Mass.)
Biney shared NEWMAC Co-Athlete of the Year honors with Guest-Pritchett after leading WPI in scoring (13.3 ppg), rebounding (7.3 rpg) and steals (2.5 spg) during her senior campagn. She repeated as NEWMAC Defensive Player of the Year in addition to earning her third All-Conference first team selection.
Abby Kelly • Bowdoin (Junior • Guard • Bombay, N.Y.)
Kelly has been a key contributor for the Final Four-bound Polar Bears, as she collected All-NESCAC second team recognition after leading the team with 12.2 points per game. Kelly also contributed 4.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.
Alicia Kutil • UMass Dartmouth (Senior • Forward • Franklin, Mass.)
Kutil was named the LEC Player of the Year after averaging 18.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game for the Corsairs. She registered 11 double-doubles and set UMass Dartmouth’s all-time scoring record.
Mary Kate O’Day • Framingham State (Sophomore • Guard • Berlin, Mass.)
O’Day enjoyed a breakout sophomore campaign en route to MASCAC Player of the Year accolades. She carried the load offensively for the Rams with a MASCAC-best 18.5 points per game, while also averaging 6.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.
Brittany Stone • Regis (Senior • Forward • West Bridgewater, Mass.)
Stone garners NEWBA All-Region second team honors for the second consecutive season after averaging 19.7 points and 12.8 rebounds per game for the Pride, which ranked third and second in the GNAC, respectively.
Biney |
Kelly |
Kutil |
O'Day |
Stone |
All-Region 3rd Team
Kara Holinski • MIT (Junior • Guard • Livonia, Mich.)
Holinski received her third consecutive All-NEWMAC nod at the conclusion of her junior campaign. The sharpshooter ranked third in the conference in made three-pointers (54) and three-point shooting percentage (42.5) while averaging 11.7 points per game.
Payton Ouimette • Babson (Junior • Forward • Medfield, Mass.)
In her first season with Babson, Ouimette was a double-double machine with 18 in 27 starts. She averaged 13.4 points and 11.8 rebounds per game while helping the Beavers claim a share of the NEWMAC regular season championship.
Olivia Shaw • University of New England (Senior • Forward • Saco, Maine)
Shaw led a UNE squad that captured its sixth consecutive CCC title, averaging 14.3 points and 9.8 rebounds per game on her way to an All-CCC first team selection.
Taylor V’Dovec • MIT (Junior • Guard • Blaine, Wash.)
An All-NEWMAC first team honoree for the second consecutive season, V’Dovec ranked sixth in the conference in points (12.8) and rebounds (7.0) per game while shooting 47.5 percent from the field (ninth).
Kenzie Worcester • Husson (Junior • Guard • Washburn, Maine)
Worcester collected All-NAC first team accolades after recording 18.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game for the Eagles. She surpassed 1,000 career points and helped Husson capture its third straight NAC title.
Holinski |
Ouimette |
Shaw |
V'Dovec |
Worcester |
All-Rookie Team
Camila Casanueva • Brandeis (Freshman • Guard • Santa Barbara, Calif.)
Casanueva garnered UAA Rookie of the Year and All-UAA honorable mention recognition after contributing 7.9 points and 2.5 assists per game for the Judges. She scored a season-high 17 points on three occasions and recorded four or more assists seven times.
Kristen Curley • Southern Maine (Freshman • Guard • Gorham, Maine)
Curley was named the 2017-18 NEWBA Rookie of the Year. See above for more information.
Jenni-Rose DiCecco • Suffolk (Freshman • Guard • Falmouth, Mass.)
DiCecco was a key factor in Suffolk’s success this season as the Rams made a run to the GNAC championship game. The GNAC Rookie of the Year averaged a team-high 14.6 points per game, while also contributing 5.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.
Kylie Gallagher • MIT (Freshman • Forward • Upton, Mass.)
Gallagher started 27 of 28 games during her first season at MIT, averaging ten points and 6.3 rebounds per game while shooting 50 percent from the field. Gallagher was recognized as the NEWMAC Rookie of the Year.
Jaymesha Sanders • Newbury (Freshman • Forward • West Haven Conn.)
Sanders posted impressive numbers for the Nighthawks, as she averaged 14.6 points and 12.3 rebounds per game on her way to NECC Rookie of the Year accolades. She broke the Newbury freshman scoring record and led all Division III rookies in total rebounds.
Casanueva |
Curley |
DiCecco |
Gallagher |
Sanders |