Saint Joseph's (Maine) senior guard Kelsi McNamara named NEWBA Player of the Year
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (March 13, 2019) – The New England Women’s Basketball Association (NEWBA) announced its major award winners and All-Region selections on Wednesday morning.
Saint Joseph's (Maine) senior guard Kelsi McNamara (West Newbury, Mass.) was named the NEWBA Player of the Year, while Wesleyan freshman guard Caleigh Ryan (New York, N.Y.) received Rookie of the Year honors. Additionally, Adrienne Shibles of Bowdoin College was recognized as the NEWBA Coach of the Year.
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. Statistics include conference tournament games.
Player of the Year
Kelsi McNamara | Saint Joseph's (Maine) (Senior | Guard | West Newbury, Mass.)
McNamara led the way for a Saint Joseph's squad that started the season 27-0 and climbed as high as No. 8 in the national polls before earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. McNamara, who was recognized as the GNAC Player of the Year for the second time in her career, averaged 21.0 points, 6.9 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game. She surpassed the 2,000-point mark this season and completed her career as the Monks' all-time leader in points, assists and made three-pointers.
Rookie of the Year
Caleigh Ryan | Wesleyan (Freshman | Guard | New York, N.Y.)
Ryan made an immediate impact in her first collegiate campaign, starting all 25 contests for the Cardinals while averaging 10.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. The NESCAC Rookie of the Year served as a defensive stopper, compiling a team-high 39 steals.
Coach of the Year
Adrienne Shibles | Bowdoin
Shibles guided the Polar Bears to their second undefeated regular season (24-0) in program history on her way to earning NESCAC Coach of the Year honors for the second time in her 11-year tenure at Bowdoin. Her squad, which was ranked No. 1 in the country for the majority of the season, is gearing up for a Final Four matchup with St. Thomas (Minn.) on Friday night in Salem, Va.
Official of the Year
Bill Dugan
McNamara |
Ryan |
Shibles |
All-Region 1st Team
Lauren Bondi | Smith (Senior | Guard | Burnaby, B.C.)
Bondi was selected as the NEWMAC Athlete of the Year after leading the conference in scoring (18.9 ppg) and three-point shooting percentage (43%). She reached the 20-point mark on ten occasions and helped the Pioneers earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Taylor Choate | Bowdoin (Senior | Guard | Nashua, N.H.)
Choate, who has started 55 consecutive games for the Polar Bears, did a little bit of everything this season as she averaged 12.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.1 steals per game. She was named the NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year in addition to earning All-NESCAC second team honors.
Nakira Examond | UMass Dartmouth (Senior | Forward | New Bedford, Mass.)
Examond was recognized as the LEC Player of the Year for the second time in her career after posting averages of 17.7 points and 9.9 rebounds per game for the Corsairs. Examond, who recorded 14 double-doubles this season, finished her career as UMass Dartmouth's all-time leading scorer and rebounder.
Abby Kelly | Bowdoin (Senior | Guard | Bombay, N.Y.)
Kelly, the NESCAC Player of the Year, averaged 14.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game for a Bowdoin squad that is 30-1 heading into Friday's Final Four showdown with St. Thomas. She ranks sixth in program history in points and fifth in made three-point field goals.
Kelsi McNamara | Saint Joseph's (Maine) (Senior | Guard | West Newbury, Mass.)
McNamara was named the 2018-19 NEWBA Player of the Year. See above for more information.
Bondi |
Choate |
Examond |
Kelly |
McNamara |
All-Region 2nd Team
Lucy Barrett | Westfield State (Senior | Guard | Williamstown, Mass.)
Barrett garnered MASCAC Player of the Year accolades after averaging 19.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game. She led the Owls to their fourth consecutive MASCAC title and NCAA Tournament appearance.
Kennedy Guest-Pritchett | Smith (Senior | Forward | Fairburn, Ga.)
Guest-Pritchett helped the Pioneers earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament while producing 14.3 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. The All-NEWMAC first team selection led the conference in rebounding and recorded 14 double-doubles. Guest-Pritchett is the only player in program history with over 1,000 points & 1,000 rebounds.
Yuleska Ramirez-Tejeda | Emmanuel (Junior | Guard | South Boston, Mass.)
Ramirez-Tejeda received an All-GNAC first team nod following an impressive campaign in which she averaged 21.0 points and 11.1 rebounds per game with 19 double-doubles (5th in NCAA DIII). Ramirez-Tejeda was a five-time GNAC Player of the Week and two-time USBWA National Player of the Week.
Mya Villard | Eastern Connecticut (Junior | Forward | Cromwell, Conn.)
Villard earned a spot on the All-LEC first team for the second consecutive season after leading the Warriors in both scoring (16.0 ppg) and rebounding (9.4 rpg). She played a key role as Eastern Connecticut improved its win total by seven from a year ago and captured the LEC Tournament title.
Kenzie Worcester | Husson (Senior | Guard | Washburn, Maine)
Worcester capped an impressive career by leading Husson to its fourth consecutive NAC championship, earning her fourth straight NAC Tournament MVP award in the process. The NAC Player of the Year averaged 18.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.0 steals per game.
Barrett |
Guest-Pritchett |
Ramirez-Tejeda |
Villard |
Worcester |
All-Region 3rd Team
Jenni-Rose DiCecco | Suffolk (Sophomore | Guard | Falmouth, Mass.)
DiCecco facilitated Suffolk's offense this season with 17.0 points and 4.5 assists per game. An All-GNAC first team selection, DiCecco also recorded 6.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game for the Rams.
Maddie Hasson | Bowdoin (Junior | Forward | South Portland, Maine)
Hasson, an All-NESCAC first team honoree, led the conference in field goal percentage (60.8%) while scoring 14.6 points per game. She also contributed 5.4 rebounds per game with 101 of her 169 boards coming on the offensive glass.
Emily Irwin | Curry (Senior | Guard | Billerica, Mass.)
Irwin turned in a strong all-around senior campaign on her way to CCC Defensive Player of the Year honors. Irwin, who averaged 19.0 points, 8.4 rebounds, 5.0 steals and 4.8 assists per game, led the nation in steals (130) and broke Curry's all-time scoring record.
Payton Ouimette | Babson (Senior | Forward | Medfield, Mass.)
Ouimette was a double-double machine for Babson, as she paced the NEWMAC and ranked 16th in NCAA Division III with 16 performances of 10+ points and 10+ rebounds. Ouimette averaged 14.7 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.
Emily Pratt | Endicott (Junior | Guard | Gardner, Mass.)
Pratt, the CCC Player of the Year, led Endicott to the league's regular-season title while averaging 17.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.2 steals per game.
DiCecco |
Hasson |
Irwin |
Ouimette |
Pratt |
All-Rookie Team
Christina Antonakakis | MIT (Freshman | Guard | Holmdel, N.J.)
Antonakakis, the NEWMAC Rookie of the Year, thrived in her role coming off the bench for MIT during her freshman campaign, as she was the team's second-leading scorer with 9.4 points per game.
Anny Barry | Eastern Connecticut (Freshman | Forward | Andover, Conn.)
Barry recorded a team-high 36 blocks while also chipping in 6.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. She was at her best when it mattered most, averaging 14.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game during Eastern Connecticut's run to the LEC Tournament title.
Willcia McBorrough | Rhode Island College (Freshman | Forward | Providence, R.I.)
McBorrough started all 27 games for the Anchorwomen, averaging 8.0 points and 7.4 rebounds per game on her way to LEC Rookie of the Year honors.
Peyton Perine | Curry (Freshman | Forward | Fairfax, Va.)
Perine ranked fourth in the CCC in both scoring (15.8 ppg) and rebounding (7.6 rpg) during her strong freshman season with the Colonels. The CCC Rookie of the Year topped the 20-point mark on 12 occasions and registered six double-doubles.
Caleigh Ryan | Wesleyan (Freshman | Guard | New York, N.Y.)
Ryan was named the 2018-19 NEWBA Rookie of the Year. See above for more information.
Antonakakis |
Barry |
McBorrough |
Perine |
Ryan |
