Hillary McKinley: Liberty League Player of the Year
Women's basketball awards announced
The Liberty League has announced its 2011-12 All-Conference awards for women's basketball. The major award winners and all-league teams are listed below.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Hillary McKinley, RPI
McKinley led the Engineers in a number of categories this season, including scoring (14.6 points per game), rebounding (10.4 caroms per game) and blocks (70). Playing in 24 of the team's 26 contests, she also added 22 assists and 27 steals with a 26.5 minutes per game average. Additionally, McKinley was the only player in the Liberty League to average a double-double all season.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Katie Edgerton, St. Lawrence
Consistently guarding an all-conference player, Edgerton reduces the number of touches and forces difficult shots by her opponents. An excellent rebounder for her position, she leads the team in minutes and plays hard for the entire game. Eleventh in the league in scoring, the Shelburne, Vt. native is eighth in shooting percentage, the first amongst guards in those rankings. Edgerton leads the league in free throw percentage and has ended several games in the final minutes by her shooting at the line.
CO-ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Colleen O’Connell, Vassar
O’Connell ranked third in the Liberty League in rebounding (9.6) and led the league in defensive rebounds (6.92). She set the Vassar single game record with 21 rebounds against William Smith. O'Connell led Vassar in rebounding 15 times in 25 games and earned Liberty League Rookie of the Week honors four times. She had eight double-doubles on the season, four of which came in league play.
CO-ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Jen Rock, RPI
Rock was third on the team in scoring, averaging 8.2 points per game. She also ranked third in rebounding with 4.8 boards per contest and assists (49), while leading the team in steals (41). Rock added five blocks in 28.1 minutes per game as a starter in 24 of the squad's 26 contests. Capitalizing with quick hands, she notched at least one steal in 21 games, including 10 with at least two steals.
COACHING STAFF OF THE YEAR: * St. Lawrence – Dan Roiger, Aliza Bogdanich
In Roiger's third year at the helm of the women's basketball program, he has led his team to its second straight Liberty League regular season title and third straight tournament appearance. The Saints, who set a University record with 18 consecutive victories, posted a perfect 16-0 regular season mark, the first in the conference's history. Ranked fourth in the region, the Saints are currently 21-4 overall and lead the league in four statistical categories.
ALL LEAGUE – FIRST TEAM:
Katie Edgerton, St. Lawrence
Megan Gaugler, Skidmore
Cydni Matsuoka, Vassar
Hillary McKinley, RPI
Jacqueline Murphy, William Smith
ALL LEAGUE – SECOND TEAM:
Leslie Havens, RIT
Brittney Kenney, Union
Kelly Legg, St. Lawrence
Brittany Parks, Vassar
Iris Santoni, St. Lawrence
ALL-LEAGUE – HONORABLE MENTION:
Christina Gargiso, Skidmore
Kristen Kush, William Smith
Shayla Madden, Union
Carey Turner, Clarkson
Sarah Wetmore, RPI
Kayla Wheeler, RIT
ALL-ROOKIE TEAM:
Angela Botiba, Skidmore
Brooke Butkovsky, Clarkson
Kara McDuffee, St. Lawrence
Colleen O’Connell, Vassar
Jen Rock, RPI *
* denotes unanimous selection
Liberty League All Tournament Team
MVP Cydni Matsuoka - Vassar
Hannah Senftleber - Vassar
Kara McDuffee- SLU
Sarah Wetmore - RPI
Mary Donohue - Union