PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Sophie Nick, Senior, Forward, Vassar College
Vassar College senior Sophie Nick garnered Liberty League Player of the Year accolades. She was one of the league’s most dominant players on the court as she made significant contributions for the Brewers on both ends. She started all 27 games for Vassar while averaging a team-high 15.2 points per game. Nick reached 20+ points nine times over the course of the season and had 13 double-doubles, including two in the Liberty League tournament. She was second among league leaders in rebounds per game (10.0) and totaled 269 on the year. She also produced the third-best field goal percentage in the conference, hitting field goals at a .591 clip (166 made-of-320 attempts). Nick recorded 32 steals and 18 blocked shots while helping Vassar to its third consecutive trip to the Liberty League postseason. It was the first time the Brewers advanced to the championship game since 2013-14. Nick was also named the 2016-17 Liberty League Rookie of the Year following her first-year at Vassar.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Celia Tomlinson, Senior, Forward, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute senior Celia Tomlinson was named the Liberty League Defensive Player of the Year. She was a threat on both ends of the court for the Engineers as she led the team in rebounds (309), 189 of which were defensive, rebounds per game (11.4), assists (61) and blocks (62). She was tops among league leaders with 2.3 blocked shots per game and second in rebounds per game as well as defensive rebounds. On 14 occasions this season, Tomlinson recorded a double-double as she helped RPI to its first Liberty League tournament appearance since the 2011-12 season. The Engineers were the fourth seed before falling in overtime of the semifinals.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Kaleesha Joseph, Forward, Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester Institute of Technology first-year Kaleesha Joseph was selected as the Liberty League Rookie of the Year. In her first year with the Tigers, Joseph was second on the team in points with 307 (13.3 per game) and Field Goals Made (132). She boasted a league-high field goal percentage of .534. Joseph was also ranked among the league’s top-ten in rebounding (5th, 8.3 per game) and blocked shots (7th, 1.3 per game) as well as 11th in scoring. She was a part of a squad that reached the Liberty League postseason for the sixth time in seven years.
COACHING STAFF OF THE YEAR: St. Lawrence University, Dan Roiger – Head Coach; Assistant Coach Chelsea Welch & Student Assistant Marlee Gunn
The St. Lawrence University coaching staff was named the Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year in a vote by the league’s head coaches. Dan Roiger, head coach and his assistant coaches directed the Saints to an 18-9 overall record and a 13-5 mark to earn the fourth seed in the league tournament. St. Lawrence had a turnaround season as the Saints more than doubled its win total in 2019-20 from a year ago (8) and they returned to the conference postseason for the third time in five years, where they earned a win in the first round. St. Lawrence was a defensive minded team this year as the team finished the season first in the league in scoring defense, holding opponents to a league-low 55.3 points per game. They were also tops in field goal percentage defense (.328) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (.231) as well as 3-point field goal percentage at .365.
ALL-LIBERTY LEAGUE FIRST TEAM
Katie Frederick, Jr., F., St. Lawrence
Christina Kiser, So., G, Bard
Sam Krumbhaar, Sr., G, RPI
Sophie Nick, Sr., F, Vassar
Cassidy O’Malley, Sr., F, Ithaca
ALL-LIBERTY LEAGUE SECOND TEAM
Jackie Cenan, Sr., G/F, Vassar
Stavriana Dimitrakopoulou, Jr., G, William Smith
Ava McCann, So., G, St. Lawrence
Olivia Parisi, So., F, William Smith
Brooke Stanley, Sr., G, RIT
Celia Tomlinson, Sr., F, RPI
ALL-LIBERTY LEAGUE HONORABLE MENTION
KellyAnne O’Reilly, Sr., G, Ithaca