Women's Basketball All-NESCAC Teams Announced
Bates’ Beckwith Selected as Player of the Year
HADLEY, Mass. - Bates senior forward Val Beckwith (Woburn, Mass.) has been named the 2009 NESCAC Player of the Year, as determined by the conference coaches. Beckwith and the Bobcats assembled a 16-9 overall record and a 5-4 mark in conference play this season, earning the fourth seed in the 2009 NESCAC Women’s Basketball Championship. She is the fifth Bates player to earn the league’s top honor this decade, joining the ranks of Emily King (2000), Kate McLaughlin (2001), Olivia Zurek (2005), and former teammate Meg Coffin (2006).
Beckwith also received All-NESCAC honors for the third consecutive season, finding a spot on the 2009 First Team after earning First Team honors in 2007 and Second Team recognition in 2008. Starting all 25 contests for the third-straight winter, Beckwith led her squad in scoring for the third year in a row as she ranked second overall in the league with 18.3 points per game - a single-season career-high - while hitting an even 45.0-percent of her shots. Beckwith was at her best during conference competition this season, as her 19.0 points per game against league foes was unmatched by any other player. She also managed to grab a team-high 6.3 rebounds, dish out 2.40 assists and nab 1.64 steals per game. Beckwith, who scored a personal-best 28 points during a 71-52 win at Colby on Jan. 24, finished her career at Bates second all-time in scoring with 1,470 points, just eight shy of the program record held by Emily King ‘00.
Wesleyan senior guard Ali Fourney (East Northport, N.Y.) was the only holdover from last year’s All-NESCAC First Team on this year’s squad. Fourney has garnered NESCAC recognition in each of her four seasons in the conference, claiming Rookie of the Year honors during the 2006 campaign before being named to the 2007 Second Team. The league’s leading scorer for the second year in a row, Fourney averaged a personal-best 18.7 points per game as she set the Wesleyan career record for points, accumulating 1,498 through her tenure. Fourney also ranked among the conference leaders in other statistical categories, including field goal percent (.474, 7th), assists (3.35, T-8th), steals (3.70, 2nd), and blocks (1.00, 9th).
Tufts sophomore Colleen Hart (Needham, Mass.) found a spot on the 2009 First Team after being selected to the Second Team last winter. The 2008 NESCAC Rookie of the Year, Hart was second for her squad in scoring with 11.9 points per game. She also contributed 4.36 assists, fourth among all league players, along with 4.2 rebounds and 1.92 steals per game.
Bowdoin senior guard Maria Noucas (Portsmouth, N.H.) earned All-Conference honors for the first time in her career. Arguably the top ball-handler in the NESCAC this season, Noucas currently ranks third in assists with an average 4.85 per game along with owning a conference-best 2.79 assist-to-turnover ratio. Starting all 27 outings and averaging roughly 32 minutes per game, Noucas has also contributed 6.4 points and 4.7 rebounds, good enough for sixth among her Polar Bear counterparts.
Amherst sophomore forward Jaci Daigneault (Guilford, Conn.) completes the 2009 NESCAC All-Conference First Team. Pacing the Jeffs with 12.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per game heading into this weekend’s NCAA Tournament action, Daigneault has peaked at the right time of the season, recording six of her eight double-doubles over Amherst’s last eight outings and averaging 18.4 points and 11.1 rebounds during that stretch. The hot hand has translated into a hot shooting percentage on the stat sheet, as she is currently second among all conference players in field goal percentage at 54.4-percent.
Defensive Player of the Year honors went to Tufts senior G/F Kim Moynihan (West Hartford, Conn.). Moynihan has been assigned to opponents’ top players throughout the season and has still managed to average an even 10.0 points per game to rank third for the Jumbos in scoring.
Bowdoin first year forward Jill Henrikson (Bath, Maine) received the conference’s Rookie of the Year honor. After the Polar Bears’ 67-56 loss to Tufts on Jan. 24, Henrikson became an everyday starter in the next contest and has blossomed in the role, averaging 12.1 points and leading her team in scoring over their last nine games. Coincidentally, Bowdoin has gone on to win each of those nine outings, including the 2009 NESCAC Women’s Basketball Championship this past weekend. Henrikson was also honored on the All-NESCAC Second Team.
Bowdoin first year head coach Adrienne Shibles earned NESCAC Coach of the Year. Shibles has guided the Polar Bears to a 23-4 record so far this season, their eighth conference crown this past weekend, and a ninth-consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
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2008-09 NESCAC Women's Basketball All-Conference
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First Team |
Institution
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Yr. |
Hometown |
G
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Ali Fourney
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Wesleyan
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Sr.
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East Northport, N.Y.
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G
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Colleen Hart
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Tufts
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So.
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Needham, Mass.
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G
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Maria Noucas
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Bowdoin
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Sr.
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Portsmouth, N.H.
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F
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Val Beckwith
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Bates
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Sr.
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Woburn, Mass.
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F
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Jaci Daigneault
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Amherst
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So.
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Guilford, Conn.
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Second Team |
Institution |
Yr. |
Hometown |
G
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Claire Arnstein
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Trinity
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Jr.
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Hicksville, N.Y.
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G
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Jill Henrikson
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Bowdoin
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Fy. |
Bath, Maine
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C
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Sarah Leyman
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Amherst
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So.
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Cincinnati, Ohio
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F
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Julia Baily
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Tufts |
Jr.
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Farmington, Conn.
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F
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Lucy Sprung
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Wesleyan |
Gr.
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East Dover, Vt.
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Player of the Year |
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F
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Val Beckwith
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Bates
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Sr.
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Woburn, Mass.
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Defensive Player of the Year |
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G/F
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Kim Moynihan
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Tufts
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Sr.
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West Hartford, Conn.
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Rookie of the Year |
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G
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Jill Henrikson
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Bowdoin
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Fy.
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Bath, Maine
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Coach of the Year |
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Adrienne Shibles |
Bowdoin
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