New England Small College Athletic Conference

Women's Basketball All-Conference Teams Released

3/1/2017 12:00:00 AM

HADLEY, Mass. - Amherst senior Ali Doswell (Richmond, Va.) has been voted by the league coaches as the 2017 NESCAC Player of the Year. Doswell led the Purple & White to a perfect 10-0 NESCAC record and the team’s second straight NESCAC Championship. She is the leading scorer for the Purple & White, averaging 13.0 points per game, while also collecting 4.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. She also ranks among the league leaders in three-point shooting, hitting 38.2 percent of her shots from beyond the arc. Doswell also earned a spot on the First Team for the second straight year and earns her fourth All-NESCAC accolade after being a two-time Second Team pick and the 2014 NESCAC Rookie of the Year. Doswell is the third Amherst player to be recognized as the NESCAC Player of the Year, joining Caroline Stedman (2010 & 2012) and Jackie Daigneault (2011).

• Three players on the All-NESCAC First Team are repeat all-conference honorees.
• Amherst, Connecticut College and Tufts each had two players garner All-NESCAC recognition, while Bates, Bowdoin, Colby and Williams each had one player named to an all-conference team.
• Bowdoin’s Kate Kerrigan earns her first All-NESCAC First Team accolade. A two-time NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year and an All-NESCAC Second Team selection last year, Kerrigan played in all 25 games and contributed in every phase of the game for the Polar Bears. She averaged 8.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.1 steals per game. She is also a three-point threat, shooting 39.7 percent from long range. Kerrigan will lead the Polar Bears into their 17th NCAA Tournament appearance when they take on SUNY New Paltz in the first round.
• Amherst senior Meredith Doswell earns her first All-NESCAC accolade with a spot on the First Team. She has started every game for the Purple & White and averages 8.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game as a member of Amherst’s well-rounded team.
• Michela North, the Co-Player of the Year in 2016, earns her third All-NESCAC honor and is on the First Team for the second straight year. The senior ranks among the league leaders in scoring (11.1 ppg) and rebounding (6.9 rpg). North is also fourth in blocks (40) and fourth in shooting percentage, hitting 48.8 percent from the field, to aid Tufts in reaching its ninth NCAA Tournament in 10 seasons.
• Tufts junior Melissa Baptista is the second Jumbo to earn a spot on the All-NESCAC First Team. She leads Tufts and ranks seventh in the conference in scoring (12.7 ppg), while shooting 45.8 percent from the field and 37.4 percent from three-point range. Baptista has started all 27 games and also averages 4.6 rebounds per contest.
• Lauren Dillon earns the NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year honor this season. The junior guard leads the league in steals (78), averaging 2.9 per game, for a Tufts defense that allows just 42.1 points per game this season. Dillon also chips in 6.0 points per game on the offensive end of the court.
• First-year Madeline Eck of Amherst was chosen NESCAC Rookie of the Year. The guard has played in 26 games and earned eight starts. She is averaging 7.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game, while shooting 48.5 percent from the floor. Eck is the sixth Amherst player to win Rookie of the Year honors, joining Matia Kostakis (2005), Samantha Swensen (2007), Marcia Voigt (2010), Megan Robertson (2012), and Ali Doswell (2014).
• G.P. Gromacki of Amherst has been named NESCAC Coach of the Year for the sixth time in his 10 years on the bench. Gromacki guided Amherst to its seventh overall NESCAC Championship and second straight title after posting a 10-0 league mark en route to the top seed in the NESCAC Championship. The Purple & White are unbeaten this season with a 27-0 mark. By virtue of winning the conference crown, Amherst earned an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament where it is making its 10th consecutive appearance.

Women's Basketball All-Conference Teams

First Team All-NESCAC Position Name Institution Class Hometown F Melissa Baptista Tufts Jr. Somerville, Mass. G Ali Doswell Amherst Sr. Richmond, Va. F Meredith Doswell Amherst Sr. Richmond, Va. G Kate Kerrigan Bowdoin Jr. Wellesley Hills, Mass. F Michela North Tufts Sr. Duxbury, Mass.           Second Team All-NESCAC Position Name Institution Class Hometown G Devon Caveney Williams Sr. Andover, Mass. G MK Caverly Colby Sr. Point Pleasant, N.J. F Allie Coppola Bates Sr. Tarrytown, N.Y. F Mairead Hynes Conn. College Jr. Mahopac, N.Y. G  Liz Malman Conn. College Sr.  Mendham, N.J.

Player of the Year Ali Doswell, Amherst Defensive Player of the Year Lauren Dillon, Tufts Rookie of the Year Madeline Eck, Amherst Coach of the Year G.P. Gromacki, Amherst