HADLEY, Mass. – Wesleyan senior Sam Peek has been named the NESCAC Player of the Year as voted by the conference coaches. Peek is the first Cardinal to garner the honor.
 
Peek led Wesleyan to a 78-75 overtime victory against Williams in the NESCAC Championship game at Silloway Gymnasium to help the NCAA-bound Cardinals capture their second conference title and first since 2015. He ranks third in the conference in scoring (18.0 ppg) while shooting 50.0 percent from the floor and also leads the Cardinals in rebounding (6.9 rpg). Peek has scored 20 or more points 10 times this season, highlighted by a 37-point effort in a triple-overtime win against Amherst.
 
Hamilton senior Nick Osarenren is the NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year and the first Continental to garner the honor in the program's history. Osarenren averaged 2.5 steals per game to lead the NESCAC and ranked third in the conference in blocks with 42 (1.8 pg). He ranked second among the Hamilton scoring leaders (10.8 ppg) and led the Continentals in rebounding (7.9 rpg). Osarenren finished the year with five double-doubles.
 
Middlebury first-year Sam Stevens is the NESCAC Rookie of the Year and the second Panther to win the award, joining Ben Rudin in 2006. Stevens, who started all 23 games he played, led all rookies in the NESCAC in scoring, averaging 18.0 points per game to tie for third overall. He shot 37.6 percent from the 3-point range for the season to help the Panthers earn the No. 3 seed and advance to the semifinals of the NESCAC Championship.
 
Wesleyan head coach Joe Reilly was voted as the NESCAC Coach of the Year by his peers. Reilly wins the award for the second time in his career, but first at the helm of the Cardinals. Reilly was named the 2006 NESCAC Coach of the Year while the head coach at Bates. This season, Reilly's 14th at Wesleyan, he guided the Cardinals to the No. 1 seed in the NESCAC Championship and hosted the semifinals and final for the first time in program history. The Cardinals posted a 9-1 record in NESCAC play and stand at 24-3 as they get set to host first and second-round games in the NCAA Tournament. Wesleyan will face Husson in the first round on March 4.
 
2022 NESCAC Men's Basketball Awards
Player of the Year: Sam Peek, Wesleyan
Defensive Player of the Year: Nick Osarenren, Hamilton
Rookie of the Year: Sam Stevens, Middlebury
Coach of the Year: Joe Reilly, Wesleyan

All-NESCAC First Team
Pos	Name	School	Year	Hometown	Past Honors
C	Nate Karren	Williams	So.	Sacramento, Calif.
G	Sam Peek	Wesleyan	Sr.	Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
F	Luke Rogers	Tufts	Sr.	Boxborough, Mass.	2020 Player of the Year, 2020 First Team
F	Alex Sobel	Middlebury	Jr.	Setauket, N.Y.
G	Dylan Thoerner	Tufts	Jr.	Irvine, Calif.
All-NESCAC Second Team
Pos	Name	School	Year	Hometown	Past Honors
G	Stephon Baxter	Bates	Jr.	Worcester, Mass.
G	Garrett Day	Amherst	Sr.	Pittsburgh, Pa.	2020 First Team
F	Jordan James	Wesleyan	Sr.	Vienna, Va.
F/C	Donald Jorden, Jr.	Trinity	Sr.	Tampa, Fla.
G	Sam Stevens	Middlebury	Fy.	Mansfield, Mass.