HADLEY, Mass. – The New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) announced its women's basketball awards for the 2024-25 season on Thursday as voted by the league's coaches.
 
Bowdoin senior Sydney Jones was named the NESCAC Player of the Year and is the first player in the award's history to win the honor in back-to-back years. Jones is the third player in NESCAC Women's Basketball history to win the honor twice (Caroline Stedman, Amherst – 2010 & 2012; Lora Trenkel, Bowdoin – 2002 & 2004) and is the sixth different player from Bowdoin to be named Player of the Year. Jones, who earned All-NESCAC honors for the third time in her career with a spot on the First Team for the second straight year, leads Bowdoin and ranks fourth among the NESCAC leaders in scoring (16.4 ppg). The guard leads the NESCAC in steals (70/2.6 pg) and ranks third in field goal percentage (48.5%) and assists (3.6 apg). Jones led the Polar Bears to their second consecutive NESCAC title and 11th in program history while extending their win streak to 27 straight games (27-0).
 
Amherst's Maya Cwalina was voted as the NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year and is the first Mammoth to claim the honor in program history. The senior forward has started all 26 games this season and leads the Mammoths in rebounding (7.6 rpg). She is also the top shot-blocker in the NESCAC (87 blocks) and chips in 8.6 points per game. Cwalina, who also earned a spot on the All-NESCAC Second Team, helped Amherst earn the No. 4 seed in the NESCAC Tournament and advance to the semifinals. The Mammoths earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament and will travel to Smith for first and second-round games. Amherst plays Vassar in the first round on Friday, March 7.
 
Tufts newcomer Monet Witherspoon is the NESCAC Rookie of the Year. The guard is the fourth Jumbo to earn the honor in team history and the first since Emily Briggs (2018). Witherspoon has seen action in all 25 games, earning 24 starts, and ranks second on the team in scoring (11.6 ppg). The rookie is shooting 44.7 percent from the field to lead Tufts and 37.3 percent from 3-point range. Witherspoon is also chipping in 4.0 rebounds per contest and has collected 35 steals. Tufts earned an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament and will meet Western New England in a first-round game at Gettysburg on Friday, March 7.
 
The Bowdoin College staff was voted the NESCAC Coaching Staff of the Year by its peers for the second year in a row. Led by head coach Megan Phelps, Bowdoin has won two NESCAC titles in three seasons under Phelps. The Polar Bears carry a 27-0 record into the NCAA Tournament after earning the NESCAC's automatic bid. Bowdoin will host first and second round games at Morrell Gymnasium. The Polar Bears face Brooklyn College in the first round on Friday, March 7.

2025 NESCAC Women's Basketball Awards
Player of the Year: Sydney Jones, Bowdoin
Defensive Player of the Year: Maya Cwalina, Amherst
Rookie of the Year: Monet Witherspoon, Tufts
Coaching Staff of the Year: Bowdoin College (Megan Phelps, Abby Kelly, Taylor Choate)
 

All-NESCAC First Team
Pos	Name	School	Yr	Hometown	Previous Honors
C	Elsa Daulerio	Bates	Jr.	Harpswell, Maine	2024 1st Team
G/F	Arianna Gerig	Williams	Sr.	Westport, Conn.	2024 1st Team
G	Sofia Gonzalez	Tufts	Sr.	Glendale, Calif.	2023 2nd Team
G	Sydney Jones	Bowdoin	Sr.	Chestnut Hill, Mass.	2024 POY, 2024 1st Team, 2023 2nd Team
G	Alexa Mustafaj	Middlebury	Sr.	Yonkers, N.Y.	2024 1st Team, 2023 1st Team, 2022 ROY, 2022 2nd Team
G	Kate Olenik	Colby	So.	Medfield, Mass.	2024 ROY, 2024 2nd Team
G	Olivia Vick	Trinity	So.	Chicago, Ill.
All-NESCAC Second Team
Pos	Name	School		Hometown	Previous Honors
F	Maya Cwalina	Amherst	Sr.	Middle Village, N.Y.
G	Augusta Dixon	Middlebury	Sr.	Charleston, S.C.	20204 2nd Team
G	Kendall Harris	Hamilton	So.	Chapel Hill, N.C.
F	Taylor Lambo	Hamilton	Jr.	Watertown, Mass.	2024 2nd Team, 2023 ROY, 2023 2nd Team
G	Alexandra Long	Bates	Sr.	Newtown, Pa.	2024 2nd Team
G	Laura Mendell	Amherst	Jr.	Westport, Mass.
F	Abbie Quinn	Bowdoin	So.	Bangor, Maine