NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland - Led by Head Coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke and freshman point guard Alisha Andrews, the UNCW women's basketball team had five members recognized as the Colonial Athletic Association handed out its annual awards Wednesday night at its championship banquet at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center.
In a vote of the league's 12 head coaches, Cooper-Dyke was named Coach-of-the-Year and Andrews was tabbed Rookie-of-the-Year. Seniors Brittany Blackwell and Martha White were also recognized as Blackwell capped her standout career with First-Team All-CAA honors, while White was a Second-Team All-CAA selection. Blackwell and White joined Andrews on the league's All-Defensive Team and Andrews was a member of the CAA All-Rookie Team. Junior Jessica Cohen rounded the program's honorees when she joined Blackwell as an Honorable Mention All-Academic pick.
Cooper-Dyke earned Coach-of-the-Year honors for the third time in her six-year collegiate coaching career (also in 2007 and 2009 at Prairie A&M) after the Naismith Basketball Hall-of-Famer guided UNCW to a school-record tying 22 victories and the program's highest regular-season finish since joining the CAA in 1985. The former WNBA MVP and Olympic Gold Medalist has led the Seahawks into the national statistical rankings in her first season with the program, with her club ranking among the nation's top 30 in field goal percentage (.465/7th), steals (12.4/13th) and assists (16.0/27th).
Andrews became the third player in program history and the second in four seasons to earn Rookie-of-the-Year honors after a stellar freshman campaign that saw the Stone Mountain, Ga., product rank among the national leaders in assists (5.0/40th) and steals (2.9/23rd) while also averaging 10.4 points per contest. A five-time CAA Rookie-of-the-Week selection, Andrews has already etched her name in the program's annals as the school's single-season leader in three-point field goals made (60/1st), assists (146/4th) and steals (85/T-4th).
Just the sixth player in school history to earn First-Team All-CAA accolades, Blackwell wraps up her stellar four-year career with career-highs in scoring (16.1), rebounding (8.7), steals (3.1) and field goal percentage (.565) to rank among the top 100 nationally in all four categories. The Raleigh, N.C., product will end her time in the Port City among the program's career leaders in points (1,712/3rd), rebounds (972/2nd) steals (271/1st), field goals made (622/3rd), free throws made (450/1st), games played (120/3rd) and games started (116/1st).
White earns All-CAA honors for the first time in her career after posting career-highs in points (13.0), rebounds (7.3), blocked shots (1.8) and field goal percentage (.521) to rank among the top 10 in the league in all four categories. A native of Jacksonville, N.C., White will finish her career in second place on the program's career blocked shots list (129) and in a tie for first place on the school's all-time games played chart (122) as she sits just 64 points away from becoming just the 16th member of the program's 1,000-point club.
The No. 3 seeded Seahawks (22-7) begin play in the Virginia 529 College Savings Plan Colonial Athletic Association Women's Basketball Championship on Friday at 7:30 p.m. when they meet the winner of the first-round matchup between No. 6 Drexel and No. 11 Towson in a quarterfinal matchup.
2010-11 CAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL AWARD WINNERS
|
ALL-CAA FIRST TEAM
|
Cl.
|
Pos.
|
Ht.
|
Hometown/Previous School
|
|
Brittany Blackwell, UNC Wilmington
|
Sr.
|
G/F
|
6-1
|
Raleigh, N.C./Cary Academy
|
|
Elena Delle Donne, Delaware
|
So.
|
F/G
|
6-5
|
Wilmington, Del./Ursuline Academy
|
|
Dawn Evans, James Madison
|
Sr.
|
G
|
5-7
|
Clarksville, Tenn./Northeast
|
|
Shante Evans, Hofstra
|
So.
|
F
|
6-0
|
West Chester, Pa./Henderson
|
|
Courtney Hurt, VCU
|
Jr.
|
F
|
6-0
|
Loganville, Ga./Salem
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
ALL-CAA SECOND TEAM
|
Cl.
|
Pos.
|
Ht.
|
Hometown/Previous School
|
|
Andrea Barbour, VCU
|
Jr.
|
G
|
5-10
|
Charlottesville, Va./Patrick Henry C.C.
|
|
Lauren Jimenez, James Madison
|
Sr.
|
C
|
6-4
|
North Bergen, N.J./North Bergen
|
|
Kamile Nacickaite, Drexel
|
Jr.
|
F
|
5-11
|
Siauliai, Lithuania/Regis Jesuit (Colo.)
|
|
Jasmine Parker, Old Dominion
|
Sr.
|
G
|
5-6
|
Norfolk, Va./Maury
|
|
Martha White, UNC Wilmington
|
Sr.
|
C
|
6-2
|
Jacksonville, N.C./Jacksonville
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
ALL-CAA THIRD TEAM
|
Cl.
|
Pos.
|
Ht.
|
Hometown/Previous School
|
|
Lauren Carra, Delaware
|
So.
|
G
|
5-9
|
Dunmore, Pa./Dunmore
|
|
Chan Harris, Georgia State
|
Jr.
|
F
|
6-2
|
Macon, Ga./Northeast
|
|
Tia Lewis, Old Dominion
|
Jr.
|
C/F
|
6-3
|
Poulan, Ga./Central Florida
|
|
Taysha Pye, William & Mary
|
Jr.
|
G
|
5-8
|
Bronx, N.Y./St. Annes-Belfield (Va.)
|
|
Jasmine Rosseel, Drexel
|
Sr.
|
G
|
5-8
|
Ieper, Belgium/Sint-Theresia Instituut
|
2011 CAA PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Dawn Evans, James Madison
2011 CAA COACH OF THE YEAR: Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, UNC Wilmington
2011 CAA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Alisha Andrews, UNC Wilmington
2011 CAA DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Jasmine Parker, Old Dominion
2011 DEAN EHLERS LEADERSHIP AWARDS: Lindsey Moller, William & Mary
|
ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
|
Cl.
|
Pos.
|
Ht.
|
Hometown/Previous School
|
|
Alisha Andrews, UNC Wilmington
|
Fr.
|
G
|
5-2
|
Stone Mountain, Ga./Redan
|
|
Jacqueline Brewer, VCU
|
Fr.
|
G
|
5-9
|
Winchester, Va./Martinsburg Central
|
|
Kendra Long, Georgia State
|
Fr.
|
G
|
5-9
|
Albany, Ga./Mays
|
|
Kate Loper, Hofstra
|
Fr.
|
G
|
5-11
|
Post Falls, Idaho/Post Falls
|
|
Kaitlyn Mathieu, William & Mary
|
Fr.
|
C
|
6-2
|
Waterboro, Maine/Worchester Academy (Mass.)
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
|
Cl.
|
Pos.
|
Ht.
|
Hometown/Previous School
|
|
Alisha Andrews, UNC Wilmington
|
Fr.
|
G
|
5-2
|
Stone Mountain, Ga./Redan
|
|
Brittany Blackwell, UNC Wilmington
|
Sr.
|
G/F
|
6-1
|
Raleigh, N.C./Cary Academy
|
|
Candace Bond, Hofstra
|
So.
|
G
|
5-10
|
Fort Washington, Md./Riverdale Baptist
|
|
Jasmine Parker, Old Dominion
|
Jr.
|
G
|
5-6
|
Norfolk, Va./Maury
|
|
Martha White, UNC Wilmington
|
Sr.
|
C
|
6-2
|
Jacksonville, N.C./Jacksonville
|
|
ALL-ACADEMIC FIRST TEAM
|
Cl.
|
Pos.
|
Ht.
|
Hometown/Previous School
|
|
Elena Delle Donne, Delaware
|
So.
|
F/G
|
6-5
|
Wilmington, Del./Ursuline Academy
|
|
Deanna Kerkhof, Northeastern
|
So.
|
G
|
5-11
|
Wallaceburg, Ontario/Ursuline College
|
|
Angelee LaTouche, George Mason
|
Sr.
|
F/C
|
6-2
|
Kingston, Jamaica/Tallahassee C.C.
|
|
Jaclyn McKenna, William & Mary
|
So.
|
C
|
6-3
|
Huntington, N.Y./Elwood-John Glenn
|
|
Cody Paulk, Georgia State
|
So.
|
F/C
|
6-3
|
Gadsden, Ala./Gadsden City
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
ALL-ACADEMIC SECOND TEAM
|
Cl.
|
Pos.
|
Ht.
|
Hometown/Previous School
|
|
Candice Bellocchio, Hofstra
|
Jr.
|
G
|
5-6
|
Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's
|
|
Nicole Capurso, Hofstra
|
Jr.
|
G
|
5-9
|
Staten Island, N.Y./St. John Villa Academy
|
|
Marisa Crane, Drexel
|
Jr.
|
G
|
5-5
|
Emmaus, Pa./Emmaus
|
|
Courtney Hurt, VCU
|
Jr.
|
F
|
6-1
|
Coyers, Ga./Salem
|
|
Lauren Whitehurst, James Madison
|
Sr.
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
ALL-ACADEMIC HONORABLE MENTION
|
Cl.
|
Pos.
|
Ht.
|
Hometown/Previous School
|
|
Brittany Blackwell, UNC Wilmington
|
Sr.
|
G/F
|
6-1
|
Raleigh, N.C./Cary Academy
|
|
Mari Buchan, Old Dominion
|
Jr.
|
C
|
6-2
|
Stirlingshire, Scotland/Portobello
|
|
Jessica Cohen, UNC Wilmington
|
Jr.
|
F
|
6-1
|
Charleston, S.C./Northwood Academy
|
|
Chelsea Craig, Delaware
|
So.
|
F
|
6-2
|
Rockville, Md./Wootton
|
|
Brittany Eley, George Mason
|
Sr.
|
G
|
6-0
|
Waldorf, Md./Westlake
|
|
Dani Iervolino, Northeastern
|
So.
|
G
|
5-5
|
Manhassett, N.Y./St. John the Baptist
|
|
Mia Mayberry, Northeastern
|
Sr.
|
F
|
6-2
|
Rock Island, Ill. /Rock Island
|
|
Meghan McLean, Delaware
|
Jr.
|
G
|
5-9
|
Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair
|
|
Kayla Miller, Delaware
|
Jr.
|
G
|
5-8
|
Wilmington, Del./George Washington
|
|
Lindsey Moller, William & Mary
|
Sr.
|
G
|
5-10
|
Longmont, Colo./Longmont
|
|
Victoria Naylor, Towson
|
So.
|
G
|
5-8
|
Las Vegas, Nev./Garden City C.C.
|
|
Jasmina Rosseel, Drexel
|
Sr.
|
G
|
5-8
|
Ieper, Belgium/Sint-Theresia Instituut
|
|
Jalissa Taylor, James Madison
|
Sr.
|
F
|
6-3
|
Chesterfield, Va./L.C. Bird
|
|
Aamira Terry, Hofstra
|
Sr.
|
G
|
5-8
|
Atlanta, Ga./W.D. Mohammed
|
|
Isoken Uzamere, Hofstra
|
Sr.
|
F/C
|
6-2
|
Brentwood, N.Y./Brentwood
|
|
Taylor Wootton, Drexel
|
So.
|
F
|
6-1
|
Rutherford, N.J./Rutherford
|
