The America East announced their women’s basketball regular season awards on Friday. The University of Maine was well represented. Dor Saar earned rookie of the year. Saar started 23 games and was named conference rookie of the year four times.
Amy Vachon was named coach of the year. Vachon led the Black Bears to the regular season conference championship. Vachon inked a four extension with the Black Bears.
Blanca Millan was named to first time all conference while Tanesha Sutton was selected to second team. Parise Rossignol was awarded sixth player of the year. Millan was also on the all defensive team. Fanny Wadling,was on the all- academic team.
The press release from the America East is below
PORTLAND, Maine – Two of the top three seeds in the America East Women’s Basketball Championship received major awards as the conference’s 2017-18 annual awards and all-conference teams were revealed Friday night. Maine and Binghamton each had two student-athletes rewarded for their regular season performances at the Women’s Basketball Awards Banquet hosted by the Westin Portland Harborview on the eve of the #AETourney quarterfinals.
Binghamton senior Imani Watkins became the first Bearcat to earn Player of the Year honors since Sarah Cartmill in 2002. Watkins’ teammate Alyssa James (Defensive Player of the Year) also took home hardware as did Maine’s Dor Saar (Rookie of the Year), Parise Rossignol (Sixth Player of the Year) and Amy Vachon (Coach of the Year).
2017-18 America East Women’s Basketball Awards
Player of the Year
Imani Watkins, Sr., G, Binghamton
• Leads the conference in scoring (20.4 ppg) and minutes (37.4 mpg).
• Ranks second in the league in three-point field goal percentage, making nearly 30 percent of shots.
• Ranks 10th all-time in scoring with 2,060 points and ranks second in career three-point field goald made.
• Watkins had three 30-point games this season, including a career-high 36 on December 18.
Defensive Player of the Year
Alyssa James, Sr., C, Binghamton
• James has now received this award three consecutive years, joining Albany’s Ebone Henry as the only players to do so.
• She leads the conference and ranks third in country in blocks, averaging 3.4 per game.
• The senior became the league’s all-time leading shot-block this season and broke her own single-season conference record with 100 blocked shots this year.
• James also averaged a double-double as the only player in the conference to average 10.0 rebounds per game.
Rookie of the Year
Dor Saar, Fr., G, Maine
• Started 23 games for the Black Bears and appeared in all but one game during the regular season.
• She leads the team shooting 36 percent from beyond the arc.
• Saar’s 2.9 assists per game rank second on the team and are a conference-best among freshmen.
• Four time America East Rookie of the Week this season.
Sixth Player of the Year
Parise Rossignol, Jr., G, Maine
• The second straight Maine student-athlete to win the honor.
• Rossignol averages 21.3 minutes per contest as a key contributor off the bench.
• Helped the Black Bears to their first outright league title since 2004-05.
Coach of the Year
Amy Vachon, Maine – 1st Season
• Vachon is the first former player in the conference, which traces its roots back to the formation of the Seaboard Conference in 1984-85, to win Coach of the Year.
• Coached the Black Bears to their league-best 15th regular season title in program history.
• Maine’s 56.2 points per game allowed to opponents leads the conference.
• Black Bears were picked sixth in the league’s preseason poll.
First Team All-Conference
Jessica Féquière, Sr., F, Albany
*Imani Watkins, Sr., G, Binghamton
Blanca Millan So., G, Maine
*Carlie Pogue, Sr., C, New Hampshire
Shania Johnson, Jr., G, Stony Brook
Second Team All-Conference
*Alyssa James, Sr., C, Binghamton
Lindsey Abed, Jr., G, Hartford
Tanesha Sutton, Jr., G, Maine
Olivia Healy, Sr., F, New Hampshire
Hanna Crymble, So., F, Vermont
Third Team All-Conference
Tiana-Jo Carter, Sr., F, Albany
Mackenzie Trpcic, So., G, Albany
Kai Moon, So., G, Binghamton
*Darby Lee, Sr., F, Hartford
Jerell Matthews , Jr., G, Stony Brook
All-Defensive Team
Tiana-Jo Carter, Sr., F, Albany
*Alyssa James, Sr., C, Binghamton
Imani Watkins, Sr., G, Binghamton
*Janelle Harrison , Sr., F, Hartford
Blanca Millan, So., Maine
All-Rookie Team
Jade Young, G, Hartford
Dor Saar G, Maine
Janee’a Summers, F, UMBC
Paula Lopez, G, UMass Lowell
Mackenzie Bushee, F, Stony Brook
All-Academic Team
Mackenzie Trpcic, So., Albany – 3.95, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lindsey Abed, Jr., Hartford – 3.67, Economics
Fanny Wadling, So., Maine – 3.86, Exercise Science
Kayla Gibbs, Sr., UMass Lowell – 3.48, Public Health
Hanna Crymble, So., Vermont – 3.80, Biochemistry
