Three From WBB Honored by NECC
ATTLEBORO, Mass. – Three members of the Mitchell College women's basketball team were recognized by the New England Collegiate Conference on Monday as the league announced its annual awards.
Junior Francesca Pinard and sophomore Haley Garcia were among the 15 players who garnered all-conference recognition, each earning a spot on the third team for the first time in their respective careers. Freshman Marissa Sweeney was one of nine NECC All-Sportsmanship Team selections. All awards were determined by a vote of the conference's head coaches.
Pinard played in all 26 games and made 25 starts in her third season with the Mariners, averaging 8.7 points and a team- and career-high 7.7 rebounds per game. The forward ranked 19th in the NECC in scoring and 11th in rebounding, and her seven double-doubles were the most on the team.
Garcia, a guard, battled injuries to play in 14 games while making 11 starts in her first season at Mitchell. She averaged a team-high 11.8 points in 29.2 minutes per contest. In league play her averaged bumped up to 15.0 points per game, with a career-high 24 points coming against Newbury College in early December.
Sweeney was one of the top freshmen in the NECC, averaging 7.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. The rookie forward played in 25 games with 24 starts and posted four double-doubles, and she ranked among the conference leaders in free throw percentage (third), assists (eighth) and rebounding (12th).
Mitchell finished the season with an overall record of 12-14 and went 11-5 in NECC play to finish tied for third in the regular season standings. The Mariners earned a first-round bye in the NECC Championship but fell to eventual champion Becker College in the semifinals.
2018 New England Collegiate Conference Awards
Player of the Year: Destiny Spears, Newbury (Sr., F, Arnold, Md.)
Rookie of the Year: Jaymesha Sanders, Newbury (Jr. F, West Haven, Conn.)
Defensive Player of the Year: Jamaya Cleveland, Dean (Jr., G/F, Greensboro, Ga.)
Coach of the Year: Marc Taney, Newbury
First Team All-NECC
Cassidy Harrison, Becker (So., G, Foxborough, Mass.)
Morgan Turner, Dean (Sr., G/F, Winter Park, Fla.)
Savannah Olsen, Newbury (Jr., F, Battle Creek, Mich.)
Destiny Spears, Newbury (Sr., F, Arnold, Md.)
Katie Walsh, Wheelock (Jr., F, East Islip, N.Y.)
Second Team All-NECC
Adrianna Dowdy, Becker (Jr., F, East Haven, Conn.)
Shannon Rosensteel, Dean (So., F, Sunrise, Fla.)
Mackenzie Larochelle, Elms (Sr., G, Chicopee, Mass.)
Niah Pantry, Elms (Jr., F, New Haven, Conn.)
Jaymesha Sanders, Newbury (Jr. F, West Haven, Conn.)
Third Team All-NECC
Dakota Jones, Lesley (So., F, Torrance, Calif.)
Haley Garcia, Mitchell (So., G, South Windsor, Conn.)
Francesca Pinard, Mitchell (Jr., F, Arlington, Mass.)
Maddy Main, Southern Vermont (Jr., G, Bennington, Vt.)
Emma Siver, Wheelock (Sr., G, Colchester, Conn.)
All-NECC Sportsmanship Team
Jai Ruiz, Bay Path (Jr., G, Hadley, Mass.)
Sarah Ware, Becker (So., F, Oakham, Mass.)
Sophia Church, Dean (Fr., G, Rochester, Mass.)
Rachel Granger, Elms (So., G, Hampden, Mass.)
Elizabeth Portante, Lesley (Fr., F., Littleton, Mass.)
Marissa Sweeney, Mitchell (Fr., F, Hudson, N.H.)
Destiny Spears, Newbury (Sr., F, Arnold, Md.)
Bentleigh Harvey, Southern Vermont (Jr., F, Bennington, Vt.)
Gabrielle Haywood, Wheelock (Sr., F, Longmeadow, Mass.)