ROCHESTER, NY – The Empire 8 Athletic Conference has announced the Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Coach of the Year awards for the 2013-14 women’s basketball season. The conference coaches vote on the awards and all-conference teams.
The Player of the Year award goes to Elmira’s
Jessica Zoltowski. Zoltowski, a senior guard, averaged 21.0 points per contest to lead the Empire 8 in scoring and her field goal percentage of .435 ranks fourth in the conference. She averaged 6.9 rebounds and accumulated 61 assists and 60 steals for the Soaring Eagles in her 25 starts. Zoltowski reached double-figures in points in all 25 games this season and led the team in scoring on 21 different occasions. She set the school record for most points in a season (526) and became the all-time scoring leader in EC history (1,608). Zoltowski is Elmira’s second E8 Player of the Year recipient, joining previous winner Jennifer Parker (2004).
Stevens Institute of Technology freshman
Erica Guketlov was named the Rookie of the Year. She has appeared in all 25 games to date, making 17 starts. Guketlov is averaging 7.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. She has knocked down 42 three-pointers this season and is shooting 36.5 percent from the arc. She finished in double digits nine times during the regular season, led Stevens in scoring in four games and was named the E8 Rookie of the Week four times. Guketlov is the first E8 Rookie of the Year to be honored from Stevens.
Hartwick head coach
Missy West has been named the Coach of the Year for the second time in her career. In her sixth season at the helm, the Hawks posted a 13-1 record in league play and earned a share of the regular season E8 title. The team is currently 21-4, marking the third straight year West has guided her players to 20-plus wins. Hartwick has earned the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament for the third consecutive year and will be looking to return to the title game in hopes of hoisting the E8 trophy for the first time in program history.
In addition, one member of each team was named that institution’s representative on the 2013-14 Women’s Basketball Sportswoman of the Year Team. Empire 8 emphasizes that "Competing with Honor and Integrity" is an essential component of a student-athlete’s experience in conjunction with an institution’s educational mission. These honorees have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportswomen.
2013-14 Women's Basketball All-Conference Teams