Astel, Cleary, Ithaca coaching staff gain top awards
Date: February 25, 2015
EMPIRE 8 ANNOUNCES WOMEN’S BASKETBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
Astel, Cleary, Ithaca Coaching Staff take top honors
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 2014-15 women’s basketball season. The conference coaches voted on the awards and all-conference teams.
Stevens Institute of Technology junior guard
Kaitlyn Astel was named Player of the Year. She led the Empire 8 in scoring at 16.6 points per game and ranked eighth in rebounding at 6.6 per game. She also ranked among the league leaders in field goal percentage at .444 (162-for-365) and free throw percentage at .755 (80-for-106). Astel reached double figures in scoring in 22 of the Ducks’ 25 games this season and twice was recognized as E8 Player of the Week. Astel is the second player from Stevens to be named E8 Player of the Year, joining two-time recipient Dani Dudek, who was honored in 2008 and 2009.
Elmira College freshman
Danielle Cleary was named Rookie of the Year. She started all 25 games for the Soaring Eagles in 2014-15 and led the team in scoring at 14.2 points per game. She also ranked among the conference leaders with 42 three-point baskets and a .686 free throw percentage (109-for-159). She reached double figures in scoring 18 points, including a school-record 37-point performance against Alfred in Elmira’s regular-season finale. She was named E8 Rookie of the Week eight times. She is the second Elmira player to be named E8 Rookie of the Year, joining Jennifer Parker, who was named in 2003.
The Ithaca College coaching staff, headed by
Dan Raymond, was chosen as Coaching Staff of the Year. Raymond has previously been recognized by the Empire 8 seven times. The Bombers went 15-1 in conference play and were 21-4 overall in 2014-15 to gain the top seed for the upcoming Empire 8 Conference Tournament. Raymond has led the Bombers to 20 wins or more 11 times in his 15 seasons on the Ithaca bench with 10 NCAA Tournament berths. Ithaca will be seeking its ninth conference title this weekend under Raymond’s direction.
One member of each team was named that institution’s representative on the 2014-15 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.
Empire 8 2014-15 Women's Basketball All-Conference Teams