2016 D3hoops.com All-East Region Team
Five Empire 8 women's basketball players have been named d3hoops.com All-East Region and Stevens Institute of Technology head coach Megan Haughey was named the Coach of the Year.
Stevens senior Kaitlyn Astel was tabbed First Team All-East region, after leading the Ducks with 15.7 points and 4.0 rebounds in 2015-16. The Staten Island, N.Y. native was a two-time Empire 8 Conference Player of the Week selection, in addition to be being named E8 Player of the Year and First Team All-E8. It is the second straight season Astel was tabbed All-East region.
Nazareth senior Lindsey Kelly and St. John Fisher College senior Mary Kate Cusak were selected to the Second Team.
Kelly was the conference leader in scoring (19.9 ppg.) and rebounding (10.9 per game) and ranks in the top 10 nationally in field goal accuracy (205-for-317, .647). She played all 26 games for the Golden Flyers making 24 starts and averaging 30.3 minutes. Kelly finished with double-digit scoring in every game, eclipsing the 20-point mark on 13 occassions.
Cusack headed the Fisher offense all season averaging a team-leading 14.8 points per game, and also leading in assists per game at 3.2. She is among the nation's leaders in steals as she ranks 20 with 3.4 per game. The senior has connected a team-leading 46 3-pointers on the year and also leads the team from the foul line, shooting 84.3%. She ranks a three-time All-Conference selection, and lands seventh all-time at Fisher in career scoring with 1,487 points, third in career steals (312) and second in career 3-pointers made (232).
Stevens senior Miranda Ripken and Hartwick senior Taylor Vonasek were selected to Third Team,
Ripken averaged 11.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. Against Ithaca College on February 9, Ripken recorded her 1,000th career point, becoming the 11th player in program history to reach that mark. The Fallston, Md. native was named First Team All-E8 this year after claiming Honorable Mention last season and 2012-13.
Vonasek led her team in scoring with an average of 16.4 points per game and blocked shots (26) while finishing second in rebounding (6.1 rpg) this season. She shot 41% (141-for-344) from the field and 74% (94-for-127) from the free-throw line while knocking down 94 shots from the stripe. She also contributed 31 steals, 17 three-pointers, and 14 assists.
Haughey led the Ducks to the first-ever trip to the Sweet 16, compiling a 23-7 record. The 23 wins were one shy of the program record. Through four seasons at the helm of the Ducks, Haughey has recorded 77 wins with only 34 losses.