STANDISH, Maine – Head Coach Mike McDevitt '83 has released the 2015 women's basketball team awards. Four honors – Most Improved, Best Defensive, Most Valuable, and T.E.A.M. awards were given to deserving team members following the completion of the 2014-15 campaign.
Freshman forward Norma Waggett (Saugus, Mass.) has been chosen as the 2015 Most Improved Player. The first-year post player averaged 7.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting 40.1% (75-187) from the floor over 26 games last winter. The Maine Women's Basketball Coaches Association (MWBCA) All-Rookie Team honoree ranked second on the team in field goal percentage, third in field goals made (75) and rebounding, and fourth in scoring average.
The 2015 Best Defensive Player honor goes to sophomore guard Abbie Eastman (Norway, Maine), who averaged 5.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game as a first-year starter.
Junior center Morgan Cahill (Yarmouth, Maine) is the Monks' 2015 Most Valuable Player. The third-year starter led the Monks in scoring (16.4 PPG), rebounding (7.6 RPG), blocked shots (39), field goals made (156), field goal percentage (.436), free throws made (97) and free throw percentage (.735) en route to earning Second Team All-Conference and First Team All-MWBCA accolades last winter. Cahill became the 22nd member of the Monks' 1,000-Point Club during the season and is just the sixth SJC player to reach the mark as a junior, as she finished her junior campaign with career totals of 1,211 points, 638 rebounds, 159 blocks, 83 assists and 79 steals.
Senior point guard Sarah Assante (Standish, Maine) has received the T.E.A.M. (Teamwork – Effort – Attitude - Motivation) Award. A two-year team captain and four-year contributor, Assante saved her best for last with career-highs across the board. She averaged 8.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.2 steals per contest while shooting 69.2% (72-104) from the free-throw line as a senior and collected Second Team All-Conference honors for her efforts. Assante is just the third player in team history to tally at least 500 points, 350 rebounds and 250 assists in their collegiate career.
Saint Joseph's College, led by 22nd-year Head Coach Mike McDevitt '83, posted a 16-10 overall record with a 6-5 mark in GNAC play en route to earning the #6 seed in the GNAC Tournament. The team's season, and bid to repeat as conference champions, came to an end with a 70-62 tournament quarterfinal loss at the hands of #3 Johnson & Wales University, the eventual GNAC champs, on February 26th.
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Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 430-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.
