STANDISH, Maine – The postseason awards keep pouring in for Saint Joseph's College sophomore guard Kelsi McNamara (West Newbury, Mass.).
Having already been honored as the conference and state levels, McNamara has this week earned a pair of regional awards with nods from the New England Women's Basketball Association (NEWBA) and D3Hoops.com. The second-year standout is listed on the NEWBA Second Team and has claimed D3Hoops.com Third Team All-Northeast Region accolades.
Following the completion of the regular season, the second-year starter was selected as the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Player of the Year and collected First Team All-GNAC and First Team All-State awards. Outstanding during the Monks' conference championship run, McNamara also garnered GNAC Tournament Most Valuable Player honors – for the second-consecutive season.
McNamara led the Royal Blue in scoring (16.1 PPG), three-pointers made (79), free-throws made (87), free-throw percentage (.806), assists (135), steals (47), and blocked shots (10) during her sophomore season. She shattered the Monks' single-season three-pointers made and attempted (217) records (previous marks: 68 & 179, respectively) this year and, with 144 three-point field goals in two seasons, she already ranks fifth in program history in career trifectas made.
With 466 points this winter, McNamara netted the highest total by an SJC player since Danielle Bouchard '95 scored 621 (program record) during the 1994-95 campaign. She also has scored the most points (868) through two seasons of any player in SJC women's basketball team history.
Under the watch of 24th-year Head Coach Mike McDevitt '83 this season, Saint Joseph's went 24-5 overall with a 15-1 record in GNAC play en route to earning the top seed in the conference's North Division. In GNAC Tournament action, the Monks successfully defended the 2016 crown with three tourney triumphs, including the championship game victory over Emmanuel College, 81-70 in overtime, on February 25th. With the automatic qualifier awarded to the GNAC Champion, Saint Joseph's advanced to NCAA Tournament for the third time in the last four years, but saw the 2017 season come to a close with an opening-round 65-44 loss at the hands of #4 Tufts University on March 3rd.
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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 474-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.
