STANDISH, Maine – The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Basketball postseason honors have been announced and three Saint Joseph's College players have garnered accolades.
Head Coach Mike McDevitt '83 and junior guard Angelica Hurley (Groveland, Mass.) headline the Monks' selections, as McDevitt has been selected as the GNAC Coach of the Year and Hurley is the 2023 GNAC Women's Basketball Defensive Player of the Year.
Hurley has also claimed Second Team All-Conference honors while junior guard Hannah Talon (Windham, Maine) is listed on the Second Team and freshman guard Elisabeth Stapelfeld (Brookline, N.H.) has earned All-Rookie Team honors.
McDevitt takes home his fifth GNAC Coach of the Year award – and 15th top coach honor of his career overall – after leading the Monks to a 23-5 record, including a 15-2 mark in conference play, and a thrilling victory over Emmanuel College in the 2023 GNAC Championship game.
McDevitt, who last earned the GNAC skipper honor in 2019, is one of the most successful NCAA DIII Women's Basketball coaches in the country. In 31 years on the basketball bench, McDevitt owns a 625-215 (.744) career record and has guided his teams to 19 championships and 14 national tournament appearances. He is one of just 10 coaches in the history of DIII women's basketball to register at least twenty 20-win seasons (2022-23 is his 21st such season).
Among active coaches through the 2021-22 season, McDevitt is ranked 11th in career victories and 18th in winning percentage.
Hurley has been named as the GNAC Defensive Player of the Year and collects Second Team All-Conference honors after being tasked with shutting down the opponents' top offensive threat every game. Overall, she averaged 11.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.9 steals per contest while shooting 39.4% (99-251) from the field, 36.8% (53-144) from three-point range, and 76.8% (63-82) from the free throw line while averaging 25.9 minutes over 27 games.
The first player to claim GNAC Defensive Player of the Year honors since Julia Champagne '19 in 2018, Hurley ranked fifth in the conference in three-pointers made (53), 3FG% (36.8%), FT% (76.8%), defensive rebounds (177), and assists (86) this winter.
Talon claims the first All-Conference honor of her career after averaging 15.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists while shooting 55.8% (144-258) from the floor, 41.0% (32-78) from beyond the arc, and 80.5% (99-123) from the charity stripe in 28 games this winter. She led the GNAC in FG% (55.8%) and ranked second in the conference in 3FG% (41.0%), third in FT% (80.5%), and fourth in assist/turnover ratio (1.7).
The 2023 GNAC Tournament Most Valuable Player put forth one of the most memorable conference tourney performances in program history, as the junior standout averaged 26.3 points while shooting 62.2% (28-45) from the floor, 45.5% (5-11) from downtown, and 85.7% (18-21) from the FT line in three postseason triumphs.
Stapelfeld is listed on the GNAC All-Rookie Team after averaging 10.3 points and 3.4 rebounds per game with 57 assists and 33 steals while shooting 49.8% (110-221) overall, 36.8% (25-68) from three-point distance, and 81.5% (44-54) from the FT line in 28 games, including 21 starts.
Named as the 2023 Maine Women's Basketball Coaches Association (MWBCA) Rookie of the Year, Stapelfeld led the Monks in scoring in four different games this season and ranked second on the team in field goals made (110) and FG% and third in scoring average and steals (33).
