NORTHAMPTON, Mass. – The 2023 New England Women's Basketball Association (NEWBA) All-Region teams and major award winners have been announced and Saint Joseph's College freshman guard Elisabeth Stapelfeld (Brookline, N.H.) has been chosen as the 2023 NEWBA Rookie of the Year.
Stapelfeld becomes the first Saint Joseph's player to earn NEWBA top rookie honors after averaging 10.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per contest while shooting 49.6% (114-230) from the field, 36.2% (25-69) from three-point distance, and 81.5% (44-54) from the free throw line. She capped her freshman season ranked second on the team in field goals made (114) and field goal percentage and third in scoring average, points (297), free throw percentage, and steals (34).
The postseason honors keep pouring in for Stapelfeld, who earlier this offseason claimed Maine Women's Basketball Coaches Association (MWBCA) Rookie of the Year, Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) All-Rookie Team, MWBCA All-Rookie Team, and GNAC All-Tournament accolades. She also claimed five MWBCA Rookie of the Week honors and was picked as the November 28th GNAC Rookie of the Week.
Award recipients were voted on by coaches from around the region and selected from a group of players - nominated by said coaches – after making an impact on the hardwood during the regular season.
Under the watch of 31st-year Head Coach Mike McDevitt '83, Saint Joseph's posted a 23-6 record with a 15-2 mark in GNAC play on the way to earning the #1 seed in the GNAC North Division. The Monks advanced to the GNAC Championship game after topping Johnson & Wales, 80-51, in quarterfinal action and defeating Rivier University, 83-55, in the semifinal round. St. Joe's trailed #2N Emmanuel College for most of the title bout but mounted an impressive fourth-quarter rally to defeat the Saints, 74-67, and claim the program's fifth GNAC Championship in 15 years as a member of the conference.
Making their sixth NCAA Tournament appearance in team history, the Monks trekked to Scranton, Pa. to take on the #3 Lady Royals – undefeated at 27-0 - on their home court. St. Joe's kept pace with Scranton until early in the third quarter, when the hosts gained some breathing room in an eventual 64-45 victory.
