YOSINOFF NAMED GNAC COACH OF THE YEAR; HIGGINS, BUJNOWSKI TABBED ALL-GNAC
BOSTON, Mass. – Emmanuel College women’s basketball Head Coach Andy Yosinoff has been named the 2015 Great Northeast Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. This marks the fourth time in his coaching career that his GNAC coaching peers have honored him as he also was tabbed the GNAC Coach of the Year in 1996, 2001 and 2004. With this release, the conference office also announced the 2015 GNAC All-Conference squad which included Emmanuel junior guard Sarah Higgins (Groveland, Mass.) and senior center Jennifer Bujnowski (Salem, N.H.).
BOSTON, Mass. – Emmanuel College women's basketball Head Coach Andy Yosinoff has been named the 2015 Great Northeast Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. This marks the fourth time in his coaching career that his GNAC coaching peers have honored him as he also was tabbed the GNAC Coach of the Year in 1996, 2001 and 2004. With this release, the conference office also announced the 2015 GNAC All-Conference squad which included Emmanuel junior guard Sarah Higgins (Groveland, Mass.) and senior center Jennifer Bujnowski (Salem, N.H.).
In his 38th year at the helm of the Saints, Yosinoff led Emmanuel to another perfect record during regular-season conference play with an 11-0 mark to earn the No. 1 seed heading into the Great Northeast Athletic Conference tournament for the 15th consecutive season. Under Yosinoff's direction, EC has now won 63 consecutive regular-season games in GNAC play, the second longest active streak among NCAA Division III women's basketball programs.
This season, Yosinoff was dealt a difficult hand during his first pre-season contest when he lost 2014 GNAC First Team All-Conference forward Lena Negri (Arlington, Va.) to a torn meniscus but it didn't stop the veteran head coach from leading Emmanuel to an 18 win campaign and an appearance in the GNAC Championship game. Despite falling to Johnson & Wales in the title match, the Saints earned a berth in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) New England tournament as the No. 2 seed and will play on Wednesday, March 4 against Curry College.
Higgins makes her second appearance on the GNAC All-Conference team, following up her Third Team honors from last season with an appearance on the GNAC First Team in 2015. Higgins ranked ninth in the GNAC in scoring with 375 total points, averaging a team-high 13.4 points per game for Emmanuel while also averaging 5.8 rebounds per game. The junior led the Saints while ranking second in the GNAC averaging 2.5 steals per game and was one of only two players in the league to averaging at least 2.5 steals and 3.0 assists per game. On January 17, Higgins enjoyed a career-day scoring 27 points in a 59-57 victory over Norwich University. She also tallied a career-high 10 assists in a 100-84 victory over Rivier two days later on January 19 and later in the season, matched her career-high for rebounds with 11 in an 84-68 victory over Saint Joseph's College (ME) on February 14.
Bujnowski earns GNAC Third Team honors for the second time in her career, also garnering the accolade in 2013. Bujnowski ranked second on the Saints in scoring averaging 11.4 points per game while leading the team in rebounding at 7.0 rebounds per contest. The center also lead the team while ranking tied for fourth in the GNAC averaging 1.1 blocks per game. Bujnowski scored in double figures during 18 contests this year including a season-high of 23 points against No. 2 Amherst College on December 2. She also collected double-figure rebound totals in six contests including a season-high of 15 against Eastern Connecticut State University on November 18.
Yosinoff, Higgins, Bujnowski and the rest of the Saints are back in action tomorrow evening in the ECAC New England Quarterfinals when they play host to Curry College at 7:00 PM.
First Team
Trafficia Warburton, Anna Maria (Sr., F, Worcester, Mass.)
Sarah Higgins, Emmanuel (Jr., G, Groveland, Mass.)
Aliah Curry, Norwich (Sr., G, Winsor, Mass.)
Deanna Purcell, Rivier (Sr., G, Hudson, N.H.)
Iliana Quadri, Suffolk (Sr., G, Sudbury, Mass.)
Second Team
Olivia Bolden, Albertus Magnus (Fr., F, South Windsor, Conn.)
Katie Stopera, Lasell (Jr., G, Hollis, N.H.)
Heather LeBlanc, Norwich (So., F, Sanford, Maine)
Sarah Assante, Saint Joseph's Maine (Sr., G, Standish, Maine)
Morgan Cahill, Saint Joseph's Maine (Jr., C, Yarmouth, Maine)
Third Team
Jennifer Bujnowski, Emmanuel (Sr., F, Salem, N.H.)
Raquel Pederzani, Johnson & Wales (Fr., G, Coventry, R.I.)
Bobbie Whitehead, Johnson & Wales (So., F, Brooklyn, N.Y.)
Savanna Butterfield, Rivier (So., F, Londonderry, N.H.)
Caitlyn Perry, Rivier (So., G, Nashua, N.H.)
Player of the Year – Deanna Purcell, Rivier
Defensive Player of the Year – Trafficia Warburton, Anna Maria
Rookie of the Year – Olivia Bolden, Albertus Magnus
Coach of the Year – Andy Yosinoff, Emmanuel
Institutional Sportsmanship Award – Simmons College
All-Sportsmanship Team
Megan Thornton, Albertus Magnus
Kristina Russo, Anna Maria
Devin Rauh, Emmanuel
Kaitlin Kenney, Johnson & Wales
Breeana Williams, Lasell
Shanell Nardone, Mount Ida
Leah Turcotte, Norwich
Rebecca DeBaldo, Rivier
Carlee Putnam, Saint Joseph (Conn.)
Abbie Eastman, Saint Joseph's Maine
Shelby Santini, Suffolk
Liz Brasa, Simmons