NEW HAVEN, Conn. (February 27, 2015) – Caldwell University standout Emily Caswell on Friday was named the 2015 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Women’s Basketball Player of the Year, as announced by Commissioner Dan Mara.

Caswell, who was also named to the All-CACC First-Team on Friday, won another major award earlier this week, as on Wednesday she was named a Third-Team Academic All-American by the Committee of Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). 

Joining Caswell as major year-end award winners were Goldey-Beacom College’s Lexi Bruno, who was named the CACC Rookie of the Year; and Bloomfield College’s Tierra Scott, who won the inaugural CACC Defensive Player-of-the-Year award. USciences head coach Jackie Hartzell was named the CACC Coach of the Year for leading the Devils to the CACC South Division Championship. Georgian Court University was also recognized on the day, as the Lions claimed the Team Sportsmanship Award.

Caswell had a sensational regular season, as the senior forward led the CACC in scoring (20.8 ppg) and rebounding (13.9 rpg). She also led the conference in field goals made (210) and free throws converted (156). Caswell also ranked fourth in the conference in field goal percentage at 82.5 percent.

She scored in double-figures in all but two games this year, and topped 20 points 15 times (including two 30-point performances). Overall, Caswell logged 22 double-doubles this year in scoring and rebounding.

Bruno took home the league’s top rookie award with a sensational debut season for Goldey-Beacom. She ranked seventh in the CACC in scoring (15.6 ppg), while dishing out 141 assists, which was the second highest total in the conference. Bruno’s scoring took off even higher in conference play, as she netted 17.2 points to rank fifth in that category. She topped 20 points in a game 10 times throughout the regular season. 

Scott was tabbed as the league’s defensive player of the year, as she served as a wall down in the low post versus the opposition during the regular season. She blocked a league-high 53 shots, while also ranking sixth in rebounding at 8.6 boards a contest. Scott’s defensive prowess helped Bloomfield rank third in the CACC in opponent’s scoring this year, as teams averaged just 62.0 points per game against the Bears.

Hartzell was selected as the coach of the year after guiding USciences to a 19-7 overall record and a 15-4 mark in conference play, which enabled the Devils to capture the CACC South Division crown. Under her leadership, USciences won 16-consecutive games midway through the season that spanned parts of three months.

Caswell and Scott were both named to the All-CACC First-Team, and were joined on the conference’s top unit with Goldey-Beacom’s Lillian Chukwueze, Philadelphia University’s Najah Jacobs, and USciences’ Brianne Traub.

Bruno was tabbed on the All-CACC Second-Team, and shared the honor with four others, including Lashonda Hathorne (Dominican College), Tianna Smith (Bloomfield), Jessica Sylvester (USciences), and Kasey Woetzel (Holy Family University).

The All-CACC Third-Team was comprised of Tahira Matthews (Georgian Court), Monica Schacker (PhilaU), Morgan Taylor (Bloomfield), Tiffany Turner (Chestnut Hill College), and Bria Young (PhilaU).

Voting for the all-conference teams, player of the year, rookie of the year, defensive player of the year, and team sportsmanship was conducted by the conference’s 14 head coaches in the sport. Voting for coach of the year was determined by the league’s 14 sports information directors.

The announcement of the all-conference team comes just 24 hours before the 2015 CACC Women’s Basketball Championship tips off Saturday afternoon with the quarterfinal round at the sight of the highest seeds. The four winners from Saturday’s slate will advance to the championship weekend March 6-7 at Philadelphia University with the semifinals on Friday followed by the championship final on Saturday. The winner of the CACC Championship will receive the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament East Regional, which will be held March 13-14 and 16 at a site to be determined.

The Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference is an NCAA Division II Conference composed of 14 institutions in Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. The member institutions are Bloomfield College, Caldwell University, Chestnut Hill College, Concordia (N.Y.) College, Dominican (N.Y.) College, Felician College, Georgian Court University, Goldey-Beacom College, Holy Family University, Nyack College, Philadelphia University, Post University of Waterbury, University of the Sciences, and Wilmington University.

2015 ALL-CACC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL FIRST-TEAM
Emily Caswell (Caldwell)
Lillian Chukwueze (Goldey-Beacom)
Najah Jacobs (Philadelphia U.)
Tierra Scott (Bloomfield)
Brianne Traub (USciences)

2015 ALL-CACC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SECOND-TEAM
Lexi Bruno (Goldey-Beacom)
Lashonda Hathorne (Dominican)
Tianna Smith (Bloomfield)
Jessica Sylvester (USciences)
Kasey Woetzel (Holy Family)

2015 ALL-CACC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL THIRD-TEAM
Tahira Matthews (Georgian Court)
Monica Schacker (Philadelphia U.)
Morgan Taylor (Bloomfield)
Tiffany Turner (Chestnut Hill)
Bria Young (Philadelphia U.)

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Emily Caswell (Caldwell)
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Lexi Bruno (Goldey-Beacom)
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Tierra Scott (Bloomfield)
COACH OF THE YEAR: Jackie Hartzell (USciences)
TEAM SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD: Georgian Court