NEW HAVEN, Conn. (February 26, 2016) -- Bloomfield College junior guard Tianna Smithand Philadelphia University senior guard Bria Young on Friday were each named the 2015-16 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Women's Basketball Player of the Year, as announced by Commissioner Dan Mara.

Young was not done on the day, as she was also named the CACC Defensive Player of the Year. Those three honors helped highlight a day that also saw Mara announce the rookie-of-the-year award, BSN Sports Coach-of-the-Year accolade and the 2015-16 All-CACC Women's Basketball Teams. The voting for all the awards was handled by the league's 14 head coaches in the sport.

Joining Smith and Young as year-end major award winners were Chestnut Hill College's Jaeda Wildgoose (CACC Rookie of the Year) and Bloomfield's David Caputo (coach of the year).

Young produced impressive statistics on both ends of the court during the regular season to pick up her pair of major awards.

On the offensive end, Young averaged 15.4 points per game to rank fifth in the league in scoring. She converted 99 free throws during the regular season to lead the league in that category. Young scored in double-figures in all but two games, including topping 20 points four times. She pumped in a season-best 28 points in a 69-57 win over Goldey-Beacom College back on Jan. 20. Young has not been selfish with the basketball, as she ranked fifth in the CACC with 105 total assists.

Young was a terror on the defensive end. She swiped a CACC-high 78 steals throughout the regular season, while also blocking 11 shots. Young also averaged 5.6 rebounds per game.

In addition to her major awards, Young was also placed on the All-CACC First-Team, marking the second-straight year she earned all-conference accolades (third-team honors in 2014-15). Young has also been recognized for her studies, as earlier in the month she was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District I First-Team.

Smith was also named the league's player of the year, while also garnering a spot on the All-CACC First-Team. She earned all-conference mention for the second time in as many seasons, as Smith also collected second-team honors in 2014-15. 

She was one of the conference's top offensive threats during the regular season, as she ranked third in the league with 17.1 points per game on a solid 45 percent shooting the field, including a 41-percent clip from beyond the arc. Smith, who converted 169 field goals during the season (4th most in the CACC), scored in double-figures in all but one game. She has scored 20 points or more in three of her last five games, including a 28-point effort versus Holy Family University on Feb. 13. Smith also had a stretch during the middle of the season where she topped 20 points in six of 10 games. She also swiped 64 steals to rank fifth in the CACC.

Wildgoose was named the CACC Rookie of the Year following a regular season which saw her post averages of 13.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. She also shot 49 percent from the floor -- fifth-best average in the conference. She ranked 12th in scoring and 13th in rebounding, while also collecting a league-high seven CACC Rookie-of-the-Week awards. Wildgoose was also named to the All-CACC Third-Team for her efforts.

Caputo collected the BSN Sports Coach-of-the-Year honor after guiding Bloomfield to a 22-6 overall record and nearly-perfect 18-1 mark in CACC action. The Bears are currently in eighth place in the latest NCAA Division II East Region Rankings. The nation got to see Caputo's coaching prowess and the tremendous program he resides over as he led the Bears to a thrilling come-from-behind win over PhilaU on ESPN3 back on Jan. 30.

The other major award announced on Friday was the 2015-16 CACC Women's Basketball Team Sportsmanship Award, which was won by Georgian Court University. The Lions, who improved their win total under second-year head coach Jazz Perazic, won the award for the second-straight season. Coach Perazic's guidance has enabled Georgian Court to demonstrate outstanding leadership and character during competition within the CACC.

Several worthy student-athletes were named to one of the three All-CACC Women's Basketball Teams. Joining Young and Smith on the first-team were Philadelphia's Tori Arnao, Goldey-Beacom's Lexi Bruno and Dominican College's Deja Gabbidon.

The second-team featured Caldwell University duo Nicole Angelo and Kristen Drogsler, the Holy Family pair of Erin Fenningham and Abigail Iannotti, and Bloomfield's Ariel Wilson.

Four other standouts joined Wildgoose on the All-CACC Third-Team, and included Britani Bryson(Goldey-Beacom), Chyna Golden (Bloomfield), Tenicia Spence (Wilmington University) and Alex Thomas (University of the Sciences).

The 2016 CACC Women's Basketball Championship begins this Saturday with the quarterfinals at the sites of the highest seeds. Saturday's four winners will advance to CACC Championship Weekend next Thursday-Saturday at Dominican College in Orangeburg, N.Y. The winner of the CACC Tournament will earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division II East Regional, which will be held the following weekend at a site to be determined.

For more information on the CACC Tournament and a preview of Saturday's contests, please clickHERE. Fans can also follow the tournament through the official online bracket by clicking HERE.

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 University, Georgian Court University, Goldey-Beacom College, Holy Family University, Nyack College, Philadelphia University, Post University of Waterbury, University of the Sciences, and Wilmington University.

2015-16 CACC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
Tianna Smith (Bloomfield College)
Bria Young (Philadelphia University) 

2015-16 CACC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Jaeda Wildgoose (Chestnut Hill College) 

2015-16 CACC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Bria Young (Philadelphia University) 

2015-16 BSN SPORTS CACC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL COACH OF THE YEAR
David Caputo (Bloomfield College) 

2015-16 CACC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Georgian Court University 

2015-16 CACC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST-TEAM 
Tori Arnao (Philadelphia University)
Lexi Bruno (Goldey-Beacom College)
Deja Gabbidon (Dominican College)
Tianna Smith (Bloomfield College)
Bria Young (Philadelphia University) 

2015-16 CACC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ALL-CONFERENCE SECOND-TEAM
Nicole Angelo (Caldwell University)
Kristen Drogsler (Caldwell University)
Erin Fenningham (Holy Family University)
Abigail Iannotti (Holy Family University)
Ariel Wilson (Bloomfield College) 

2015-16 CACC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ALL-CONFERENCE THIRD-TEAM
Britani Bryson (Goldey-Beacom College)
Chyna Golden (Bloomfield College)
Tenicia Spence (Wilmington University)
Alex Thomas (University of the Sciences)
Jaeda Wildgoose (Chestnut Hill College)