April 12, 2013

MBWA Release

BRONX, N.Y. - The accolades continue to roll in for the Fordham University women's basketball program. After the Rams' best season in over three decades concluded with an appearance in the WNIT Round of 16, the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association has announced that three Rams will be honored at the Met Basketball Writers Dinner at the Westchester Marriott on Monday, April 15th. Coach Stephanie Gaitley has received Coach of the Year Honors, Erin Rooney made First Team All-Met and Marah Strickland was named Second Team All-Met.

The All-Met Awards honor the best of New York City college basketball.

Gaitley takes home her honor after guiding a program from perennial A-10 doormat to postseason contender in just two short seasons. Gaitley led the Rams to a 26-9 record in 2012-2013, notching the second-highest win total in program history and the most since 1978-1979.

Gaitley's squad accomplished a laundry list of firsts this season, including the team's first winning record since 1994-1995, first 20-win season since 1993-1994, first postseason appearance since 1994 and first ever appearance in the A-10 Tournament semifinals and championship. The Rams' 12-2 record in conference more than doubled their previous high win total in the A-10 and their final RPI ranking of 60 set an all-time high water mark for the program.

Rooney Earned First Team All-Atlantic 10 Honors As Well

Rooney's First Team All-Met selection follows a year in which she received First Team All-Atlantic 10 honors, anchoring a Rams squad that rewrote the Fordham record books in almost every way possible.

The Redshirt Junior from Christchurch, New Zealand, ranked second on the team with 13.9 points per game, pulled in 5.3 boards per contest and dished out a team-best 3.7 assists per outing. She finished the season ranked seventh in the Atlantic 10 in scoring, third in free throw percentage, ninth in assists and eighth in assist-to-turnover ratio.

Rounding out Fordham's 2013 All-Met awards is Marah Strickland, the graduate student whose one year in a Fordham uniform proved to be one of the most monumental in the program's history.

Strickland Led the Rams with 15.1 Points per Game

The Mt. Airy, Md., native led the Rams in scoring with 15.1 points per game and fell just one point short of becoming the first Fordham player since Jeanine Radice in 1988-1989 to score 500 points in season. She finished fourth in the Atlantic 10 in scoring and topped the conference in free throw percentage, netting over 86 percent of her tries from the charity stripe.

In Atlantic 10 play, Strickland was one of the most feared shooters in the league from beyond the arc. She nailed over 41 percent of her chances from deep and made 2.4 field goals per game from downtown, good enough for second in the league in both categories.

The full list of honorees on the women's side is as follows:

FIRST TEAM

Nadirah McKenith, St. John's 5-7, sr, G (Newark, NJ)

Shenneika Smith, St. John's 6-1, sr, G (Brooklyn, NY)

Shante Evans, Hofstra 6-0, sr, F (West Chester, PA)

Damika Martinez, Iona 5-7, so, G (Meriden, CT)

Erin Rooney, Fordham 5-8, R-jr, G (Christchurch, NZ)

Elizabeth Beynnon, Marist 6-2, sr, F (Burlington, VT)

SECOND TEAM

Marah Strickland, Fordham 6-0, gr, F/G (Mt. Airy, MD)

Rayven Johnson, NJIT 5-8, sr, G (Rahway, NJ)

Kelsey Minato, Army 5-8, fr, G (Huntington Beach, Calif.)

Erica Wheeler, Rutgers 5-7, sr, G (Miami, FL)

Brittany Morris, Seton Hall 5-6, sr, G (Raleigh, NC)

MyNeshia McKenzie, Rider 5-11, jr, F/G (Springfield, PA)

Player of the Year: Nadirah McKenith, St. John's

Rookie of the Year: Aliyyah Handford, St. John's

Coach of the Year: Stephanie Gaitley, Fordham