Atlantic 10 Release
After captaining the Rams to their second straight campaign with 22 regular season wins and a three seed in the conference championship,
Erin Rooney (Christchurch, New Zealand/Marian/Monmouth) and
Abigail Corning (Wethersfield, Conn./Wethersfield) have received all-league accolades from the Atlantic 10.
Rooney found a spot on the All-Atlantic 10 First Team, while Corning earned a place on the All-Atlantic 10 Second Team. For their accomplishments in the classroom as well as on the hardwood, both Rooney and Corning were also named to the Academic All-Conference Team.
"I am so proud to see Erin and Abigail recognized for their outstanding individual accomplishments," said Head Coach
Stephanie Gaitley. "A lot of teams have great players, but Erin and Abigail have taken the Fordham program to unprecedented heights both on and off the court. They have been the heart and soul of our squad all year long and make us all very proud to be Rams."
Rooney, a 2013 First Team All-Atlantic 10 selection, has received the honor for the second straight season. The Christchurch, New Zealand, native leads the Rams in scoring (18.2 ppg), rebounding (7.1 rpg), assists (5.3 apg) and steals (1.4 spg) heading into the postseason, anchoring a Rams squad that has already broken or tied several school records. Rooney finished the regular season ranked third in the conference in scoring, while coming in second in defensive rebounds and minutes played. She also sits at fourth in the conference in assists.
"Erin has proved that she is one of the top players in a premier conference," said Gaitley. "Her numbers have been outstanding and she has grown as a player every year. The fact that she leads us in scoring, rebounding and assists is a true testament to her overall skills and her ability to make everyone around her better. I am proud to see all her hard work, leadership and dedication pay off in such a rewarding way."
Rooney is the only women's basketball player in Fordham history to receive First Team All-Atlantic 10 honors.
With 527 points on the season, Rooney became just the fourth Ram in program history to score more than 500 in a single campaign, while becoming the first player in Fordham Women's Basketball history to register at least 500 points, 200 rebounds and 150 assists in the same season. In just two shorts seasons at Rose Hill, the redshirt senior guard eclipsed the 1,000 point mark, making her just the fourth player in the over 40 years of women's basketball at Fordham to do so in such a short span of time.
Corning put together a fantastic regular season effort on her way to collecting Second Team All-Conference honors, ranking second on the team in scoring (12.8 ppg), rebounding (7.1 rpg), assists (4.5 apg)and steals (1.0 spg). The Wethersfield, Conn., native finished the regular season in the top five in the Atlantic 10 in assists, three-point field goal percentage and assist-to-turnover ratio, while leading the league in minutes played with over 37 per game.
"Abigail is the hardest working player I have coached in 28 years," said Gaitley. "She doesn't take a possession off in practice or games, a true leader by example. She is a blue collar worker who has grinded her way to the top of the conference statistically. She is a terrific role model for all current and future Fordham players and I am so happy to see that other people have recognized her for the year she has had. Abigail is a true leader in all aspects."
A thousand point scorer for her Fordham career, Corning currently ranks ninth on the school's all-time points list, while placing inside the top ten in three pointers made and three-point field goal percentage. Corning also ranks just outside the top five on the school's career rebounding list.
Both standouts in the classroom, Corning and Rooney are the first Rams since Lisa Carrol in 2006-2007 to earn a spot on the Academic All-Conference Team. Rooney, an integrative neuroscience major, has been called a true student of the game by Coach Gaitley. Corning, a marketing major who currently holds a 3.8 cumulative GPA, also serves as the President of the Fordham Student Athletic Advisory Council.
Rooney and Corning will lead the Rams into the A-10 Championship beginning on Friday night at 7:30 PM, when Fordham squares off against the winner of Thursday night's game between Rhode Island and Duquesne.
