All-Conference Release

Senior Jill Valley of Westfield State has been named the 2016-17 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Year and heads the All-Conference team which is voted on by the seven coaches around the conference.

Helping the Owls to their second straight MASCAC Tournament Title and the regular season championship, the senior from Orange, Mass. led the conference in points per game (22.5), total points (562), free throw percentage (81) and steals (115). She also tallied 112 rebounds, 63 assists and 15 blocks. She was named the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) National Player of the Week after scoring 52 points, a single-game record for not only Westfield State but NCAA Division III this season, in the victory over Worcester State. 

Kyra Rose of Fitchburg State is the 2016-17 MASCAC Women’s Basketball Rookie of the Year. The freshman from Rockland, Mass. had a fantastic first season for the Falcons, averaging 19.5 points and eight rebounds per game, the second and third most in the league. She grabbed 91 assists, 31 blocks and shot 47 percent from the field to close out the season. 

For leading her team to an 8-4 conference record and the third seed in the MASCAC Tournament, Karen Tessmer of Worcester State was named the 2016-17 Champion’s Choice Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year.

Joining Valley on the First Team All-Conference are Framingham State’s Raegan Mulherin and Alycia Rackliffe, MCLA’s Kayla Hotaling and Worcester State’s Britt Herring.

Landing a spot on the Second Team All-Conference with Rose are Bridgewater State’s Jennie Lindland and Rhiana Page, Salem State’s Norma Waggett and Worcester State’s Kaitlyn Berkel.