![OUA announces 2014 women's basketball East division major awards and all-stars](/sports/wbkb/2013-14/releases/WBBall_0304142009.html_k8aig.jpeg)
OUA announces 2014 women's basketball East division major awards and all-stars
Ravens guard Elizabeth Roach is the 2013-14 East division player of the year, presented by ArcelorMittal Dofasco. Her honour marks the second MVP win in a row for Ravens after former teammate Alyson Bush claimed the award last season.
Roach, an Ottawa native, caps off her career with her first ever postseason accolade. The five-foot-eight guard finished second in the East in scoring, at 14.7 points per game. Her season total of 109 assists was tops in the East and was 39 better than the closest competitor. Demonstrating her well-rounded game, Roach also added 135 rebounds, and finished sixth in the OUA with 49 steals. In recognition of her outstanding season, she has also been named a first team all-star.
The defensive player of the year in the OUA East is Ottawa Gee-Gees forward Maddie Stephen. The Toronto native was dominant on the glass this season pulling in 10.4 rebounds per contest, and being the only player in the East to average double digits in the category. She also picked up one blocked shot per game, putting her among the tops in the OUA.
In addition to her prowess on the defensive end of the floor, Stephen also contributed 9.3 points per game and garnered recognition as a first team all-star for the first time in her career, after second team honours last year and all-rookie status two seasons ago.
Heather Lindsay (Ottawa) of the Carleton Ravens has been named the OUA East rookie of the year this year, marking the first time since 2009-10 that the Ravens have boasted the division’s top first-year player. Lindsay is a powerful forward who announced her presence on the OUA scene by putting up 7.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game for the Ravens. She averaged nearly 19 minutes per contest and helped Carleton to a 16-6 regular season record.
The recipient of the Joy Bellinger award for 2013-14 is Kayla Pangos of the York Lions. The award is given to a player who exhibits outstanding service to basketball and advancement of university athletics.
The fifth-year guard from Holland Landing, Ont. was steady as a rock for the Lions this year. Her 7.0 points and 3.5 rebounds were both career highs, and her 46 assists was second on the team. Two times this season she was named York’s female athlete of the week. Away from the court, she carries a strong academic average in York’s kinesiology and health science program and has given countless hours to school and community groups. In giving back to her community and her sport, Pangos was a mentor in the Lions P.A.W.S (Providing Athletes with Winning Strategies) program, helping fellow student-athletes achieve in the classroom. She also served as a Frosh Boss during York’s Orientation Week and as a two-year member of the York Sport Council. Away from campus, Pangos volunteered as a teaching aide at Shoreham Elementary School and has used her experience in basketball to serve as a coach at numerous basketball camps.
The Tracy McLeod award is given in recognition of determination, perseverance and unwavering spirit. This year’s winner from the OUA East is Gemma Bullard of the Queen’s Gaels. Bullard has suffered serious injuries in every season of her OUA career. The Guelph, Ont., native hasn’t let concussions, knee surgery or a shoulder injury slow her down. While playing hurt most of this season, the gritty forward managed 11.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per game for the Gaels, who finished the year as the top team in the OUA East, and earned herself recognition as a second team all-star. She battled through the adversity while still maintaining excellent results in the grueling civil engineering program at Queen’s.
Dave Wilson from Queen’s is the 2013-14 OUA East coach of the year, marking the first time a Gaels coach has claimed the award since Wilson won it following the 1997-98 season. Wilson was also named coach of the year in 1992-93. This season, Wilson lead his team 16-6 record and the top seed in the OUA East after posting a 7-13 mark and narrowly squeezing into the playoffs last year. The Gaels were the top scoring team in the east, putting up 63.6 points per game, while allowing just 56.8 points per contest. Four of Wilson’s charges earn all-star recognition this season.
Joining Roach and Stephen on the first team are Jill Stratton of the Toronto Varsity Blues and Queen’s teammates Liz Boag and Jenny Wright.
Stratton (Etobicoke, Ont.) led the Blues in scoring by dropping in 14.1 points per game. The fourth-year guard also added 59 assists and 104 rebounds for Toronto, who finished the season with a 12-10 record. Stratton is now a two-time first teamer, after claiming the honour in 2011-12.
Boag helped lead the Gaels to a 9-win improvement over last year. The fourth-year guard from Kingston, Ont. collected a career-high 264 points (12.0 per game) for Queen’s. She also chipped in 77 assists, placing her second in the OUA East.
Wright led the Gaels in scoring, netting 13.0 points per game in 22 contests. The Kingston, Ont. native also added 51 assists and shot 34.1 percent on three-point shots, both career highs. The third-year guard played more than 27 minutes per game and was a stabilizing force for a much-improved Gaels team.
Along with the Gaels’ Bullard, the East second team is made up of a pair of Ottawa Gee-Gees and one player each from the Carleton Ravens and the Ryerson Rams.
Ryerson’s Keneca Pingue-Giles had had breakout season this year, her third in the OUA. The Winnipeg native set career highs in nearly every statistical category, including total points (325), points per game (14.8), rebounds (142), and shooting percentage (46.4).
Stephanie MacDonald (Ottawa) of the Ottawa Gee-Gees led her team in scoring, pouring in 13.5 points per game. She becomes an OUA all-star for the first time with this second team recognition.
2013-14 was the first year with the Ottawa Gee-Gees for Welland, Ont. native Angela Tilk. She wrapped up her career in the nation’s capital after four years with the Ryerson Rams. This season the veteran forward was named a second team all-star by pulling down 8.1 rebounds per game and adding 10.6 points per contest.
Carleton’s Lindsay Shotbolt (Markham, Ont.) collected 193 points and 217 rebounds in her second OUA season to garner second team status after being named to the all-rookie team a year ago.
Rookie of the year Heather Lindsay highlights the 2013-14 OUA East all-rookie team that also features her Carleton teammate McKenzie Sigurdson (Toronto), Andrea Priamo (Guelph, Ont.) of the Queen’s Gaels and Ottawa teammates Sarah Besselink (Kingston, Ont.) and Danielle Marion (Welland, Ont.).
OUA EAST MAJOR AWARDS AND ALL-STARS
East Player of the Year
Elizabeth Roach - Carleton
East Rookie of the Year
Heather Lindsay - Carleton
East Defensive Player of the Year
Maddie Stephen - Ottawa
East Joy Bellinger Award
Kayla Pangos - York
East Tracy McLeod Award
Gemma Bullard - Queen’s
East Coach of the Year
Dave Wilson - Queen’s
East First Team All-Stars
Elizabeth Roach - Carleton
Maddie Stephen - Ottawa
Jill Stratton - Toronto
Liz Boag - Queen’s
Jenny Wright - Queen’s
East Second Team All-Stars
Keneca Pingue-Giles - Ryerson
Stephanie MacDonald - Ottawa
Lindsay Shotbolt - Carleton
Angela Tilk - Ottawa
Gemma Bullard - Queen’s
East All-Rookie Team
Heather Lindsay - Carleton
Andrea Priamo - Queen’s
McKenzie Sigurdson - Carleton
Sarah Besselink - Ottawa
Danielle Marion - Ottawa
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