NEWARK, Del. – Freshman forward Brittany Blackwell was tabbed the Colonial Athletic Association’s Rookie-of-the-Year to headline UNC Wilmington’s award winners at the league’s post-season women’s basketball awards banquet Wednesday night at Clayton Hall.

 

Blackwell also garnered Second-Team and All-Rookie Team accolades while junior forward Sahsha Taylor was a Third-Team selection. Senior guard Stephanie Fernald was also recognized for her efforts off the court as she was named to the All-Academic Team.

 

“We are exited that three of our players have been recognized for their outstanding efforts both on and off the court this season,” UNCW head coach Ann Hancock said. “These awards speak volumes to their character and what it takes to be a successful student-athlete.”

 

A native of Raleigh, N.C., Blackwell becomes just the second player in program history to earn the league’s top freshman honor, joining former Seahawk Meagan Samis, who was recognized following the 2004-05 season. She is also just the eighth Seahawks player to earn Second-Team honors and the 12th UNCW freshmen to be named to the All-Rookie team.

 

Blackwell made an immediate impact in the UNCW lineup during her rookie season, pacing the team in both scoring (14.3) and rebounding (7.7) while starting 23 of 27 games. The four-time CAA Rookie-of-the-Week honoree also made her presence felt at the conference level, finishing the regular season third in field goal percentage (.509), fourth in scoring and sixth in rebounding among all league participants while leading CAA freshmen in all three categories.

 

“Brittany had a tremendous impact on our team during her freshman season,” Hancock said. “When she arrived, we knew her skill level was advanced for a freshman, but her mentality is what has impressed us the most. She has proved from day one that she was going to work hard and her competitive nature has paid dividends for both her and the team.”

 

Taylor turned in another solid performance during her junior season, ranking second on the team in scoring (13.7) and third in rebounding (5.9). The Charlotte, N.C., native reached a trio of milestones during the 2007-08 season, becoming the 14th player in program history to grab 500 rebounds, the 13th to score more than 1,000 points and just the sixth to accomplish both of those feats during their career.

 

“This has been Sahsha’s best season overall, especially in regards to her consistency and effort,” Hancock said. “She has been the opposing team’s focus on defense almost every night and she has been able to go out and still be effective offensively for us. She has also been able to step up this season and be a player that we look to in critical situations, which has helped us be successful.”

Fernald, an exercise science major, was named to the All-Academic Team for the third consecutive season, joining Bethany Stranges as the only UNCW student-athletes to be All-Academic Team selections three times during their careers.

 

“Stephanie has been a dedicated student-athlete during her career,” Hancock said. “She is a true asset to the Seahawks program.”

 

The eighth-seeded Seahawks open the CAA Tournament Thursday with a first-round contest against ninth-seed Delaware at 5 p.m. at the Bob Carpenter Center.

 

2007-08 CAA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL AWARD WINNERS

 

ALL-CAA FIRST TEAM Cl. Pos. Ht. Hometown/Previous School

 

T.J. Jordan, Old Dominion Sr. G 5-8 Portsmouth, Va./Wilson

 

Kyra Kaylor, William & Mary Sr. F 6-0 Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair

 

Gabriela Marginean, Drexel So. F 6-1 Cluj-Napoca, Romania/Mt. de Chantal Academy

 

Krystal Vaughn, VCU Sr. F 6-1 Baltimore, Md./Lake Clifton-Eastern

 

Tamera Young, James Madison Sr. G 6-2 Wilmington, N.C./Laney

 

ALL-CAA SECOND TEAM Cl. Pos. Ht. Hometown/Previous School

 

Brittany Blackwell, UNC Wilmington Fr. G/F 6-1 Raleigh, N.C./Cary Academy

 

Tiffany Green, Old Dominion Jr. C/F 6-2 Chesapeake, Va./Indian River

 

Quanitra Hollingsworth, VCU Jr. C 6-5 Chesapeake, Va./Great Bridge

 

Holly Mahan, Towson Sr. G 5-9 Queens, N.Y./Monroe C.C.

 

Shaleyse Smallwood, Northeastern Sr. G 5-5 Boston, Mass./O’Bryant

 

ALL-CAA THIRD TEAM Cl. Pos. Ht. Hometown/Previous School

 

Shanae Baker-Brice, Towson So. G 5-6 Washington, D.C./Theodore Roosevelt

 

Jessica Canady, Old Dominion So. F 6-1 Williamsburg, Va./Jamestown

 

Kyle DeHaven, Delaware Sr. G 5-8 Herndon, Va./Herndon

 

Brittany Hollins, Georgia State Jr. G 5-9 Columbia, S.C./Columbia

 

Narissa Suber, Drexel Sr. G 5-9 Mechanicsville, Va./Atlee

 

Sahsha Taylor, UNC Wilmington Jr. G/F 6-0 Charlotte, N.C./Victory Christian

 

2008 CAA PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Tamera Young, James Madison

 

2008 CAA COACH OF THE YEAR: Wendy Larry, Old Dominion

 

2008 CAA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Brittany Blackwell, UNC Wilmington

 

2008 CAA DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Kyle DeHaven, Delaware

 

2008 DEAN EHLERS LEADERSHIP AWARD: Kyra Kaylor, William & Mary

 

ALL-ROOKIE TEAM Cl. Pos. Ht. Hometown/Previous School

 

Brittany Blackwell, UNC Wilmington Fr. G/F 6-1 Raleigh, N.C./Cary Academy

 

Dawn Evans, James Madison Fr. G 5-7 Clarksville, Tenn./Northeast

 

Jasmine Parker, Old Dominion Fr. G 5-6 Norfolk, Va./Maury

 

Britné Rodgers, Hofstra Fr. G/F 5-9 Virginia Beach, Va./Princess Anne

 

Jasmina Rosseel, Drexel Fr. G 5-6 Leper, Belgium/Sint-Theresia Instituut

 

ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM Cl. Pos. Ht. Hometown/Previous School

 

Tiffany Benson, William & Mary So. F 6-1 Virginia Beach, Va./Princess Anne

 

Kyle DeHaven, Delaware Sr. G 5-8 Herndon, Va./Herndon

 

Tiffany Green, Old Dominion Jr. C/F 6-2 Chesapeake, Va./Indian River

 

Brittany Hollins, Georgia State Jr. G 5-9 Columbia, S.C./Columbia

 

Holly Mahan, Towson Sr. G 5-9 Queens, N.Y./Monroe C.C.

 

-more-

 

ALL-ACADEMIC FIRST TEAM Cl. Pos. Ht. Hometown/Previous School

 

Radoslava Bachvarova, VCU Jr. F 6-0 Varna, Bulgaria/Dayton Beach C.C.

 

Christina Biedny, Hofstra Jr. C 6-5 East Amherst, N.Y./Clarence

 

Jennifer Nuzzo, Old Dominion Jr. G 5-8 Newport News, Va./Woodside

 

Megham Pym, Old Dominion Sr. F 6-4 Newfield, N.Y./Newfield

 

Niki Williams, Hofstra Jr. G 5-6 Pittsburg, Pa./Seton-La Salle

 

ALL-ACADEMIC SECOND TEAM Cl. Pos. Ht. Hometown/Previous School

 

Jennifer Brown, James Madison Sr. F 6-2 Brooklyn, N.Y./Martin Luther King

 

Farrah Ferguson, Delaware So. C 6-4 Ambler, Pa./Wissahickon

 

Stephanie Fernald, UNC Wilmington Sr. G 5-8 Midlothian, Va./Midlothian

 

Rashauna Hobbs, George Mason So. G 5-6 Bowie, Md./Riverdale Baptist

 

Brittany Hollins, Georgia State Jr. G 5-9 Columbia, S.C./Columbia

 

Kyra Kaylor, William & Mary Sr. F 6-0 Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair

 

Jamie Mundy, Delaware Jr. G 6-0 Proctorville, Ohio/Spring Valley

 

Linn Quamme, Hofstra Sr. F 6-0 West Salem, Wisc./West Salem

 

Casey Quigley, George Mason Sr. G 5-10 Springfield, Va./Lake Braddock

 

Jennifer Stjarnstrom, Drexel So. F 6-2 Norrkoping, Sweden/De Geer Gymnasie

 

- Courtesy UNCW Sports Information

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