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After winning 16 of 18 Northeast Conference games, Sacred Heart won three of the league’s five major individual awards.

Small forward Hannah Kimmel (Harpursville, NY) became the fourth woman in Sacred Heart’s history to own the NEC Player of the Year award.

Pioneers’ power forward Alissa Tarsi (Clinton, NJ) parlayed a breakout senior season into the inaugural NEC Most Improved Player honor.

Meanwhile, Jessica Mannetti, who steered the Pioneers to the second-best NEC record in program history, captured the Brenda Reilly Coach of the Year award.

St. Francis Brooklyn senior Leah Fechko (Twinsburg, OH), who earned All-Defensive accolades as a sophomore and junior, became the first-ever Terrier to capture the NEC Defensive Player of the Year award, an honor that was established 17 years ago.

Saint Francis U’s Jessica Kovatch (Phillipsburg, NJ) can call herself the NEC Rookie of the Year after ending the regular season as the leading freshman scorer in the NCAA Division I ranks.

In addition to bestowing the five aforementioned major honors, the Northeast Conference recognized student-athletes through a trio of All-NEC Team and a five-member All-Rookie squad.

Each of the NEC’s 10 member programs placed at least one representative amongst the group. Bryant, which went 14-4 in league play to finish second, was the lone team with three all-conference selections. The Bulldogs enjoyed a presence on the All-NEC First, Second and Third Teams while also landing a player in the All-Rookie group.

THE MAJORS
If the NEC gave out a resiliency award, Kimmel probably would have received that, too. The Empire State product has made an improbable rise to the conference’s top individual honor after the start of her collegiate career was twice delayed by ACL tears. Finally seeing the court during her third year as a college student, Kimmel was a 2013-14 all-rookie selection. One season ago, she emerged as the Pioneers’ primary scoring option and earned her way onto the All-NEC First Team. One of five players to receive preseason all-NEC status back in October 2015, Kimmel played up to her potential and joined the likes of Amanda Pape (2005-06), Alisa Apo (2008-09) and Callan Taylor (2011-12) as Pioneers who have captured the NEC Player of the Year accolade.

Fechko’s defensive prowess has been on display in Brooklyn Heights for quite some time. Recognized as a top-5 NEC defender for three years running, the hard-nosed guard became St. Francis Brooklyn’s first major award winner since Irma Garcia earned the 1998 Coach of the Year honor. Playing much bigger than her 5-foot-8 stature, Fechko ranked second amongst league leaders in steals (2.43 spg) and fourth in defensive rebounding (5.8 drpg). Almost always on the floor, she averaged a conference-high 38.7 minutes per game.

Tarsi’s minutes doubled this season and her production multiplied ever more. More than doubling the scoring and rebounding output from her junior season, Tarsi’s 11.8 points per contest were 13th-most in the NEC while her 8.2 rpg average placed her fourth on the league leader board. Primarily coming off the bench as a junior, the Garden State product accounted for 5.3 points and 2.9 boards per game during the 2014-15 campaign. En-route to winning the race for the first-ever NEC Most Improved Player award, SHU’s senior forward was one of the league’s most-efficient shooters. Tarsi connected at 53.8 percent from the field to rank second on the circuit and her .789 success rate from the free throw line was ninth-highest.

Making an immediate impact on a young Red Flash roster, Kovatch was a point-scoring machine for Saint Francis U. Only three games into the season, she became the first NEC freshman since Valerie Nainima (2006-07) to hit the 30-point mark. Kovatch proceeded to score at least 30 points in a game four more times during her rookie campaign on the way to becoming the first first-year collegian in conference history whose scoring average exceeded 20.0 points per game. Second on the NEC leader board only to Nwajei, Kovatch’s 21.2 points per contest stand as the top output by a NCAA Division I freshman this season. Her 3.24 three-pointers made per game average is seventh-highest in the country. The Garden State product, who captured the NEC Rookie of the Week award a record 14 times out of a possible 16, scored at least 20 points in 18 of 29 appearances.

Mannetti faced a tall task three years ago when she took the reins from all-time NEC wins leader Ed Swanson, who went south to join William & Mary. Charged with continuing the winning tradition the Pioneers had become known for, the young, energetic coach has Sacred Heart back on top of the conference standings. Winning 16 of 18 league contests, SHU tied its second-best conference record since joining the NEC in 1999. With Mannetti patrolling the sideline, Sacred Heart earned the top seed in the NEC Tournament for the fourth time in program history.

FIRST TEAM
Leah Fecko, St. Francis Brooklyn (Sr., SF)
Establishing herself as one of the conference’s top defenders as a sophomore and a junior, Fechko took her all-around game to a higher level during her senior season in Brooklyn Heights. The lone returning starter from last year’s NEC Tournament title team, the Ohio product embraced a leadership role and emerged as the team’s top scorer with her 14.9 points per game average ranking seventh amongst NEC leaders. Playing a NEC-high 38.7 minutes per appearance, the 5-foot-8 Fechko ranked third amongst league leaders in both rebounding (8.6 rpg) and free throw percentage (.848). The multi-talented Terrier earned the NEC Player of the Week award back on December for the near-triple double she posted in a 64-54 win over Patriot League member Loyola (MD).

Hannah Kimmel, Sacred Heart (Sr., SF)
Making her second consecutive appearance on the All-NEC First Team, Kimmel shouldered the scoring load for the NEC regular season champion Pioneers. She averaged 17.1 points per game, a mark that ranked fourth overall amongst the conference’s best. Scoring average is one of seven major statistical categories - rebounding, steals, three-pointers made, three-point FG percentage, minutes played also included - in which Kimmel ranked amongst the NEC’s top-8 leaders. Kimmel was at her best during the conference portion of the schedule, seeing her scoring average increase to 18.7 points per outing against NEC opponents. The 6-foot tall do-it-all forward, who was also a finalist for the NEC Defensive Player of the Year award, earned the conference’s top individual weekly honor three times during league play. Kimmel’s production appeared to have hit its peak during the stretch run; the junior scored at least 20 points in each of the team’s last three regular season contests.
 
Erika Livermore, Fairleigh Dickinson (Sr., C)
FDU’s veteran center has been a highly-respected presence in the post both before and after the ACL injury that derailed her 2013-14 season. Snagging the third all-NEC first team selection of her career, Livermore finished the 2015-16 regular season ranked amongst the conference’s top-5 leaders in scoring, rebounding, blocks and field goal percentage.  Connecting at a 47.7 percent clip (5th) from the field while converting at a .781 rate (11th) from the charity stripe, Livermore produced the conference’s fifth-highest scoring average (16.9 ppg). The Keystone State product, who totaled eight double-doubles, was the league’s fifth-leading rebounder (8.2 rpg) this season. The 2015 NEC Defensive Player of the Year ranked third amongst the conference’s best in blocks per game (1.4 bpg) and the 178 shots she has swatted during her career rank her second all-time at FDU. Livermore, who is up to 11th place on the NEC’s all-time scoring list and has cracked the conference Top 10 in rebounding, ranks third in FDU annals for career points (1,873) and second in rebounds (1,119).  A two-time NEC Player of the Week back in December, she exceeded the 20-point mark in non-conference victories over Grand Canyon (WAC), Saint Peter’s (MAAC) and Monmouth (MAAC).

Jasmine Nwajei, Wagner (Jr., G)
The New York City product earned her third consecutive all-NEC selection after a record-setting season scoring the basketball. Nwajei, who surpassed the 1,000-point mark as a sophomore when she finished second amongst Division I leaders in points per game, became the first player in NEC history to score her 2,000th career point as a junior. Setting the NEC’s single-season points record (841), the lightning-quick guard is on the cusp of a NCAA Division I statistical title. With her season complete, Nwajei owns the nation’s highest scoring average (29.0 ppg). A one-dimensional player, Nwajei is not. The 5-foot-8 sparkplug led the NEC in steals (2.6 spg) and dished out the fourth-most assists (3.66 apg). Continuing to establish herself as one of the finest scorers in 30 years of NEC women’s basketball, Nwajei twice eclipsed the 50-point mark in conference play this season. She set the NEC single-game scoring record by pouring in 53 points during a setback to first-place Sacred Heart on January 24. She dropped 52 points in an overtime win at St. Francis Brooklyn one week later.

Breanna Rucker, Bryant (Sr., F)
Rucker returned to the All-NEC First Team after leading the league in double-doubles (19) for the second consecutive season. Coming off the NEC Player of the Year award, the durable forward enjoyed another productive and efficient campaign as Bryant went 14-4 in league games to match the showing from its landmark 2014-15 season. The top rebounder on the circuit for the second year in a row, Rucker grabbed 11.1 caroms per outing and was fierce on the offensive glass as evidenced by her NEC-high 4.6 O-boards per contest. The 5-foot-11 senior was the conference’s second-best free throw shooter (.853) and accounted for the fourth-highest field goal percentage (.487). Rucker earned the NEC Player of the Week award for the second time this season back on February 2 after powering the Bulldogs to a weekend sweep of the league’s Nutmeg State contingent (CCSU, Sacred Heart).


SECOND TEAM
Ivory Bailey, Bryant (So., G)
The Keystone State product proved her 2015 NEC Rookie of the Year award was no fluke. Highly-regarded by her coaches as a stalwart defender, the sophomore guard gave the Bulldogs’ a serious scoring option, too. Jumping up to the All-NEC Second Team this season, Bailey exceeded the 11.0 points per game mark for the second year in a row. The 5-foot-7 sophomore ranked amongst the conference’s top-15 leaders in scoring (11.2 ppg), assists (2.7 apg), steals (1.7 spg), rebounding (6.1 rpg) and free throw percentage (.846).  

Kelsey Cruz, Fairleigh Dickinson (Sr., G)
Enjoying her second straight selection to the All-NEC Second team, the veteran guard finished the regular season as the Knights’ leading scorer with the third-highest scoring average in the NEC (18.5 ppg). Over the past three seasons, Cruz established herself as a near-automatic free throw maker. After winning the NCAA Division I statistical title in 2014, Cruz ranked second amongst NEC free throw percentage leaders in 2015 before returning to the top spot during her senior season. The 5-foot-7 Virginian enjoyed a career night when she dropped 41 points on MAAC member Manhattan, accounting for the highest single-game scoring output of all NCAA Division I players during the 2015-16 season's opening weekend.

Jessica Kovatch, Saint Francis U (Fr., G)
The SFU rookie was only one of two NEC players to average more than 20.0 points per contest this season. Kovatch ranks amongst the top-6 league leaders in four categories -- scoring (2nd), three-point field goals (1st), steals (4th), and three-point field goal percentage (6th) -- and needs six more triples to become only the third woman in history to make 100 shots from downtown in a single season. In addition to her record number of weekly rookie award, the Garden State product was twice named the NEC Player of the Week.

Anna Niki Stamolamprou, Robert Morris (Jr., G)
Enjoying her second consecutive all-NEC honor, the Greek-born guard led Robert Morris in scoring for the second year in a row. Stamolamprou ranked ninth amongst league leaders in both points (13.4) and assists (3.34) per game. One of the conference’s most-feared three-point shooters, Stamolamprou sank 62 shots from downtown in 29 games. The third-year Colonial, who ranks seventh amongst NEC leaders in three-point field goal percentage and fifth in three-pointers made, has scored in double figures 22 times this season. With seven more three-pointers, she will surpass Jenna Burkett (208) for first place on RMU’s career list.

Alissa Tarsi, Sacred Heart (Sr., F)
Tarsi thrived in an increased role this season. A reserve player for much of her career, the Garden State product put together numerous efficient and impactful performances for the first-place Pioneers. Tarsi, who ranked amongst the league’s top-10 leaders in field goal percentage (2nd), rebounding (4th) and free throw conversion rate (.816), won her first-ever NEC Player of the Week award on February 16. The honor came after spearheading back-to-back victories with two career highs and a pair of double-doubles. Helping SHU take over sole possession of first place, the veteran post player averaged 18.5 points, 16.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per contest in wins over CCSU and Robert Morris.