CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – Bucknell senior forward Ellie Mack and Head Coach Trevor Woodruff were named the Patriot League Women’s Basketball Player and Coach of the Year, respectively, after pacing the Bison to their sixth regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the Patriot League Women’s Basketball Tournament when major awards and all-League honors were announced by the League office Friday afternoon.
Mack, a 2019 First-Team All-Patriot League selection, helped the Bison to a 16-3 League record as she averaged 15.2 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Woodruff claimed coach of the year honors after guiding the Bison to a regular-season title in his first season at the helm of the program.
Loyola Maryland senior guard Stephanie Karcz earned defensive player of the year honors, after leading the nation and the Patriot League in steals per game (5.04), while ranking third in the League in rebounds per game (9.2).
Boston University freshman guard Maggie Pina claimed Patriot League Rookie of the Year honors after leading all freshmen in the Patriot League with 11.6 points per game. The five-time Patriot League Women’s Basketball Rookie of the Week is the first Terrier to win this major award since joining the League before the 2013-14 season.
The Patriot League major awards and all-League teams were voted on by Patriot League women’s basketball head coaches, who could not vote for their own student-athletes or themselves.
2019-20 Patriot League Women’s Basketball Player of the Year
Ellie Mack, Bucknell, Sr., F, Paoli, Pa./Conestoga
* Mack finished the 2019-20 regular season third in scoring (15.2 pg), second in 3-point percentage (.427), fourth in field goal percentage (.509) and fourth in defensive rebounds in the League (6.4 pg).
* Mack, a 2019 all-tournament team member, scored in double-figures 26 times this season, including each of the last 15 games.
* The senior paced the Bison in scoring 15 times this season and in rebounds six times.
* Mack eclipsed 1,000 career points on Feb. 22 vs. Lehigh and 500 career rebounds at Colgate on Feb. 26.
2019-20 Patriot League Women’s Basketball Defensive Player of the Year
Stephanie Karcz, Loyola Maryland, Sr., G, Middletown, N.J./Middletown South
* The two-time League defensive player of the year currently leads NCAA DI in steals (452) and steals per game (5.04) this season while her 12 thefts against Army West Point (Jan. 18) are the most among NCAA DI women’s basketball players this season.
* Her 7.7 defensive rebounds per game helped the Greyhounds to rank second in the League with 27.2 defensive boards per game.
* Karcz ended the regular season with 10 double-doubles and a pair of triple-doubles, making her one of two players in NCAA DI with multiple triple-doubles.
2019-20 Patriot League Women’s Basketball Rookie of the Year
Maggie Pina, Boston University, Fr., G, West Chester, Pa./Academy of Notre Dame De Namur
* Pina averaged 11.6 points per game to go with 61 rebounds and 31 assists, helping garner rookie of the week honors five times during the 2019-20 season.
* The freshman guard hit a career-best six 3-pointers and scored 18 points in the Terriers’ 60-58 win over Colgate on Wednesday, Feb. 12.
* Pina reached double-digits in scoring 16 times, with four performances of 20 or more points.
2019-20 Patriot League Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year
Trevor Woodruff, Bucknell
* With a 16-2 record in conference play, Woodruff led the Bison to a regular-season title in his first season at Bucknell.
* Woodruff guided Bucknell to a Patriot League-best +10.3 scoring margin with 19 games won by double digits.
* Bucknell’s scoring defense (53.3) and 3-point shooting percentage (.384) both rank eighth in the country.
* The Bison won the Patriot League by four games, the largest margin since 2011-12.
2019-20 All-Patriot League Teams
Bucknell placed a trio of student-athletes on the three All-Patriot League squads, while American, Boston U., Colgate and Holy Cross had two selections each. Lafayette, Lehigh, Loyola Maryland and Navy rounded out the team with one apiece.
Six student-athletes are multi-time All-Patriot League honorees, including four of the five members on the first team.
Mack and Karcz are joined on the All-Patriot League First Team by Colgate senior guard Rachel Thompson (16.9 ppg), Holy Cross senior forward Lauren Manis (18.6 ppg, 11.4 rpg) and Lafayette senior forward Natalie Kucowski (13.9 ppg, 12.9 rpg).
The second-team recipients include: American sophomore guard Jade Edwards (14.6 ppg), Boston University junior guard Katie Nelson (12.5 ppg), Bucknell junior guard Abby Kapp (10.9 ppg), Holy Cross sophomore guard Avery LaBarbera (.827 FT%) and Lehigh senior guard Camryn Buhr (12.8 ppg).
Six student-athletes were placed on the All-League Third Team: American senior guard Kaitlyn Marenyi (13.3 ppg), Army West Point sophomore guard Alisa Fallon (12.0 ppg), Boston University freshman guard Maren Durant (5.8 rpg), Bucknell junior forward Tessa Brugler (5.9 rpg), Colgate senior forward Abby Schubiger (10.6 ppg), and Navy senior guard Mary Kate Ulasewicz (10.3 ppg).
The seven-member All-Defensive Team is highlighted by Karcz, the defensive player of the year. She is joined by Thompson, Manis, Kucowski, American junior guard Indeya Sanders, Boston University freshman center Maren Durant, and Navy senior guard Morgan Taylor.
The all-rookie team consists of six student-athletes with Army West Point guard Hope Brown, Boston University’s trio of guards Sydney Johnson, Pina and Durant, Colgate guard Alexa Brodie and Loyola Maryland forward Emily McAteer.
2019-20 Women’s Basketball All-Patriot League Team and Major Awards
Player of the Year: Ellie Mack, Bucknell, Sr., F
Defensive Player of the Year: Stephanie Karcz, Loyola Maryland, Sr., G
Rookie of the Year: Maggie Pina, Boston University, Fr., G
Coach of the Year: Trevor Woodruff, Bucknell
First-Team All-Patriot League
Ellie Mack, Bucknell, Sr., F
Rachel Thompson, Colgate, Sr., G
Lauren Manis, Holy Cross, Sr., F
Natalie Kucowski, Lafayette, Jr., F/C
Stephanie Karcz, Loyola Maryland, Sr., G
Second-Team All-Patriot League
Jade Edwards, American, So., G
Katie Nelson, Boston University, Jr., G
Abby Kapp, Bucknell, Jr., G
Avery LaBarbera, Holy Cross, So., G
Camryn Buhr, Lehigh, Sr., G
Third-Team All-Patriot League*
Kaitlyn Marenyi, American, Sr., G
Alisa Fallon, Army West Point, So., G
Maggie Pina, Boston University, Fr., G
Tessa Brugler, Bucknell, Jr., F/C
Abby Schubiger, Colgate, Sr., F
Mary Kate Ulasewicz, Navy Sr., G
*Additional players were selected to the third team due to ties in voting.
All-Defensive Team^
Indeya Sanders, American, Jr., G
Maren Durant, Boston University, Fr., C
Rachel Thompson, Colgate, Sr., G
Lauren Manis, Holy Cross, Sr., F
Natalie Kucowski, Lafayette, Jr., F/C
Stephanie Karcz, Loyola Maryland, Sr., G
Morgan Taylor, Navy, Sr., G
^Additional players were selected to the all-defensive team due to ties in voting.
All-Rookie Team#
Hope Brown, Army West Point, G
Maggie Pina, Boston University, G
Maren Durant, Boston University, C
Sydney Johnson, Boston University, G
Alexa Brodie, Colgate, G
Emily McAteer, Loyola Maryland, F
#Additional players were selected to the all-rookie team due to ties in voting.
The 2020 Patriot League Women’s Basketball Tournament begins with first-round action on Saturday, March 7. The first round matches No. 7 American against No. 10 Navy at 2 p.m., while eight-seeded Loyola Maryland hosts No. 9 Army West Point at 5 p.m. Live coverage of both games can be found on
Patriot League Network (PLN).
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.