FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Albertus places Murray-Leach
and Scott on First Team
WINTHROP, Mass. – Emmanuel College sophomore Yannie Chan has been named the 2023 Great Northeast Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Year and an All-GNAC First Team selection, as announced by the league office on Monday afternoon.
All selections and major award winners came from a vote by the league's 13 head coaches. For the complete results and year-end winners, please see below.
After averaging 9.0 points as a freshman, Chan took a leap forward Year Two as the 5-10 point forward averaged 14.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 2.3 steals in 25.5 minutes per game. The Hong Kong, China native led the Saints to the GNAC Championship contest, defeating GNAC top overall seed Albertus Magnus College on the road in the tournament semifinals. Chan registered 20 or more points five times, seven or more assists nine times, and four or more steals six times on the 2022-23 campaign.
Saint Joseph's College of Maine, which topped Emmanuel in the 2023 GNAC Championship on Sunday for its fifth-ever conference crown, placed a pair of juniors on the All-GNAC Second Team in Angelica Hurley and Hannah Talon.
Hurley was voted the GNAC Defensive Player of the Year after averaging 11.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals for the Monks, who allowed a league-low 52.0 points per game entering the NCAA Division III Tournament. Talon averaged 15.0 points and 4.2 rebounds on 56/41/81 shooting splits, registering 27 points in the GNAC Championship contest en route to GNAC Tournament MVP honors.
Monks head coach Mike McDevitt also was named the 2023 GNAC Coach of the Year after guiding SJC to a 23-5 overall record, 15-2 mark in GNAC play, and winners of 19 of their last 21 games.
The Albertus Magnus duo of Caitlyn Scott and Jakara Murray-Leach both represented the Falcons on the All-GNAC First Team, as both were top-three in the GNAC in scoring. Scott led the pack with 21.4 points per game to go with 4.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists, while Murray-Leach averaged 18.9 points and 10.0 rebounds.
Regis College senior Pam Gonzalez and Rivier University sophomore Lyric Grumblatt rounded out the All-GNAC First Team. Gonzalez averaged 16.2 points, 10.0 rebounds and 3.5 steals for the Pride, while Grumblatt – the 2022 GNAC Player and Rookie of the Year – averaged 17.7 points and 5.6 rebounds for the Raiders, who advanced to the GNAC Semifinals.
Lastly, Gonzalez's teammate and first-year Madi Zancan was voted the 2023 GNAC Rookie of the Year, as Zancan was among the GNAC leaders in field goal percentage (.506) and averaged 13.0 points and 6.4 rebounds this winter.
First Team
Jakara Murray-Leach, Albertus Magnus
Caitlyn Scott, Albertus Magnus
Yannie Chan, Emmanuel (Mass.)
Pam Gonzalez, Regis (Mass.)
Lyric Grumblatt, Rivier
Second Team
Marinique Reddin, Anna Maria
Haley Brewster, Norwich
Jordan Ouellette, St. Joseph (Conn.)
Angelica Hurley, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
Hannah Talon, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
Third Team
Marissa Holt, Colby-Sawyer
Olivia Matela, Emmanuel (Mass.)
Juju Nealy, Lasell
Madi Zancan, Regis (Mass.)
Hannah Muchemore, Rivier
All-Rookie Team
Kayla Jackson, Elms
Shirle Major, Lasell
Madi Zancan, Regis (Mass.)
Brianna Wilcox, Rivier
Elisabeth Stapelfeld, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Yannie Chan, Emmanuel (Mass.)
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Angelica Hurley, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR - Madi Zancan, Regis (Mass.)
COACH OF THE YEAR - Mike McDevitt, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
TEAM SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD - St. Joseph (Conn.)
All-Sportsmanship Team
Sharaya Keele, Albertus Magnus
Patty Agbeh, Anna Maria
Lia Raynowska, Colby-Sawyer
Cat Thomas, Dean
Adalena Francis, Elms
Megan Reilly, Emmanuel (Mass.)
Autumn Ford, Johnson & Wales
Brooke Damboise, Lasell
Maren McGinn, Norwich
Valerie Whalen, Regis
Alexa Dufries, Rivier
Olivia Heslin, St. Joseph (Conn.)
Mikayla Van Zandt, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 14 member institutions and over 3,500 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.
– #TheGNAC –