FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Anna Maria’s Amari King
voted Offensive Player of the Year
WINTHROP, Mass. – Anna Maria College sophomore outside hitter Amari King has been selected as the 2016 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Player of the Year, as voted upon by the league’s 12 head coaches. The league office handed down the announcement on Tuesday along with its three All-Conference Teams and other major award winners.
For the complete list of All-Conference selections, please see below.
King led all GNAC student-athletes with 4.80 kills per set, including 5.32 kills per set in league play. She was also sixth in hitting percentage (.265) and 13th in digs per set (3.05) for the AMCATS, who finished third in the regular-season standings and earned a spot in the conference semifinals.
Saint Joseph’s College of Maine sophomore Jenelle Thompson was voted the GNAC Libero of the Year after averaging 7.04 digs per set for the Monks.
From NCAA Tournament-bound Johnson & Wales University, freshman setter Brylee Frank was named the 2016 GNAC Rookie of the Year and head coach Nancy Somera was voted the GNAC Coach of the Year. Frank has directed a dominant JWU offensive attack, averaging 10.49 assists per set for the 33-0 Wildcats, while Somera guided the program to its second GNAC crown in as many years and an unblemished record.
Joining Frank on the All-GNAC First Team from JWU were fellow freshman Maria Coniglio and sophomore Emily Kalmink. Coniglio has hit .298 while averaging 3.48 kills and 2.82 digs per set. Kalmink, last year’s GNAC Rookie of the Year, is averaging 2.99 kills and 1.31 blocks per set to go with a stellar .413 hitting percentage.
Rounding out the First Team choices were Rivier University senior Lauren Silverman and Simmons College freshman Morgan Weeg. Silverman posted per-set numbers of 3.55 kills and 1.18 blocks, while Weeg averaged 4.00 kills and 3.31 digs as a rookie for the Sharks.
Founded in 1995, the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 12 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Each year, the GNAC sponsors and administers 17 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunities and community involvement.
First Team
Amari King, Anna Maria (So., OH, Lawrence, Mass.)
Maria Coniglio, Johnson & Wales (RI) (Fr., OH, Old Bethpage, N.Y.)
Brylee Frank, Johnson & Wales (RI) (Fr., S, Palm City, Fla.)
Emily Kalmink, Johnson & Wales (RI) (So., MB, Byron Center, Mich.)
Lauren Silverman, Rivier (Sr., MH, Chelmsford, Mass.)
Jennelle Thompson, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (So., L, Farmington, N.H.)
Morgan Weeg, Simmons (Fr., OH, Goodyear, Ariz.)
Second Team
Tierney Clancy, Anna Maria (Fr., S, Meriden, Conn.)
Rebecca Foti, Anna Maria (Jr., OH, Bedford, N.H.)
Kate Walker, Johnson & Wales (RI) (Fr., MB, Oakland, Calif.)
Olivia Addington, Lasell (So., OH, Orange, Calif.)
Molly McCormack, Rivier (Sr., OH, Ballston Lake, N.Y.)
Dana Mott, Rivier (Sr., MH, Medway, Mass.)
Bethany Trevino, Rivier (Jr, L, Westminster, Colo.)
Third Team
Cassie Chruscielski, Emmanuel (Mass.) (Sr., OH, Duluth, Minn.)
Mary Shelow, Emmanuel (Mass.) (So., OH, Miami, Fla.)
Elizabeth Hamilton, Johnson & Wales (RI) (Fr., OH, Canton, Mass.)
Hayley Macken, Rivier (So., S, Clifton Park, N.Y.)
Victoria Huntley, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Sr., OH, Ellsworth, Maine)
Abby Hart, Simmons (Sr., MB, Westfield, Mass.)
Alex Itasaka, Simmons (Sr., L, Bradford, Mass.)
Player of the Year – Amari King, Anna Maria
Libero of the Year – Jennelle Thompson, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
Rookie of the Year – Brylee Frank, Johnson & Wales (RI)
Coach of the Year – Nancy Somera, Johnson & Wales (RI)
Institutional Sportsmanship Award – University of Saint Joseph (Conn.)
All-Sportsmanship Team
Shanaya Bradley, Albertus Magnus (Sr., Ansonia, Conn.)
Amari King, Anna Maria (So., Lawerence, Mass.)
Haley Walinski, Emmanuel (Sr., Lincoln, R.I.)
Gianna Esposito, Johnson & Wales (Fr., Larkspur, Calif.)
Olivia Addington, Lasell (So., Orange, Calif.)
Brenda Sosa, Mount Ida (Fr., Lawrenceville, Ga.)
Alexandra Ruediger, Norwich (Sr., Sandy Lake, Pa.)
Chelsey Hussey, Rivier (Sr., Lebanon, Conn.)
Lauren Pelletier, Saint Joseph (CT) (Fr., South Windsor, Conn.)
Jordynne Copp, Saint Joseph's (ME) (Jr., Cumberland, Maine)
Jordan Davey, Simmons (Fr., Plymouth, Mass.)
Sydney Littlefield, Suffolk (Jr., Methuen, Mass.)
– #TheGNAC –