April 16, 2013
TARRYTOWN, N.Y. -
Following a 26-9 campaign that saw Fordham women's basketball have its most successful season in over three decades, a trio of Rams was honored last night at the 80th Annual Haggerty Awards Dinner hosted by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association in Tarrytown, N.Y.
Coach Stephanie Gaitley took home the Maggie Dixon Coach of the Year Award, presented to her for leading the Rams to new heights in only her second year at the helm. Gaitley led the Rams to a 26-9 record in 2012-2013, notching the second-highest win total in program history and the most since 1978-1979.
Gaitley's squad accomplished a laundry list of firsts this season, including the team's first winning record since 1994-1995, first 20-win season since 1993-1994, first postseason appearance since 1994 and first ever appearance in the A-10 Tournament semifinals and championship. The Rams' 12-2 record in conference more than doubled their previous high win total in the A-10 and their final RPI ranking of 60 set an all-time high water mark for the program.
Erin Rooney became the first Ram since Suzanna Maguire in 1997 to garner First Team All-Met honors following a season that saw her earn the program's first ever First Team All-Atlantic 10 selection.
The Redshirt Junior from Christchurch, New Zealand, ranked second on the team with 13.9 points per game, pulled in 5.3 boards per contest and dished out a team-best 3.7 assists per outing. She finished the season ranked seventh in the Atlantic 10 in scoring, third in free throw percentage, ninth in assists and eighth in assist-to-turnover ratio.
Rounding out Fordham's 2013 All-Met awards was Marah Strickland, the graduate student whose one year in a Fordham uniform proved to be one of the most monumental in the program's history. She was named Second Team All-Met.
The Mt. Airy, Md., native led the Rams in scoring with 15.1 points per game and fell just one point short of becoming the first Fordham player since Jeanine Radice in 1988-1989 to score 500 points in season. She finished fourth in the Atlantic 10 in scoring and topped the conference in free throw percentage, netting over 86 percent of her tries from the charity stripe.
In Atlantic 10 play, Strickland was one of the most feared shooters in the league from beyond the arc. She nailed over 41 percent of her chances from deep and made 2.4 field goals per game from downtown, good enough for second in the league in both categories.
Iona's Lamont "Mo Mo" Jones earned the night's highest honor, taking home the Lt. Frank J. Haggerty Award as the Metropolitan Player of the Year. Jones finished third in the NCAA in scoring with 22.6 points per game for the Gaels, helping lead Iona to its second straight appearance in the Big Dance and a MAAC Championship.
On the women's side, Nadira McKenith won Player of the Year after leading St. John's with 13.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists per contest in a season that saw the Red Storm make the NCAA Tournament. McKenith, along with teammate and fellow first teamer Shenneika Smith, were not present at the dinner, but with good reason. Both McKenith and Smith heard their names called last night in the WNBA Draft, as McKenith went 17th overall to the Washington Mystics and Smith was picked 25th by the hometown New York Liberty.
