BOSTON – Following a regular season championship and 14-2 mark in conference play, Maine took home three major awards and were one of four teams to secure major awards as the America East announced its 2023-24 award winners and All-Conference teams on Wednesday afternoon.
All of the All-Conference, All-Defensive, All-Rookie and All-Academic teams were determined in a vote by the league’s head coaches, who could not vote for their own players.
Complete Awards Listing
For the fourth straight year a Maine student-athlete secured Player of the Year honors as Anne Simon Captured Player and Defensive Player of the Year honors for the second time in her career. Amy Vachon took home Coach of the Year for the Black Bears as well. UMBC’s Anna Blount was recognized as the Newcomer of the Year, while Vermont’s Keira Hanson secured Sixth Player of the Year honors. Mia Mancini of Bryant was named Rookie of the Year.
Player & Defensive Player of the Year
Anne Simon – Gr., Guard, Maine
- Led the conference in scoring (18.9) and free throw shooting (81.9%) while ranking third in rebounding (7.3) and fourth in assists (3.3).
- Claimed Player and Defensive Player of the Year honors for the second time in her career (2021-22).
- Third in the league with seven double-doubles and league-best 13 games with 20+ points.
- Fifth time in the past six years a Maine player earned Player of the Year honors and fourth time in the past six years a Black Bear was Defensive Player of the Year.
- Won Player of the Week honors eight times during the season.
- First five-time All-Conference honoree in league history, with three First-Team selections and two Second-Team selections.
Newcomer of the Year
Anna Blount – Gr., Forward, UMBC
- Finished 8th in the league in scoring (13.2) and fifth in rebounding (7.1).
- Fourth in the league with five double-doubles and one of three players to score 30+ points in a conference game this season.
- Second straight Retriever to win Newcomer of the Year.
- Graduate transfer from UC Riverside.
Sixth Player of the Year
Keira Hanson – So., Guard, Vermont
- In #AEHoops action, finished 11th in the league in scoring (11.3) while ranking sixth in field goal percentage (43.1%).
- Led the league with 34 threes in conference play while shooting 38.6 percent from beyond the arc.
- Reached double figures in 11 total games, including a career-high 20 points in a loss to Maine.
- First Catamount to earn Sixth Player of the Year honors.
Rookie of the Year
Mia Mancini – Fr., Guard, Bryant
- Led all rookies in scoring and finished seventh in the league at 13.6 points per game while also averaging 3.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists per game.
- Led the league with 73 three-point field goals while shooting 36.5 percent from beyond the arc.
- First Bryant player to win a women’s basketball major award.
- Named Rookie of the Week eight times during the regular season.
Coach of the Year
Amy Vachon – Maine
- Led Maine to a 14-2 conference record and 21-9, its highest win total since 2018-19.
- Maine led the league in scoring (64.8) and was third in scoring defense (57.0), while also ranking first in assists (14.7) and turnover margin (+1.67).
- Clinched the program’s fifth regular season title in the last seven years.
- Named Coach of the Year for the fifth time, the most in conference history.
- Assisted by Courtney England, Tom Biskup and Gadson Lefft.
UAlbany, Vermont and Binghamton led all schools with three honorees apiece, while Maine had a league-best two on the First Team. The All-Conference First Team features four repeat selections in Kayla Cooper, Anne Simon, Adrianna Smith and Emma Utterback. Mariona Planes Fortuny was a Second-Team selection last year. Simon, Cooper and Smith were also named to the All-Academic Team.
ABOUT AMERICA EAST
Founded in 1979, the America East Conference is an elite NCAA Division I athletic conference that fosters an environment for student-athletes to become champions. Comprised of academically renowned, like-minded member institutions located in the Northeast region of the United States, America East is committed to broad-based excellence and progressive in its approach to supporting its more than 3,500 student-athletes across 18 sponsored sports. For more information, visit www.AmericaEast.com and follow the America East Conference its social media channels, @AmericaEast.
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