BRUNSWICK — The Bowdoin College women’s basketball team has been recognized in regional awards handed out on Monday.
Headlining the awards for the Polar Bears were Abby Kelly, who was named Northeast Region Player of the Year by D3hoops.com, and head coach Adrienne Shibles, who was named D3hoops.com Regional Coach of the Year and New England Women’s Basketball Association Coach of the Year.
Kelly was joined by Maddie Hasson and Taylor Choate in All-Region honors.
Kelly was named First Team All-Region by D3hoops.com and First Team NEWBA after a fantastic season that saw her named NESCAC Player of the Year.
Choate was recognized as Third Team All-Region by D3hoops.com and First Team NEWBA.
Hasson was Second Team D3hoops.com All-Region and Third Team NEWBA.
Kelly was a First Team All-NESCAC selection, and led Bowdoin at 14.8 points per game, ranking in the top 10 in the NESCAC in points, 3-pointers, field-goal percentage and steals. She saw double-figures in 27 of 31 games and surpassed the 1,000-point mark on Jan. 19 vs. Colby. Her 1,224 points rank seventh at Bowdoin and her 139 treys are fifth in program history.
Choate started all 31 games this season and the last 53 overall for Bowdoin. She was named NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year and Second Team All-NESCAC and leads the Polar Bears with 2.2 steals while placing third on the squad at 13.1 points per game. She was the only NESCAC Player to average at least 12 points/three rebounds/three assists/two steals this winter. Choate’s 38 points and seven 3-pointers in the NCAA second-round win over Smith both tied single-game school records. She is averaging 17.9 points/3.4 rebounds/2.8 assists/2.5 steals in the postseason.
Hasson was a First Team All-NESCAC selection and led the conference in field-goal percentage. She is second on the team in scoring (14.4) and made a NESCAC-high 119 free throws, while 115 of her 193 rebounds (59.6 percent) were on the offensive glass. Additionally, Hasson posted double-doubles in both sectional wins last weekend.
Shibles was named NESCAC Coach of the Year two weeks ago after leading the Polar Bears to just their second perfect regular season in school history. Under her direction, the Polar Bears will be making their second-straight Final Four appearance this week.
Shibles, who has led the Polar Bears to the NCAA Tournament in 10 of her 11 seasons, became the program’s winningest head coach earlier this season and currently owns a 253-64 (.798) overall record at Bowdoin.
Bowdoin (30-1) will face St. Thomas (30-1) in the NCAA national semifinals on Friday evening at 5 p.m. on the campus of Roanoke College in Virginia.
Men’s basketball
The Polar Bears were recognized in awards handed out by the Maine Men’s Basketball Coaches and Writers Association on Monday.
Bowdoin senior Jack Simonds was named First Team All-State along with junior David Reynolds. Zavier Rucker was named Defensive Player of the Year and to the All-Defensive Team.
A Second Team All-NESCAC choice this winter, Simonds rounded out a fantastic career this winter by leading Bowdoin at 17.7 points per game while also grabbing 6.4 rebounds per game and dishing out 2.3 assists per contest. His 50.6 field goal percentage and 42.4 3-point percentage both ranked among the best in the league. He ended his Bowdoin career with 1,595 points to rank fifth all-time in program history. His 196 treys and 84.9 free-throw percentage both also stand fifth at Bowdoin. He is just the second Polar Bear all-time to surpass 1,500 points, 500 rebounds and 200 assists in a career, joining Kyle Petrie.
Reynolds recorded 17.6 points per game for Bowdoin and connected on 71 treys this winter, the third-most in a single season in program history. Through three seasons, Reynolds has 991 career points and 167 3-pointers, ranking sixth in program history.
Rucker earned Maine Defensive Player of the Year and ranked second in the NESCAC at 1.7 steals per game this season. Routinely gaining the assignment of guarding the opponent’s top offensive player, Rucker was also efficient on the offensive end, scoring 12.3 points per game with 3.4 assists.
Bowdoin finished its 2018/19 season with a record of 15-9.
Softball
Bowdoin is slated to open its season this week in Florida.
The Polar Bears graduated First Team All-NESCAC players Claire McCarthy and Lauren O’Shea, but returns Caroline Rice at first base. Rice led the team with 40 RBIs in 2018.
Sophomore infielder Maddie Rouhana earned NESCAC Player of the Week honors in her first season with the Polar Bears and batted .329 with a .612 slugging percentage.
Bowdoin returns all four pitchers to the circle, including Kate Hoadley who led the team with 24 appearances on the rubber and 101 2/3 innings pitched. Classmate Allison Rutz posted a team best 2.01 ERA, while Ruby Siltanen paced the pitchers with a 9-1 record.
Bowdoin opens the season with 16 games in Florida before coming back to New England for a three-game NESCAC series at Trinity on March 29-30. Bowdoin has 14 home games scheduled in April, including conference series with Tufts (April 5-6), Colby (April 12), and Bates (April 27). The Polar Bears also have a non-conference matchup with Wesleyan (April 20) in addition to several in-state matchups.
Bowdoin enjoyed another successful season in 2018, making the NESCAC tournament for the sixth time in seven years and the championship game for the third time in program history. The Polar Bears owned a 9-3 conference record after opening the season with a 13-3 spring break mark.
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