NEW YORK | The Skyline Conference's 10 women's basketball coaches have voted for the 2017-18 edition of the all-conference team, and St. Joseph's College-Long Island senior forward Andrea Iavarone has been selected as Player of the Year.
Old Westbury junior guard/forward Monique Joseph received Defensive Player of the Year kudos, while St. Joseph's College-Brooklyn freshman guard Kelly O'Donnell was tabbed as Rookie of the Year. Mount Saint Mary College head coach Michael Coppolino has repeated as Coach of the Year in a vote by his peers.
Iavarone wrapped up her career with the Golden Eagles by leading the Skyline in scoring (20.8 ppg), rebounding (16.8 rpg), field-goal percentage (.539) and free-throw percentage (.804). With regular-season play concluded across the NCAA's Division III, she ranks No. 3 in rebounding and No. 14 in scoring among national leaders.
Joseph helped a Panthers defense that ranks No. 1 nationally in field-goal percentage defense (.279) entering this week's NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship by swiping a conference-high 4.84 steals per game -- good for the No. 4 mark nationally.
A seven-time Rookie of the Week selection, O'Donnell burst onto the Skyline scene with a 17.8 points per game average, ranking third on the conference ledger. Her .408 field-goal percentage was the seventh-highest mark in the Skyline, and .795 free-throw percentage ranked second behind Iavarone.
Fourth-year bench boss Coppolino, an Acton, Mass., native and alumnus of Eckerd College, repeats with his second-straight accolade after lifting the Knights to a 21-6 mark, including a 17-1 mark in Skyline play and a winning streak that spanned 15 games. Mount Saint Mary was ranked as high as fifth in the NCAA Division III Atlantic Region tally, and advanced to last weekend's conference championship final.
Iavarone is joined on the all-conference first-team by: Essence Casey of Farmingdale State College; Kaleigh D'Arcy of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy; Amber Jones of Purchase College, SUNY; Charlotte Renker of SUNY Old Westbury; and Jessica Rini of Mount Saint Mary College.
Joseph and O'Donnell garnered second-team praise, as did: Kayla Cleare of Mount Saint Mary; Kelly Oliver of College of Mount Saint Vincent; and Kaelyn Ward of Farmingdale State.
2017-18 Skyline Conference Women's Basketball All-Conference Team
First Team
Essence Casey, Farmingdale State (Sr., F; Huntington Station, N.Y.)
Kaleigh D'Arcy, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (So., G; White Plains, N.Y.)
* Andrea Iavarone, St. Joseph's-Long Island (Sr., F; Miller Place, N.Y.)
Amber Jones, Purchase (Jr., G; Bronx, N.Y.)
Charlotte Renker, Old Westbury (Jr., C; Mineola, N.Y.)
Jessica Rini, Mount Saint Mary (Sr., F; Seaford, N.Y.)
Second Team
Kayla Cleare, Mount Saint Mary (Jr., C; West Hempstead, N.Y.)
** Monique Joseph, Old Westbury (Jr., G/F; Elmont, N.Y.)
Kelly Oliver, Mount Saint Vincent (Jr., G; Carmel, N.Y.)
*** Kelly O'Donnell, St. Joseph's-Brooklyn (Fr., G; Brooklyn, N.Y.)
Kaelyn Ward, Farmingdale State (Sr., G; East Hampton, N.Y.)
* Player of the Year: Andrea Iavarone, St. Joseph's-Long Island
** Defensive Player of the Year: Monique Joseph, Old Westbury
*** Rookie of the Year: Kelly O'Donnell, St. Joseph's-Brooklyn
Coach of the Year: Michael Coppolino, Mount Saint Mary (Eckerd '07 - fourth season)