NEW YORK | Perfection celebrated.
A perfect regular-season conference record has loomed large in the latest edition of the Skyline Conference postseason awards as the tournament begins tonight. The 11 Skyline Conference women's basketball head coaches casted their votes on the 2024-25 edition of the all-conference team, yielding a clean sweep of the major awards for top-ranked U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.
USMMA’s Emily Grasseler is the Player of the Year. Teammate and breakout newcomer, Carolae Barton, wins both the Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors, while Grasseler’s bench boss, Alexa Shields, is the Coach of the Year in voting conducted by her peers.
No. 1 USMMA finished a perfect 20-0 in Skyline action and extended its winning streak to 22 games heading into the postseason. The Mariners are the first team to finish undefeated in conference play since Mount Saint Mary went 18-0 during the 2018-19 season. USMMA improved to 23-1 overall.
Grasseler (below) was a one-time National Team of the Week pick in addition to being a four-time Skyline weekly Honor Roll selection and a two-time Skyline Player of the Week this winter. She finished the season ranked third in scoring in the league and second in rebounds, field-goal percentage and free-throw percentage. She is 29th in the nation in double-doubles.
The forward, who won the 2024 Skyline Rookie of the Year herself, teamed with Barton (below) to form an unstoppable front court tandem. Barton was also a one-time National Team of the Week selection, and also earned a Met Basketball DII/DIII Player of the Week on top of nine Skyline weekly honors – one Player of the Week, seven Rookie of the Week nods and one Honor Roll mention. She finished the season ranked first in the Skyline and sixth in all of Division III in rebounds. She is also fifth in conference scoring, first in field-goal percentage, fourth in free-throw percentage, second in blocks and 21st in steals, while ranking sixth in the nation in double-doubles, fifth in offensive rebounds, 16th in defensive rebounds, 19th in FG% and 34th in blocks in the country.
Shields assumed the role of interim head coach upon the announcement of long-time head coach Matt Dempsey's retirement in October of 2024. In early January 2025, she was officially named the fourth head coach of the Mariners.
Shields (below) is about to complete her 17th season at USMMA. She was promoted to associate head coach in May 2019, and came to Kings Point after coaching as a graduate assistant at Rutgers-Newark. A three-time All-New Jersey Athletic Conference guard at The College of New Jersey, Shields helped TCNJ to NJAC championships in 2004 and 2006, finishing tied for third in career assists (309) and fifth in steals (196) in school history. She served as team captain as a junior and senior. A four-year letter winner, she earned first-team All-NJAC honors in 2005 while garnering second unit notice as a sophomore and senior. She earned a bachelor’s in communications from TCNJ in 2006 after four years on the Dean’s List. Two years later, Shields earned a master’s in Liberal Studies from Rutgers-Newark.
Grasseler and Barton headline the First Team. They are joined by Yeshiva’s Daniella Bessler, last year’s Player of the Year; Mount Saint Vincent’s Erin Smith; Mount Saint Mary’s Brianna Guglielmo; and Manhattanville’s Esther Ramos.
The Second Team features St. Joseph’s-Long Island standouts Isabella Sierra and Megan Spina; Manhattanville’s Julie Debrocky; Farmingdale State’s Gemma Pohalski; and USMMA’s Hannah Ramsden.
The head coaches also announced their respective recipients for the All-Sportsmanship Team. The conference recognizes All-Sportsmanship Team members in all 19 of its championship sports, with each program announcing one recipient for his or her sportsmanlike demeanor – both in and out of competition.
Below is the complete 2024-25 Skyline Conference Women's Basketball All-Conference Team:
First Team
Carolae Barton, USMMA (Fr., F, Waldorf, Md.)
Daniella Bessler, Yeshiva (Gr., G; Brookline, Mass.)
Emily Grasseler, USMMA (So., F; Millbrook, N.Y.)
Brianna Guglielmo, Mount Saint Mary (Jr., F; Smithtown, N.Y.)
Esther Ramos, Manhattanville (Jr., F; Queens, N.Y.)
Erin Smith, Mount Saint Vincent (Gr., G; Goshen, N.Y.)
Second Team
Julie Debrocky, Manhattanville (Jr., G; Mahopac, N.Y.)
Gemma Pohalski, Farmingdale State (Sr., G; Hungtington, N.Y.)
Hannah Ramsden, USMMA (Jr., G; Port Aransas, Texas)
Isabella Sierra, St. Joseph's-Long Island (Sr., G; Hicksville, N.Y.)
Megan Spina, St. Joseph's-Long Island (Jr., G; Selden, N.Y.)
Player of the Year: Emily Grasseler, USMMA
Defensive Player of the Year: Carolae Barton, USMMA
Rookie of the Year: Carolae Barton, USMMA
Coach of the Year: Alexa Shields, USMMA (1st Season)
All-Sportsmanship Team
Isabella Greenwald, Farmingdale State
Kaitlyn Mangan, Manhattanville
Grace Jackson, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
Kate Hughes, Mount Saint Mary
Michaela Ligon, Mount Saint Vincent
Kristen Gallagher, Old Westbury
Carlye Graff, Purchase
Ariana Spanopoulos, Sarah Lawrence
Kristen Donovan, St. Joseph's-Brooklyn
Megan Spina, St. Joseph's-Long Island
Naomi Sigman, Yeshiva