Women's Basketball Regular-Season Awards Announced
March 3, 2015
14-15 Awards Release 
NEW YORK – DePaul’s Brittany Hrynko became the first Blue Demon to be named BIG EAST Player of the Year in women’s basketball when the Conference announced its regular-season awards on Tuesday. Georgetown’s Dorothy Adomako became the second straight Hoya to be voted BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, while Seton Hall’s Tony Bozzella brings the BIG EAST Coach of the Year certificate back to South Orange, N.J., for the first time since 1993-94.
Additional individual award winners were BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year Daisha Simmons of Seton Hall, Sixth-Woman Award honoree Taylor Holeman of Villanova, Most Improved Player Alexis Akin-Otiko of Creighton and BIG EAST Sportsmanship Award recipient Marissa Janning, also of Creighton. Hrynko was recognized last Friday as the BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, as well.
Hrynko, a senior guard, concluded regular-season play as the BIG EAST’s leading scorer, both overall (20.3) and in conference play (21.9). She finished as runner-up in steals (2.6) and assists (5.1) per game over 18 league contests, leading DePaul to its second consecutive BIG EAST regular-season title, which it shared with Seton Hall this season after winning it outright in 2013-14. The four-year starter spent much the season climbing the BIG EAST regular-season career records lists, finishing 16th all-time in scoring (1,080 points), No. 2 in three-pointers made (165), No. 8 in assists (343) and No. 10 in steals (176) in Conference history. The Philadelphia native is also among the all-time leaders in field goal and three-point attempts. In addition to her five BIG EAST Player of the Week certificates, Hrynko’s name appears on a number of prestigious lists including John R. Wooden Late Season Top 20, Naismith Trophy Women’s Midseason 30 and Dawn Staley Award Mid-Season Watch List.
Bozzella led a Seton Hall team which was picked fifth in the preseason coaches’ poll to its first BIG EAST regular-season title since sharing a division crown in a four-way tie in 1995-96. The Pirates enter the BIG EAST Tournament as the No. 1 seed for the first time and have their most wins in a season (26) since finishing 1993-94 with a 27-5 mark. The Hall returned to both national polls for the first time since 1995 and enters the postseason ranked 25th in both the Associated Press and USA Today Polls. SHU defeated its first ranked opponent (then-No. 14/16 Georgia) since 2007, matched a school-record 12-game winning streak and set a program standard for points in a game with 107 on Jan. 18 against DePaul, with which the Pirates share the 2014-15 BIG EAST regular-season title with after both finished 15-3.
Hrynko was one of five unanimous All-BIG EAST First Team selections. Joining her as uncontested picks were Seton Hall graduate student guards Daisha Simmons and Ka-Deidre Simmons, St. John’s junior guard Aliyyah Handford and Creighton junior guard Marissa Janning. Villanova junior guard Carolina Coyer and Butler senior forward Ijeoma Uchendu were also voted to the All-BIG EAST First Team. Ka-Deidre Simmons joined Hrynko on the Naismith Midseason 30 list and was also named to the Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List; she is a three-time BIG EAST Player of the Week, ranking fifth in the league in scoring (17.3) and first in assists (5.6) over 30 games. Handford was narrowly edged by Hrynko for the BIG EAST scoring title, averaging 20.2 points overall and 20.5 in league play, while her 18 20-point games are six more than anyone else in the conference. Last year’s Sixth-Woman of the Year, Coyer is among the league’s most dangerous three-point shooters, making nearly 45 percent of her attempts and 2.7 triples per game. Uchendu is Butler’s leading rebounder (10.3) and No. 2 scorer (14.6), while her 10 double-doubles this year are a BIG EAST best.
Adomako was voted BIG EAST Preseason Freshman of the Year back in October and fulfilled those expectations and more during her first season on the Hilltop. In her debut season, the Hoya guard was the top scoring and rebounding freshman in the BIG EAST, averaging 14.3 points and 6.2 rebounds over 18 league contests. She is the fifth BIG EAST Freshman of the Year out of Georgetown and third since 2009-10.
Adomako was a unanimous BIG EAST All-Freshman Team selection along with Marquette guard Kenisha Bell, Butler guard Sydney Buck and Creighton guard Sydney Lamberty. Marquette’s Tia Elbert, DePaul’s Mart’e Grays and Villanova’s Alex Louin were also All-Freshman Team picks.
BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year Daisha Simmons led the league in steals with 2.8 per game over 18 conference games, while listing second to Hrynko in overall games at 2.5 per contest. Simmons anchored a Pirate defense which held opponents to just 64.7 points per game to rank fourth in the BIG EAST, with its scoring margin (+11.5) and turnover margin (+5.90) ranking second. Simmons is the first Defensive Player of the Year out of Seton Hall since the award was established in 1996-97.
Holeman came off the bench in 15 BIG EAST games this season but was Villanova’s No. 3 scorer and No. 2 rebounder, averaging 8.4 points and 6.0 boards per contest. The senior averages just 21.2 minutes per game to rank fifth on the team, but makes her appearances count with over 43-percent shooting on the season. She reached the 20-point mark twice this year, while totaling double-digit boards in five games. Holeman is the second straight Wildcat to earn the BIG EAST Sixth-Woman Award following Caroline Coyer in 2013-14, while becoming the third Nova player to garner the recognition since its inception in 2007-08.
In her first season as a starter, Akin-Otiko has a scoring average equal to her previous three years’ combined. The Creighton senior concluded her final season of BIG EAST play averaging 13.8 points and 6.9 rebounds per game after averaging just 4.9 points and 3.6 boards a year ago. The 5-11 forward scored a combined 433 points through her first three seasons and enters the BIG EAST Tournament with 376 this season alone. She has been named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll seven times and ranks among the league leaders in rebounding and blocked shots, despite standing under 6-0.
Akin-Otiko was also named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team and was joined by DePaul’s Chanise Jenkins and Megan Podkowa, Marquette’s Arlesia Morse, St. John’s Danaejah Grant, Seton Hall’s Tabatha Richardson-Smith and Villanova’s Emily Leer. Adomako was an Honorable Mention pick along with Butler’s Loryn Goodwin, DePaul’s Jessica January and St. John’s Amber Thompson.
Janning becomes Creighton’s first player to earn the BIG EAST’s Sportsmanship Award. A leader on the court, off the court and in the community, the Bluejay team captain is constantly praised for her demeanor. As the 2013-14 BIG EAST Player of the Year and 2014-15 Preseason Player of the Year, Janning entered the season with a target on her back, but that did not change her attitude on the court or dissuade her from going out of her way to help a fallen opponent and support her team when her game wasn’t going well. She participates in a number of community initiatives, including volunteer work at the Boys & Girls Club, being a representative of Omaha Youth Leadership, or simply staying late after game to sign autographs for fans. On the court she is among the BIG EAST leaders in scoring (15.9), assists (3.8) and three-point shooting (.378).
All 10 Conference teams will travel to Rosemont, Ill., this week for the 2015 BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Tournament, presented by New York Life, slated for March 7-10 at Allstate Arena. No. 2 seed DePaul will defend its tourney title against the likes of No. 1 seed Seton Hall, which is eyeing its first BIG EAST title in league history. For more information, including a complete schedule, click HERE.
BIG EAST Player of the Year
Brittany Hrynko, DePaul, Sr., G
BIG EAST Freshman of the Year
Dorothy Adomako, Georgetown, Fr., G
BIG EAST Coach of the Year
Tony Bozzella, Seton Hall
BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year
Daisha Simmons, Seton Hall, Grad., G
BIG EAST Most Improved Player
Alexis Akin-Otiko, Creighton, Sr., F
BIG EAST Sportsmanship Award
Marissa Janning, Creighton, Jr., G
BIG EAST Sixth-Woman Award
Taylor Holeman, Villanova, Sr., F
BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Brittany Hrynko, DePaul, Sr., G
All-BIG EAST First Team
Caroline Coyer, Villanova, Jr., G
Aliyyah Handford, St. John’s, Jr., G*
Brittany Hrynko, DePaul, Sr., G*
Marissa Janning, Creighton, Jr., G*
Daisha Simmons, Seton Hall, Grad., G*
Ka-Deidre Simmons, Seton Hall, Grad., G*
Ijeoma Uchendu, Butler, Sr., F
*unanimous selection
All-BIG EAST Second Team
Alexis Akin-Otiko, Creighton, Sr., F
Danaejah Grant, St. John’s, Jr., G
Chanise Jenkins, DePaul, Jr., G
Emily Leer, Villanova, Sr., F/C
Arlesia Morse, Marquette, Sr., G
Megan Podkowa, DePaul, Jr., F
Tabatha Richardson-Smith, Seton Hall, Jr., G
All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention^
Dorothy Adomako, Georgetown, Fr., G
Loryn Goodwin, Butler, So., G
Jessica January, DePaul, So., G
Amber Thompson, St. John’s, Sr., F
^due to a tie in voting, an extra player was added
BIG EAST All-Freshman Team
Dorothy Adomako, Georgetown, Fr., G*
Kenisha Bell, Marquette, Fr., G*
Sydney Buck, Butler, Fr., G*
Tia Elbert, Marquette, Fr., G
Mart’e Grays, DePaul, Fr., F
Sydney Lamberty, Creighton*
Alex Louin, Villanova, Fr., G
*unanimous selection