CAPITAL ATHLETIC CONFERENCE PRESS RELEASE
YORK, Pa. - Salisbury senior point guard Anna Hackett and coach Kelly Lewandowski were among the four members of the CAC regular-season champion Sea Gulls to earn post-season honors in a vote of the CAC women's basketball coaches. Hackett was named the 2015 CAC Women's Basketball Player of the Year while Lewandowski captured the "Bill Finney" CAC Coach of the Year award for the first time in her career.
Hackett is making her fourth-straight appearance on the All-CAC team, including three-straight on the first team, after earning Rookie of the Year recognition in 2012. She is the seventh player in 25 years of CAC women's basketball to be named to the all conference team four times. Hackett, who was a member of the CAC's Silver Anniversary Women's Baskteball Team, is the third Salisbury player to win the Women's Basketball Player of the Year award. Former Salisbury standouts Lisa Neylan (2000) and Amy Campion (2003-04) previously won the Women's Basketball Player of the Year award.
Senior guard Sarah Seipp and junior forward Julie McLaughlin earned second team all-conference honors, giving Salisbury three All-CAC women's basketball players for the first time since 2002 and the third time since the Sea Gulls joined the CAC for the 1994-95 campaign. Seipp is a second-team all-star for the second-straight season. McLaughlin was the 2013 CAC Women's Basketball Rookie of the Year.
Lewandowski was selected as the 2015 "Bill Finney" CAC Coach of the Year - the first time she's won the award in four seasons as the SU head coach. She is just the second Salisbury coach to win the award. Former SU mentor Bridget Benshettler was honored by the CAC coaches three times between 1995 and 2001. St. Mary's freshman guard Kerri Kline, selected as the 2015 Women's Basketball Rookie of the Year, was the only first-year player to be honored by the CAC coaches. Kline is the third SMC standout to gain the CAC Women's Basketball Rookie of the Year award along with Catherine Blakely in 2003 and Stephanie Saint- Aubin in 2007. Nine of the 10 CAC teams landed at least one player on the 2015 All-CAC Women's Basketball Team. Mary Washington and York each earned two berths on the all-star team while Christopher Newport, Frostburg State, Marymount, St. Mary's, Southern Virginia and Wesley all placed one player on the team.
The second-place Eagles joined Salisbury with at least one first-team honoree and a second-team pick.
Sophomore center Brianne Comden earned top honors for UMW while senior guard Claire Haeuptle was a second-team choice. Both are first-time CAC all-stars.
Christopher Newport senior forward Camry Green, Frostburg State senior guard Ronje James, Marymount junior guard Kievanna Lacey and Wesley sophomore guard/forward Brionna Johnson all earned first-team honors in the vote of the CAC coaches. Johnson is the only repeat selection among the group after earning second-team all-star and Rookie of the Year awards in 2014. York picked up a pair of second-place All-CAC awards for senior post Shea Wassel and sophomore forward Sam Hruz while sophomore center Nina Haller represented St. Mary's on the second team and junior center Crystal Cleveland earned second-team recognition from Southern Virginia. All four are first-time All- CAC honorees.
2015 All-CAC Women's Basketball Team
First Team Yr. Pos. Team Hometown/High School Previous Honors
Brianne Comden So. C Mary Washington Fredericksburg, Va./Massaponax
Camry Green Sr. F Chris. Newport Richmond, Va./Richmond Community
Anna Hackett Sr. G Salisbury Germantown, Md./Clarksburg 1st in '14, 1st in '13; 2nd & ROY in '12
Ronje James Sr. G Frostburg State Baltimore, Md./Pikesville
Brionna Johnson So. G/F Wesley Smyrna, Del./Smyrna 2nd & ROY in '14
Kievanna Lacey Jr. G Marymount Morrisville, Pa./Morrisville
Second Team
Crystal Cleveland Jr. C Southern Virginia Delran, N.J./Delran
Claire Haeuptle Sr. G Mary Washington Robbinsville, N.J./Peddie School
Nina Haller So. C St. Mary's Chevy Chase, Md./Bethesda-Chevy Chase
Sam Hruz So. F York Whitemarsh, Md./
Julia McLaughlin Jr. F Salisbury Monkton, Md./Hereford ROY in '13
Sarah Seipp Sr. G Salisbury Gaithersburg, Md./Gaithersburg 2nd in '14
Shea Wassel Sr. C York North Wales, Pa./Lansdale Catholic
2015 CAC Player of the Year: Anna Hackett, Salisbury
2015 CAC Rookie of the Year: Kerri Kline, St. Mary's (Fr., G, Hagerstown, Md./St. James)
2015 "Bill Finney" CAC Coach of the Year: Kelly Lewandowski, Salisbury (first time)