NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Massachusetts graduate student Sam Breen secured distinction as the Atlantic 10 Women’s Basketball Player of the Year for the second consecutive season while Saint Joseph’s freshman Laura Ziegler locked down the Rookie of the Year laurels. Fordham graduate student Asiah Dingle along Saint Louis senior Brooke Flowers earned recognition as the league’s Co-Defensive Players of the Year while George Washington freshman Nya Robertson collected the Sixth Woman of the Year. The Rhode Island duo of junior Mayé Touré and fourth-year head coach Tammi Reiss captured the Most Improved Player and Coach of the Year awards.
The Atlantic 10 released the six superlative honors along with the All-Conference, All-Defensive, All-Rookie and All-Academic teams Tuesday prior to the 2023 A-10 Women’s Basketball Championship first round, which tips off Wednesday at CHASE Fieldhouse in Wilmington, Del. The major awards, All-Conference teams, All-Defensive team and All-Rookie team were voted on by the 15 A-10 women’s basketball head coaches while the All-Academic team was selected by the women’s basketball communications directors.
A three-time A-10 Player of the Week, Breen started every regular season game for UMass throughout another banner year on the hardwood, scoring 17.9 points per game – good for third league-wide – while also pacing the conference on the glass with 10.0 boards per contest. The graduate student leads the A-10 in double-doubles with 16, serving as just one of five players league-wide with 10-plus double-doubles while ranking 12th nationally for the category. A native of Gibsonia, Pa., Breen also emerged as the program’s new all-time career points leader early during the Minutewomen’s Feb. 22 clash at Saint Louis, surpassing Sue Peters’ 1,858 mark, and enters the final stretch of the campaign as a semifinalist for the Becky Hammon Player of the Year award. Finally, Breen secured the A-10 Player of the Year accolade for the second consecutive season, becoming the first student-athlete since Saint Louis’ Jackie Kemph in 2016-17 and 2015-16 campaigns to achieve the feat. She was also named to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference first team.
Dingle, a product of Boston, Mass., swiped a Fordham single-season record 101 steals throughout the campaign, breaking the long-standing mark set by Mary Hayes during the 1977-78 season (100) en route to the fourth-highest position on the national rankings. Additionally, the graduate student’s 3.48 steals per game also managed to rank fourth amongst Division I competition, shattering Hayes’ previous program-best of 3.0. Earlier this year during non-conference play, Dingle also clinched the new Fordham single-game record for steals with 10 against Saint Peter’s on Nov. 10, coming up just one short of the A-10 all-time mark for the category. Notably, she balanced out her defensive intensity with an elite scoring prowess as well, posting a league-best 19.1 points per game for the campaign. Dingle was also recognized as a member of the Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team as well as the league’s All-Defensive squad.
Hailing from St. Louis, Mo., Flowers has led the nation in both total blocks and blocked shots per game since virtually opening day, finishing the season 121 blocks overall and a 3.90 per game mark, both good for Saint Louis records. Further, the senior’s 386 career rejections currently serves as the most among active Division I players. On the year, Flowers posted nine games with at least five swats, including an NCAA-best 11 versus George Mason, and was named a semifinalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award. She was also distinguished on the Atlantic 10 All-Conference second team as well as the league’s All-Defensive crew.
Ziegler, a European import out of Herlev, Denmark, concluded the season as just the second Hawk since 2009-10 to average at least 10 points and nine rebounds per game, the first-ever SJU freshman to do so, as she averaged 11.8 points and 9.0 boards throughout the season. Over the course of the past 15 years, freshmen have produced a total 16 double-doubles at Saint Joseph’s, half of which are now accounted for by Ziegler. An eight-time winner of the league’s Rookie of the Week honors, Ziegler helped St. Joe’s defend the Rookie of the Year award after fellow Hawks standout Talya Brugler captured the accolade for the 2021-22 campaign. Finally, the freshman forward was named to both the Atlantic 10 All-Conference Third Team as well as the league’s All-Rookie squad.
Following a breakout debut season at the collegiate level, Robertson emerged as the seventh Colonial to garner Sixth Woman of the Year honors and the first for GW since 2018. The freshman from Fort Worth, Texas, came off the bench in 25 of 26 appearances this season, yet still managed to pace George Washington on the scoreboard at 14.5 points per game. She currently ranks 10th nationally amongst freshmen in scoring, including the top spot against fellow league first-years, and sits at eighth overall conference-wide. Robertson also nailed a total 64 3-pointers, good for fourth-best in the A-10 and second-most amongst Division I freshmen, not to mention the 10th most in a single season within program history. For her efforts, she was also recognized as a member of the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team.
Touré, a fellow European import from Athis-Mons, France, put together a notable bounce in production between this year and last, bumping up her points-per-game output by 11.4 while generating 12 double-doubles throughout the 2022-23 regular season en route to shattering last season’s mark of just one. Further, the junior forward improved her efficiency on the floor as well, leading the league with a 53.8 percent (164-of-305) shooting percentage after finishing with a 39.6 percent (19-for-48) just a year prior. Touré also concluded the season as a member of the Atlantic 10 All-Conference first team.
Reiss guided Rhode Island to the most wins in a single season (23), most victories within A-10 play (14) and most wins at the Ryan Center (13) in program history during the 2022-23 campaign, elevating the Rams on the national stage as Rhody received votes in two national polls for the second straight season. Additionally, the fourth-year head coach led the Rams to their first-ever back-to-back 20-win season and just the fourth overall, helping URI collect a share of the Atlantic 10 regular-season title as well and the No. 2 overall seed at the Atlantic 10 Women’s Basketball Championship.
Joining Breen, Dingle and Touré on the All-Conference First Team are Fordham senior guard Anna DeWolfe, Massachusetts senior guard Sydney Taylor, and Saint Joseph’s sophomore forward Talya Brugler.
The All-Conference Second Team features Flowers along with Davidson redshirt junior forward Elle Sutphin, Duquesne sophomore guard Megan McConnell, Massachusetts junior guard Ber’Nyah Mayo, Richmond junior forward Addie Budnik and Saint Louis senior guard Kyla McMakin.
Ziegler headlines the All-Conference Third Team along with La Salle graduate student forward Kayla Spruill, Rhode Island graduate student Madison Hattix-Covington, Richmond freshman forward Maggie Doogan, Saint Joseph’s sophomore forward Mackenzie Smith and VCU junior guard Sarah Te-Biasu.
The All-Defensive team showcases both Dingle and Flowers in addition to George Washington redshirt senior Mayowa Taiwo, Massachusetts graduate student Destiney Philoxy and Saint Louis senior Julia Martinez.
The All-Rookie team stars Ziegler, Robertson and Doogan along with George Mason senior Nalani Kaysia – first year of collegiate basketball – and La Salle freshman Mia Jacobs.
The All-Academic team includes McConnell, Taylor, Budnik plus Fordham graduate student forward Kaitlyn Downey, George Washington graduate student forward Mia Lakstigala and Loyola Chicago junior forward Sitori Tanin.
The 2023 Atlantic 10 Women’s Basketball Championship tips off with first round contests Wednesday between No. 12 Dayton and No. 13 VCU at noon followed by No. 10 Duquesne and No. 15 Loyola Chicago at 2:30 p.m. and No. 11 Davidson and No. 14 St. Bonaventure at 5:00 p.m. The semifinal round begins Saturday and will air nationally via CBS Sports Network while the championship final wraps up the five-day tournament Sunday at noon ET with national broadcast via ESPNU. The first round on Wednesday, second round on Thursday and quarterfinals on Friday will stream all 11 contests live on ESPN+.