By WACBA Hoops | @WACBAHoops
WORCESTER, Mass. – Nichols College senior Marcos Echevarria and Holy Cross junior Lauren Manis have repeated as the Worcester Area College Basketball Association (WACBA) Players of the Year, as revealed on Wednesday in Jen Toland’s weekly college column.
The announcement also features the annual All-Stars, Rookies of the Year and Coaches of the Year as voted upon by sports information directors or primary contacts from each of the nine NCAA schools in Worcester County, including Division I Holy Cross and Division II Assumption College, as well as members of the local media.
Echevarria claimed the hardware for the third consecutive year while it was also a threepeat for the Bison with first-year head coach Scott Faucher earning Coach of the Year accolades. Assumption’s Cal Connelly, meanwhile, became the second Greyhound in as many years to secure Rookie of the Year honors. For the women, Manis narrowly missed out on a perfect ballot while fellow Crusader Avery LaBarbera was named as the Rookie of the Year, and Worcester State’s Karen Tessmer was selected as the Coach of the Year.
Nichols’ DeAnte Bruton and Matt Morrow joined Echevarria on the first team, as did Anna Maria’s Mike Rapoza, Becker’s Kareem Davis, and Holy Cross’ Jehyve Floyd. The second team was comprised of Fitchburg State’s Nicholas Tracy, Worcester State’s Tyler Dion, Assumption’s Matthew Kelley, Clark’s Tyler Davern, and WPI’s Jake Wisniewski and Reid Walker.
Manis and LaBarbera along with Worcester State’s Brittany Herring, Assumption’s Morgan O’Donnell, Fitchburg State’s Angelina Marazzi, and Becker’s Adrianna Dowdy were named to the first team. Clark’s Ogechi Ezemma, Anna Maria’s Amber Wilson, Becker’s Cassidy Harrison, Fitchburg State’s Catherine Coppinger, as well as, Worcester State’s Catherine Sweeney and Kaitlyn Berkel landed on the second team.
This year’s Paul N. Johnson and Pat Oroszko Courage Award recipients will be announced at a later date.
WACBA (Worcester Area College Basketball Association) is an organization billed as “one of its kind in the country” featuring nine colleges, 18 programs plus sports information directors and media members to foster friendships and camaraderie along with promoting the GREAT GAME OF BASKETBALL throughout the TRADITION RICH Worcester County Area.
Follow @WACBAHoops on Twitter | Regular Season Stats and Standings
MEN‘S ALL-STARS
Player of the Year: Marcos Echevarria (Lynn, Mass.), Nichols (third consecutive)
Rookie of the Year: Cal Connelly (Rochester, N.H.), Assumption (back-to-back for Greyhounds)
Coach of the Year: Scott Faucher, Nichols (third consecutive for a Bison head coach)
| First Team | |||
| Nichols College | Marcos Echevarria*# | Lynn, Mass. | Sr. |
| Nichols College | DeAnte Bruton*# | New London, Conn. | Jr. |
| Anna Maria | Mike Rapoza*# | Charlton, Mass | Jr. |
| Becker College | Kareem Davis^# | Lowell, Mass. | Sr. |
| Holy Cross | Jehyve Floyd# | Sayreville, N.J. | Sr. |
| Nichols College | Matt Morrow | Leicester, Mass. | So. |
| Second Team | |||
| Fitchburg State | Nicholas Tracy | Indianapolis, Ind. | Jr. |
| Worcester State | Tyler Dion | Barre, Mass. | Jr. |
| WPI | Jake Wisniewski | West Brookfield, Mass. | Jr. |
| WPI | Reid Walker | Lithia, Fla. | So. |
| Assumption College | Matthew Kelly& | No. Potomac, Md. | So. |
| Clark University | Tyler Davern | Webster, Mass. | So. |
WOMEN‘S ALL-STARS
Player of the Year: Lauren Manis (Franklin, Mass.), Holy Cross (back-to-back)
Rookie of the Year: Avery LaBarbera, Holy Cross
Coach of the Year: Karen Tessmer, Worcester State
| First Team | |||
| Holy Cross | Lauren Manis*# | Franklin, Mass. | Jr. |
| Worcester State | Brittany Herring*# | West Brookfield, Mass. | Sr. |
| Assumption College | Morgan O’Donnell# | Easton, Mass. | Sr. |
| Fitchburg State | Angelina Marazzi& | Manchester, N.H. | Jr. |
| Holy Cross | Avery LaBarbera | Harrison, N.Y. | Fr. |
| Becker College | Adrianna Dowdy& | East Haven, Conn. | Sr. |
| Second Team | |||
| Clark University | Ogechi Ezemma*& | Hope Valley, R.I. | Sr. |
| Anna Maria | Amber Wilson | New York, N.Y. | So. |
| Becker College | Cassidy Harrison*# | Foxborough, Mass. | Jr. |
| Worcester State | Catherine Sweeney& | Lowell, Mass. | Jr. |
| Worcester State | Kaitlyn Berkel | Waterford, Conn. | Sr. |
| Fitchburg State | Catherine Coppinger | Boston, Mass. | Jr. |
* 2017 First Team
^ 2017 Second Team
# 2018 First Team
& 2018 Second Team
