Noontime Sports

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