Posted: Oct 11, 2013
Plattsburgh State women's basketball standout Kathleen Payne is certainly no stranger to raking in the awards for her performance on the court, but the senior recently saw her name in a place where no other women's basketball player in the history of the institution has.
The Goshen, N.Y., product was honored with the first-ever All-American accolade of any type by a Plattsburgh State women's basketball player when the Women's DIII News tabbed her as a 2013-14 Preseason All-American.
Payne is already one of the most decorated women's basketball players to represent Plattsburgh State, and with a strong final season she has the chance to significantly rewrite the Cardinals' record book.
The two-time All-SUNYAC First Team performer and former SUNYAC Rookie of the Year has been nothing short of a dominant force in the league. Last season, the guard/forward led the Cardinals in scoring (15 points per game) and rebounding (6.9 per game) while helping lead the squad to just its second appearance in the SUNYAC Tournament Semifinals in program history.
On January 26, 2013, Payne became just the eighth player in program history to amass 1,000 points in a career during a SUNYAC confrontation at Fredonia State. A prolific scorer, she already owns the school records for points in a season (476) and the second-highest single season scoring average (19.8 ppg) – both of which she obtained during the 2011-12 campaign. With her career point total standing at 1,153, she needs 284 more to become the all-time leading scorer in the history of the program.
In addition to her numerous SUNYAC plaudits, Payne carved out spots for herself on the D3Hoops.com All-Region First Team and the All-Basketball Coaches Association of New York (BCANY) Women's Basketball Team at the conclusion of the Cardinals' 2012-13 run.
Payne and the rest of the Plattsburgh State women's basketball team will begin their official preparation for the 2013-14 season when practices commence on Oct. 15. A little more than one month later, the Cardinals will face their first test of the season when they face off against Wesleyan College in the opening game of the Williams Tip-Off Tournament in Williamstown, Mass., on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 8 p.m.
Buffalo State senior forward Bianca Smiley has been named a women's basketball preseason honorable mention All-American by Women's DIII News.
Smiley enters her third season with the Bengals after spending her freshman season at Medaille. Since transferring to Buffalo State, she has tallied 744 points and 446 rebounds in 53 games, averaging 14.0 points and 8.4 boards-per-game. A two-time first team All-SUNYAC selection, she also earned honorable mention All-America honors from the WBCA as a sophomore.
Smiley and the Bengals will begin practicing on Oct. 15 and will open the season with an exhibition game at the University at Buffalo on Nov. 2. The season will officially begin on Nov. 15, when Buffalo State will host the Betty Abgott Invitational and take on Penn State Harrisburg in the first round.
