Posted: Mar 23, 2011
The Eastern College Athletic Conference named three SUNYAC student-athletes to the 2011 Women’s Basketball ECAC Division III Upstate All-Star team. Cortland junior Brittany Cohen was selected to the first team, Geneseo senior forward Alyssa Polosky, junior guard Bri Dunton and Oneonta junior Samantha Szkotak were voted to the second team.
Cohen adds the ECAC accolade to her list that includes SUNYAC Player of the Year, D3Hoops.com All-East Region, honorable mention All-American and SUNYAC All-Tournament selection. Cohen led the Red Dragons with 15.3 points and 6.1 assists per game. She also averaged 2.6 rebounds and nearly two steals per contest. She shot 40 percent from the floor, 33 percent from three-point range (54-of-164) and 79 percent from the foul line (102-of-130). Cohen ranked seventh nationally in Div. III, and first in the SUNYAC, in assists per game. She finished second in the SUNYAC in scoring and third in free throw percentage.
Polosky and Dunton were instrumental in leading Geneseo to a 26-4 record, the SUNYAC regular season (17-1) and tournament championship and a bid to the NCAA Division III tournament. The 26 wins ranked second all-time in a season and were the most since 2003 when Geneseo finished with 22. It was the Knights sixth appearance in the national tournament and first since 1997. Geneseo defeated DeSales, 62-51, in the first round of the playoffs at the Carl Schrader Gymnasium and then lost, 65-53, to Babson in the second round.
Polosky led the team in scoring, averaging 11.0 ppg. She hit 41.1% from the floor (113 of 275), 35.2% outside the arc (44-125), and 75.3% from the line (61 or 81). She had a team high 56 blocks and finished third in rebounds (6.4 rpg) and assists (55). She completed her two-year career at Geneseo after transferring from Broome Community College as the Knight’s all-time shot blocker with 106. Earlier this season, she was named First Team All-SUNYAC and All-American honorable mention.
Dunton scored 9.2 points with 111 assists and only 85 turnovers in a team and league-best 1,081 minutes played (36.0 per game). Her 3.7 assists per game ranked second in the conference and her assist/turnover ratio stood third (1.31). She averaged 3.2 rebounds and totaled 60 steals. Earlier this season, she was named First Team All-SUNYAC.
Szkotak led Oneonta in scoring this season averaging 12 points per game scoring a total of 337 points. She was second on the team in rebounding (6.0 rpg.) and blocks (20) and shot 74 percent from the free throw line and had a team best five double-doubles during the season. Szkotak helped lead the Red Dragons to a 21-7 record and making the SUNYAC Championship game for the first time since 2003-04 season.
ECAC All-Stars, Players of the Year and Rookies of the Year are eligible if selected as their primary conference's award winner or all-conference first team selection. The teams and major award winners are voted on by coaches – who were not permitted to vote for their own players – from the ECAC membership.
