The North Eastern Athletic Conference announced its Women’s Basketball All-Conference recipients and major award winners for the 2019-20 season Thursday, naming New Hartford native and SUNY Morrisville head coach, Erin Skaradek, Coach of the Year as voted league-wide by coaches.
Skaradek, along with coaching staff members Elizabeth Unger and Ryan Mahanna, guided the Mustangs to a no. 2 North Division seed in the NEAC Tournament after wrapping up the regular season with an 8-2 divisional record and 13-3 overall conference slate.
The Mustangs, who boast an 18-8 overall record, will be making their fifth straight appearance in the NEAC Championship Tournament under her direction.
Morrisville finished the regular season as the league’s top scoring offense, averaging 72.3 points per game, while leading the conference in three-point percentage (32.2), free throw percentage (73.2), steals per game (15.7) and ranking second in assists per game (15.5).
The Mustangs have caused havoc for opponents, forcing the most turnovers per contest at 26.4.
Nationally, the Morrisville squad ranks among the top 10 in all of the NCAA Division III (450 teams ranked) in seven team categories, including eighth in turnovers forced, seventh in steals per game, sixth in steals, fifth in turnovers per margin, third in three-point field goals attempted and three-point field goals made, as well as ranking second in three-point field goals made per game.
This season, Skaradek had three players earn All-Conference accolades, including Tori Rockefeller (South Kortright) who ranks ninth in the NCAA in three-point field goals per game (3.15), Alexis Campbell (Buffalo) who ranks 10th in the NCAA in free throw percentage (88.9 percent), and Rachel Vieira (Caruthers, Calif.) who is 10th in the NCAA in steals per game (3.73).
Across her five-year career at the helm of the program, Skaradek has collected a 79-54 overall record, posting winning seasons with 14 or more victories in four seasons, including a 20-8 slate in 2016-17.
Morrisville will meet South Division top seeded Lancaster Bible College on Saturday at SUNY Polytechnic in the NEAC Championship Semifinal round, with the tip scheduled for 4 p.m. in Marcy, looking to return to the NEAC finals for a third time under her direction.