Westford, Massachusetts, freshman forward also named to All-Rookie Team
Northeast-10 Conference Women's Basketball Postseason Awards Announcement
EASTON, Mass. (February 26, 2015) – Stonehill College freshman forward Samantha Hyslip (Westford, Massachusetts/Westford Academy) has been named the Northeast-10 Conference Rookie of the Year as voted by the Conference's 15 women's basketball head coaches the league announced today.
Hyslip, who also earned a spot on the Northeast-10's All-Rookie Team, is the seventh Stonehill women's basketball player to earn NE-10 Rookie of the Year honors and the first since Kelsey Simonds '10 in 2005-06. Hyslip is the Skyhawks sixth All-Rookie Team selection since the Conference began the program in 2001-02, the first since teammate Tori Faieta (Lynn, Massachusetts/Saint Mary's) was named to the team in 2010-11.
Stonehill's other NE-10 Rookies of the Year are: Chris Donovan '87 (1983-84), Katy Delaney '90 (1986-87), Paula Kohs '92 (1988-89), Sue Patchett '96 (1993-94), Kristen McDonnell '03 (1999-2000) and Simonds.
Hyslip has played all 25 games for Stonehill in her first collegiate season and has been named the Northeast-10 Rookie of the Week on three occasions. She is averaging 6.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in 17.8 minutes per game off the bench for the Skyhawks this season, shooting 48.8-percent from the field and 80.7-percent (46-for-57) from the free-throw line. Hyslip has led the team in scoring once with her season-high 17 points in a key 86-72 victory over Adelphi University which proved to clinch the overall top seed for the NE-10 Tournament. She been the Skyhawks top rebounder four times; posting a double-double with a season-high matching ten boards in the Adelphi win.
Hyslip averaged 8.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in 18 minutes per game off the bench in Stonehill's 21 NE-10 games this winter. She shot 53.4-percent from the floor and 84.3% (43-51) from the line. Hyslip finished the year with five double-figure scoring games and was named to both the NE-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll and Athletic Director's Honor Roll for the fall semester for her efforts in the classroom.
Stonehill (22-3, 18-3 NE-10) has won the Northeast-10's Northeast Division Championship and is seeded first for the upcoming NE-10 Tournament which gets underway this weekend. The Skyhawks will host a quarterfinal round clash on Sunday at Merkert Gymnasium at 3 p.m., against the winner of Friday night's first round matchup between Southwest No. 4-seed American International College and Northeast No. 5 Saint Michael's College.
Stonehill is ranked 12th in this week's USA TODAY Sports/Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II poll as well as the D2SIDA Top 25 Media Poll. The Skyhawks are ranked No. 2 in both the NCAA Division II East Regional rankings and D2SIDA East Regional poll.
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