Brown Named 2015 United States Marine Corps/WBCA Division II East Region Coach of the Year

14th-year head coach earns honor for second time, is one of eight Pat Summitt Trophy finalists

2015 United States Marine Corps/WBCA Division II Coach of the Year Finalists Announcement 

EASTON, Mass. (March 23, 2015) – Stonehill College women's basketball head coach Trisha Brown has been named the 2015 United States Marine Corps/Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II East Region Coach of the Year. She is now one of eight finalists for the Pat Summitt Trophy to be presented to the United States Marine Corps/WBCA Division II National Coach of the Year at the Fifth Annual WBCA Awards Show on Monday, April 6, in the Grand Ballroom at the Tampa Marriott Waterside as part of the WBCA National Convention and is held in conjunction with the NCAA Women's Final Four.

Brown, who also earned Northeast-10 Conference Coach of the Year honors from her peers this season, collects WBCA Regional Coach of the Year honors for the second time in her career after also being named in 2008. The three-time NE-10 Coach of the Year led Stonehill to a 24-5 overall record, including an 18-3 mark in the Northeast-10 to win the Conference's Northeast Division Championship, earning the program's third straight NCAA Tournament bid – the 23rd in program history overall. The Skyhawks advanced to the East Regional Championship for the eighth time in program history and have been ranked in the USA TODAY Sports/Women's Basketball Coaches' Association (WBCA) Division II poll for the majority of the season. After being listed among teams receiving votes in the WBCA preseason poll, Stonehill peaked at No. 7 in the January 20 poll which marked their highest national ranking since 2009, and was ranked No. 13 in the final regular season poll heading into the NCAA Tournament.

Stonehill, which didn't drop back to back games all season, was again one of the top defensive and top shooting teams in the Northeast-10. The Skyhawks are ranked second in the NE-10 for scoring defense (62.0 ppg), while ranking fifth in the Conference for field goal percentage defense (.382), third for three-point field goal percentage defense (.289) and fourth in blocked shots per game (3.5/gm). Stonehill ranks third in the NE-10 for scoring (70.7 ppg) and field goal percentage (.435), second in free-throw percentage (.762) and fifth in three-point field goal percentage (.340), dishing out a Conference-best 17.6 assists per game which is ranked seventh nationally in Division II. The Skyhawks also rank 13th nationally for fewest fouls committed per game (15.2), 16th for assist/turnover ratio (+1.14), 29th for free-throw percentage and 33rd in field goal percentage.

Brown has posted a 288-128 (.692) record over her 14 seasons at Stonehill, coaching her 400th career game in Stonehill's 69-44 victory at American International College on January 13. She notched her 200th career Northeast-10 win this season with a 63-60 decision over Merrimack College on February 4 and is now 205-100 (.672) over her career in Conference play. Brown coached her 300th NE-10 game at Saint Michael's College on February 7, a 63-56 win.

Brown has guided the Skyhawks to ten NCAA Tournament appearances as well as three NE-10 championships and a spot in the NE-10 Tournament all 14 seasons. Stonehill also reached the East Regional championship in 2003 and 2009 while advancing to the NE-10 title game in 2010. Brown's career winning percentage is good for 15th among active coaches in Division II and 31st all-time in Division II. She entered the season ranked 45th for career wins among active coaches in Division II.

Brown coached her first WBCA All-American at Stonehill this past season with senior Tori Faieta (Lynn, Massachusetts/Saint Mary's) being named to the 2015 Coaches' All-America Team tonight, but has produced seven WBCA honorable mention All-Americans over her 14 seasons. She has also coached one NE-10 Player of the Year, two NE-10 Rookies of the Year and an NE-10 Defensive Player of the Year with 21 All-Northeast-10 selections and six NE-10 All-Rookie honorees.

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