Simonds Named NE-10 Player of the Week

Middleboro, Mass., native honored for fifth time over her career

EASTON, Mass. (November 30, 2009) - Stonehill College senior center Kelsey Simonds (Middleboro, Mass./Cardinal Spellman) has been named the Northeast-10 Women's Basketball Player of the Week by the Conference office this afternoon.

Simonds, who earns the award for the fifth time in her career, averaged a double-double in leading Stonehill to a pair of wins to open its Northeast-10 schedule last week. She averaged 23.5 points and 11.5 rebounds to go with 2.5 blocked shots and two assists in 27.5 minutes per game over the Skyhawks two victories. She shot 47.2-percent (17-for-36) from the field and converted 12-of-13 (92.3%) free-throw attempts for the week.

Simonds led the Skyhawks to an 85-64 win over Merrimack College with her first double-double of the season with a season-high 28 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field, including her lone three-point attempt, while converting 7-of-8 free-throws, to go with 11 rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots. She closed the week out with 19 points and a season-high 12 rebounds with two blocks and an assist in Sunday's 67-63 overtime win at Saint Michael's College.

Simonds, a two-time first team All-Northeast-10 pick and honorable mention All-American, has started all six games so far this season for Stonehill and ranks second among NE-10 leaders with 18.8 points per game to go with 7.3 rebounds (9^th NE-10), 2.0 blocked shots (2^nd) and 2.8 assists in 24.5 minutes per game. She is shooting a team-best 51.9-percent (55-for-106) from the field (10^th), including an effective 4-for-7 (57.1%) from three-point range, while converting 76.6% (36-47) free-throw attempts.

Simonds became Stonehill's career blocks leader earlier this season and enters the week just two swats shy of 200 career blocks with her record total of 198. She ranks eighth in program history with 738 career rebounds and her 1,361 career points are just 49 points shy of cracking the top ten on the Skyhawks' career scoring list.

Stonehill (6-2, 2-0 NE-10), ranked 21^st in last week's USA Today/ESPN/Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II poll, is back in action on Wednesday when it visits Saint Anselm College for an NE-10 matchup at 5:30 p.m. The Skyhawks close out the week with a home battle with Southern New Hampshire University on Saturday in Merkert Gymnasium at 1:30 p.m.