Scituate, Massachusetts, senior is first in program history feted with award
EASTON, Mass. (March 14, 2018) – Stonehill College senior guard Kelly Martin (Scituate, Massachusetts/Scituate) has been named the Division II Conference Commissioner's Association (D2CCA) East Region Player of the Year, as selected by the region's sports information directors.
Martin, who was earlier selected as the program's eighth Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year, is the first Stonehill women's basketball student-athlete to collect D2CCA, formerly Daktronics, East Region Player of the Year. Additionally, she is the Skyhawks' first D2CCA All-Region selection since Tori Faieta, '15 also earned first team honors in 2014-15.
D2CCA All-East Region Teams
First team:
Kelly Martin, Stonehill (East Region Player of the Year)
Sarah Abbonizio, University of the Sciences
Jenna Erickson, St. Thomas Aquinas
Zhane Robinson, Bloomfield
Dana Watts, American International
Second team:
Shannon Ryan, Saint Anselm
Kylie Lorenzen, Southern New Hampshire
Kristen Drogsler, Caldwell
Sarah Saba, Daemen
Sasha Patterson, LIU Post
Martin, fresh off earning Most Outstanding Player honors in leading Stonehill to its first NCAA East Region Championship since 1995, is the only player in the NE10 to rank among the top 12 in the Conference for scoring, rebounding and assists, leading Stonehill with 16.3 points and 5.1 assists, while ranking second on the team with her 7.0 rebounds per game, adding 1.2 steals in 34.1 minutes per game. She is second in the NE10 for assists and assist/turnover ratio (+2.4/gm), ranking third for free-throw percentage (.849), fifth in scoring and 12th in rebounding, while ranking 15th nationally in Division II for assist/turnover ratio, 20th in assists and 47th for free-throw percentage.
Martin is the first Stonehill women's basketball player to earn D2CCA East Region Player of the Year honors. (PHOTO BY Bob Blanchard) |
Martin has led Stonehill in scoring 16 times this season, rebounding 12 and assists 22, posting five double-doubles. She has scored in double-figures 27 of the Skyhawks 32 games this season, netting 20-plus points nine times, and grabbing ten-plus rebounds on four occasions. Martin netted a season-high 29 points in the NE10 Championship against rival Bentley University on March 4, pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds twice and dished out a career-best 12 assists in a win over LIU Post on November 25. She scored a career-high 33 points at Franklin Pierce University on February 6, 2016.
Martin has stepped up her play in the postseason, averaging 18.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals over Stonehill's six NE10 Tournament and NCAA East Regional games, shooting 48.1-percent from the field, including 46.9% (15-for-32) from three-point distance, and 84% (21-25) from the free-throw line. During the regional, she led the Skyhawks with 17 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game, shooting 43.9-percent from the floor, including 40% from three, converting all nine of her free-throws. In addition to her Most Outstanding Player recognition at the NCAA regional, she earned All-Championship team honors at the NE10 Tournament.
Martin, a three-time Spalding/NE10 Player of the Week after collecting the weekly honors twice this season, has started 90 of 106 games played over her collegiate career at Stonehill. She became the 30th player in program history to surpass 1,000 career points against LIU Post on November 25 and currently ranks 11th in program history with her 1,459 career points. Martin's 13.8 points per game scoring average over her career currently ranks tenth all-time in program history, while also ranking fourth in career free-throw percentage (.833) and minutes per game (31.4), seventh with 383 made free-throws, ninth with 144 three-pointers and tenth with 447 assists. She earned a spot on the All-Tournament team at the 2014-15 NCAA Division II East Regional as a sophomore and has been named to the NE10 Commissioner's Honor Roll and Athletic Director's Honor Roll multiple semesters.
Stonehill (29-3, 20-1 NE10), ranked No. 11 in both the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II and D2SIDA Top 25 Media poll, has advanced to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight for the third time in program history. The Skyhawks are seeded No. 4 for the Elite Eight and will be back in action on Monday, March 19, for their national quarterfinal matchup with 5th-seeded Indiana (Pa.) University at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, at 9:30 p.m. (EDT). The Elite Eight continues on Wednesday, March 21, for the national semifinal round and then the national championship game is Friday, March 23, at 8 p.m. (EDT).
For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.
