At Friday evening’s Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) awards banquet, three Tommies received league wide acknowledgment.
The Tommies were led by third year guard, Bridget Frazee (Sussex, NB), who was named a 1st Team ACAA All-Star and a CCAA All-Canadian.
The Criminology student led the ACAA in total points with 314 over the 21-game regular season.
“Bridget has a gift for shooting the ball with a lot of range,” said head coach Fred Connors. “This year she has really amped up her defense and her communication on the floor. She has learned to score in various ways now and is an unselfish player. Her assist totals have gone up and she is more of a complete player. She comes to work every night and really puts a lot of time and energy into her game. I felt that when she committed here, we were getting a future all conference player, and I am very glad for her that she has reached that level of play.”
Joining Frazee as an ACAA All-Star was 4th year guard, Lainy Dow.
The Fredericton native was named to the 2nd Team after averaging 11 points per game (10th in the ACAA) and playing great defense all season, finishing with 2.4 steals per game and 5 rebounds per game.
“I am so excited for Lainy to have received this recognition,” said Connors. “Lainy had a tremendous second half of last season and carried that momentum into this year. Lainy is a very hard working and dedicated player that cares greatly about her teammates. She brings a ton of energy to the defensive end of the floor and is leading or near the top of almost all statistical categories for our team. Her leadership is vastly important to our team.”
From the opening tip of the first game of the season first year point guard Vanessa Soffee has been a sparkplug for the Tommies both offensively and defensively, and for her efforts was named the ACAA Rookie of the Year. Soffee led the Tommies in assists and finished tied for first on the team in steals per game.
“I knew when Vanessa joined us that we were getting an exceptional player and person,” said Connors about his first-year guard. “I didn’t know that she was going to be so poised and composed as a first-year player. She is a quiet and unassuming player but commands the floor when out there. She has a great feel for the game and brings a lot of energy to the defensive end of the floor. She passes the ball very well and can score when necessary. It has been a true pleasure to work with Vanessa this year and can’t wait to see what the future brings for her growth in our program.”
The Tommies will face the Mount Allison University Mounties in the second semi-final on Saturday, with tipoff scheduled for 2:00pm.