ATTLEBORO, Mass. – The New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) announced on Monday its 2017-18 women's basketball all-conference teams and major award winners with Southern Vermont College junior Maddy Main (Bennington, Vt.) being selected to the league's All-Third Team. Additionally, junior Bentleigh Harvey (Bennington, Vt.) was chosen to represent SVC on the All-sportsmanship squad.
Main's accolade comes after a terrific rookie season which saw her rack up 15 double-doubles. She averaged 16.0 points, 11.8 rebounds, 2.1 steals, 1.7 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game for SVC. The Mountaineer junior pulled down the 19th-most boards per game in NCAA Division III prior to the start of the national tournament, and her endurance was thoroughly on display as she played in 38.8 minutes per game throughout the season to rank fourth in the country. Main broke the Southern Vermont single season rebounds record with her 296 caroms, and she was named the NECC Rookie of the Week six times across the campaign.
"Maddy is a workhorse," said SVC first-year head coach Christin Gowan. "She is tougher and plays harder than everyone else in the league. Her scrappiness is what sets her apart. She set the SVC single season rebounding record as a 5'8" guard; that speaks to her natural instincts and nose for the ball. To have the type of offensive production she did after two years off was incredible. She improved so much between the summer and the end of the season; I can't wait to see what she will do next year."
Harvey joined the Mountaineers mid-season after enrolling at SVC for the spring. She made 12 appearances with three of those being starts towards the end of the year and all of them seeing the Southern Vermont junior play the right way.
"I chose Bentleigh because she fought through frustration and pain with a positive attitude," said Gowan. "Joining a team midway through the year can be difficult, but Bentleigh's joyful demeanor made her transition onto the team easy. She is the type of player every team wants and needs."
NECC coaches voted before the start of the playoffs to determine the all-conference teams and major award winners.
2018 NECC Women's Basketball Major Awards & All-Conference Teams
Player of the Year – Destiny Spears, Newbury (Sr., F, Arnold, Md.)
Defensive Player of the Year – Jamaya Cleveland, Dean (Jr., G/F, Greensboro, Ga.)
Jaymesha Sanders, Newbury (Fr., F., West Haven, Conn.)
Marc Taney, Newbury
First Team All-NECC
Cassidy Harrison, Becker (So., G, Foxborough, Mass.)
Morgan Turner, Dean (Sr., G/F, Winter Park, Fla.)
Savannah Olsen, Newbury (Jr., F, Battle Creek, Mich.)
Destiny Spears, Newbury (Sr., F, Arnold, Md.)
Katie Walsh, Wheelock (Jr., F, East Islip, N.Y.)
Second Team All-NECC
Adrianna Dowdy, Becker (Jr., F, East Haven, Conn.)
Shannon Rosensteel, Dean (So., F, Sunrise, Fla.)
Mackenzie Larochelle, Elms (Sr., G, Chicopee, Mass.)
Niah Pantry, Elms (Jr., F, New Haven, Conn.)
Jaymesha Sanders, Newbury (Jr. F, West Haven, Conn.)
Third Team All-NECC
Dakota Jones, Lesley (So., F, Torrance, Calif.)
Haley Garcia, Mitchell (So., G, South Windsor, Conn.)
Francesca Pinard, Mitchell (Jr., F, Arlington, Mass.)
Maddy Main, Southern Vermont (Jr., G, Bennington, Vt.)
Emma Siver, Wheelock (Sr., G, Colchester, Conn.)
NECC All-sportsmanship Team
Jai Ruiz, Bay Path (Jr., G, Hadley, Mass.)
Sarah Ware, Becker (So., F, Oakham, Mass.)
Sophia Church, Dean (Fr., G, Rochester, Mass.)
Rachel Granger, Elms (So., G, Hampden, Mass.)
Elizabeth Portante, Lesley (Fr., F., Littleton, Mass.)
Marissa Sweeney, Mitchell (Fr., F, Hudson, N.H.)
Destiny Spears, Newbury (Sr., F, Arnold, Md.)
Bentleigh Harvey, Southern Vermont (Jr., F, Bennington, Vt.)
Gabrielle Haywood, Wheelock (Sr., F, Longmeadow, Mass.)
– #LetsGoSVC –