Marist's Fitz Named Preseason Player of the Year
MAAC Sports
EDISON, N.J. ? Marist College junior forward Rachele Fitz has been selected as the 2008-09 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Preseason Player of the Year, as chosen by the MAAC’s 10 head coaches.
Fitz is joined on the first team by teammate Julianne Viani, a senior guard, Siena College senior guard Shondaya Burrell, Saint Peter's College senior guard Tania Kennedy, and Fairfield University senior forward Baendu Lowenthal.
Fitz, the 2007-08 MAAC Player of the Year, finished second in the conference in scoring (18.9 ppg), fourth in rebounding (7.6 rpg), first in field goal percentage as she connected on 56.4% of her attempts, and second in free throw percentage (88.1%). Fitz, who has already amassed over 1,000 career points, finished in the top 20 in the nation in both field goal and free throw percentage. She earned Player of the Week honors five times last season.
Viani, a 2007-08 Second Team All-MAAC selection, averaged 11 points per game and 3.52 assists per game a year ago. She finished second in the conference in assist-turnover ratio (1.93) and connected on 38.8% of her three-point attempts.
Burrell, a Third Team All-MAAC choice last season, finished in the top 12 in the MAAC in scoring (13.9 ppg), rebounding (6.2), assists (3.55), blocks (0.52), assist-turnover ratio (0.87), and minutes played (32.34).
Lowenthal, a 2007-08 All-MAAC Second Team selection, finished fifth on the MAAC scoring chart last season, netting 14.6 points per contest. She was third in the league in rebounding (7.7 rpg) and fourth in field goal percentage (51.4%).
Kennedy, a member of the 2007-08 All-MAAC First Team selection, led the Peahens in scoring with 14.5 points per game. She set a new career-high with 28 points at Niagara on January 25th. Kennedy finished second in the league in steals with an average of 2.3 per contest and was named the 2007-08 MAAC Defensive Player of the Year.
2008-09 MAAC Women's Basketball Preseason All-MAAC Teams
| First Team |
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| Baendu Lowenthal, Fairfield | Sr. | F | 6-0 | Riverside, N.J. |
| Rachele Fitz, Marist | Jr. | F | 6-0 | Seven Hills, Ohio |
| Julianne Viani, Marist | RS-Sr. | G | 5-7 | Poughkeepsie, N.Y. |
| Tania Kennedy, Saint Peter's | Sr. | G | 5-5 | Edison, N.J. |
| Shondaya Burrell, Siena | Sr. | G | 5-9 | Albany, N.Y. |
| Second Team |
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| Amanda Cavo, Canisius | Sr. | G | 5-9 | New Hartford, N.Y. |
| Brittane Russell, Canisius | Jr. | G | 5-5 | Southfield, Mich. |
| Thazina Cook, Iona | Jr. | G | 5-9 | Roselle, N.J. |
| Candice Walker, Loyola | So. | G | 5-5 | Baltimore, Md. |
| Erica Allenspach, Marist | So. | G | 5-8 | Miamisburg, Ohio |
| Third Team |
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| Stephanie Geehan, Fairfield | Jr. | F | 6-0 | Braintree, Mass. |
| Jennifer McNamee, Niagara | Jr. | G | 5-9 | Oxford, Ohio |
| Tammy Meyers, Rider | Jr. | G/F | 5-9 | Willingboro, N.J. |
| Charlene Riddick, Saint Peter's | So. | F | 6-0 | Waterbury, Ct. |
| Heather Stec, Siena | Sr. | F | 6-1 | Cazenovia, N.Y. |
2008-09 MAAC Women's Basketball Preseason Player of the Year
Rachele Fitz, Marist