March 3, 2000
Albany, N.Y. - The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) announced its annual post-season men's and women's basketball honors on Thursday and the Stags walked away with several pieces of hardware. All totaled, eight members of the programs were honored.
On the women's side, Gail Strumpf (Beacon Falls, Conn.) headlined Fairfield's award winners as she was named MAAC Player of the Year. Schrene Isidora (Roselle, N.J.) was named MAAC Co-Rookie of the Year, head coach Dianne Nolan was named MAAC Coach of the Year and Holli Tapley (Calais, Maine) earned All-MAAC Second Team honors. Ashley Ranaldo (Oyster Bay, N.Y.) and Amy Hurford (S. Canterbury, New Zealand) were rewarded for their efforts on the court and in the classroom as they were named to the MAAC All-Academic Team. On the men's side, Darren Phillip (Brooklyn, N.Y.) was named to the All-MAAC First Team and Jeremy Logan (Bronx, N.Y.) earned All-Rookie Team laurels. All-MAAC, All-Rookie and Coach of the Year honors were voted on by the league's 10 head coaches.
Strumpf, a 6-foot-4 junior center, finished the regular season ranked first in the country with 21 double-doubles. She ranks first in the MAAC in rebounding (11.8), first in blocks (2.2) and second in scoring (20.1) as she makes her second straight appearance on the First Team. She is Fairfield's second MAAC Player of the Year. Tapley ranks eighth in the league in scoring (13.5), fifth in assists (5.0) and third in steals (2.14). The 5-foot-7 junior guard enters this weekend's MAAC Tournament tied with Jessica Grossarth for the program record of 64 three-pointers this season. Isidora shared Co-Rookie of the Year honors with Manhattan's Tiffany Schettig and is the program's seventh MAAC Rookie of the Year pick. The 5-foot-11 freshman forward played in every game this year, starting 28, and averaged 9.2 ppg and 4.1 rpg.
Nolan led the Stags to the program's third MAAC Regular Season title with a 15-3 league mark and a 23-6 overall record. On December 8, 1999, she recorded her 400th career win and on January 25, notched her 350th win at Fairfield. The award marks her fifth MAAC Coach of the Year honor. Nolan was also honored by the league at the MAAC Tournament banquet as she received the league's Career Achievement Award.
Phillip, a 6-foot-6 senior center, helped the Stags to a number three seed, finishing 13-14 overall and 11-7 in MAAC play. He is first among NCAA Division I men in double-doubles (22), first in rebounding (14.0) and enters the MAAC Tournament averaging 16.0 ppg. It is the second straight year Phillip was named First Team All-MAAC. Logan, a 6-foot-5 forward, averages 10.4 ppg and 2.9 rpg, while shooting 51.8% from the field. He was named MAAC Rookie of the Week twice.
Ranaldo and Hurford each make their first appearances on the MAAC All-Academic team. To be eligible for the team, a student-athlete must carry a 3.2 cumulative GPA or higher and be a signigicant starter or reserve.
The women open the MAAC Tournament on Friday, March 3, when they play ninth seeded Canisius at 7:00 p.m. in the quarterfinals. The third seeded men will face sixth seeded Manhattan at 9:00 p.m. on Saturday March 4, in the quarterfinals.
