PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The Little East Conference office announced its women's basketball season awards this afternoon after a vote by the conference's eight head coaches. Eastern Connecticut State University junior center Ashley McFetridge (Canton, Conn.) was named the Player of the Year, while Western Connecticut State University took home the other two major awards. Freshman guard Heather Lee (Seymour, Conn.) was tabbed Rookie of the Year, while Kimberley Bernstein was selected Coach of the Year.

McFetridge is the fifth Warrior in the program's history to be named Little East Conference Player of the Year and first since Allison Coleman'04 was selected the conference's top player four consecutive seasons in a row. The Canton, Conn. product was the top vote getter and also earned her second straight All-Conference, first-team nod. McFetridge paced the conference circuit in blocked shots (1.56 bpg), field goal percentage (.524), and scoring (15.3 ppg), while ranking third in total rebounding (8.3 rpg). A starter in all 27 games this season, she recorded nine double-doubles, most recently against Western Connecticut on Feb. 12, 2008. McFetridge reached double digits in scoring 24 times on the campaign, netting at least 20 points six times. She was honored weekly by the conference office seven times, including five honorable mention selections.

The third Colonial student-athlete to be named the Little East Conference Rookie of the Year, Lee also earned a spot on the five player all-rookie team. A starter in 20 of 25 games, the Seymour, Conn. native led Western Connecticut in three-pointers made (55), while ranking third in scoring (9.8 ppg). Lee reached double figures in scoring in 14 contests, including a season-high 18 points against UMass Dartmouth on Dec. 1, 2007. She was named the conference's weekly rookie of the week three times on the campaign.

Bernstein was honored as the Little East Conference Coach of the Year for the first time in her career and is just the second Western Connecticut boss to earn the award. She led the Colonials to an overall record of 20-6, including a second place tie with Eastern Connecticut in the conference circuit with an 11-3 mark. Western Connecticut posted a season-best eight game winning streak, spanning from Dec. 1, 2007 to Jan. 17, 2008. The Colonials earned the third seed in the Little East Conference Championship Tournament, and fell to the eventual champions, the Warriors, in the semifinal round. Bernstein and her charges will be making a postseason appearance in the ECAC New England Tournament, claiming the second seed.

Eastern Connecticut State University and Western Connecticut State University each placed a conference-best two student-athletes on the six-player all-conference, first team. Junior guard Nicky Morey (Columbia, Conn.) and McFetridge represented the Warriors, while senior guard Ally Greenwood (East Hartford, Conn.) and junior forward Stacey Roberts (Windham, Conn.) earned recognition for the Colonials. University of Southern Maine junior forward Stacey Kent (Northwood, N.H.) and Keene State College sophomore forward Nicole Simmler (Oxford, Mass.) round out the first-team honorees.

Second Team

Michele Boudreau, Junior, Guard, Keene State College
Sarah Coughlin, Senior, Guard, Rhode Island College
Josalee Danieli, Senior, Forward, Southern Maine
Nicole Paradis, Sophomore, Guard, Southern Maine
Stephanie Smith, Senior, Forward, Eastern Connecticut

All-Defensive

Sarah Coughlin, Senior, Guard, Rhode Island College
Lauren Daniels, Senior, Forward, Plymouth State University
Ally Greenwood, Senior, Guard, Western Connecticut
Ashley McFetridge, Junior, Center, Eastern Connecticut
Myrna Tangar, Senior, Guard, UMass Boston

All-Rookie

Becky Dixon, Freshman, Forward, Southern Maine
Kaylie DeMillo, Freshman, Guard, Southern Maine
Amanda Kania, Freshman, Forward, Plymouth State
Heather Lee, Freshman, Guard, Western Connecticut
Jessica Moriarty, Freshman, Guard, Eastern Connecticut

                                                                    -jph-