Player of the Week
Maria Barela, Maine Maritime Academy
Sophomore | Albuquerque, New Mexico
Maria Barela led Maine Maritime Academy women’s basketball to a 2-0 week against NAC West opponents with a pair of balanced scoring and rebounding efforts in the two Mariner victories. Barela opened the weekend with a game-high 22 points and five rebounds while shooting .667 from the field in Friday’s 83-58 win over SUNY Canton. She followed up on Saturday afternoon in a 95-79 win over NVU-Johnson with a team-high 22 points on a .571 shooting performance with five rebounds, four assists, and two steals. For the week, Barela averaged 22.0 points and 5.0 rebounds while shooting .616 (16-of-26) from the field and .556 (10-of-18) from three-point range.
Defensive Player of the Week
Gabriella Wardwell, Northern Vermont-Johnson
Junior | Springfield, Vermont
Junior Gabriella Wardwell averaged 15.3 defensive rebounds over three games for Northern Vermont-Johnson, including a high of 19 defensive rebounds in a loss to Plattsburgh State and 18 defensive boards in a victory against Thomas College. Altogether, she averaged 20.3 rebounds per game. At the offensive end of the court, Wardwell averaged 15.7 points, with double-doubles in all three of the Badgers’ games last week.
Wardwell currently leads all of NCAA Division III in total rebounds (261) and rebounding average (17.4 rpg).
Rookie of the Week
Evelyn Dagan, Maine Maritime Academy
First Year | Castine, Maine
Maine Maritime’s Evelyn Dagan had a pair of double-digit scoring performances to lead the Mariners to a 2-0 week in conference play. She tallied 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting, 3-of-5 from three-point range, in MMA’s 83-58 win over SUNY Canton on Friday. Dagan came back on Saturday to tally 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting with a 4-of-7 effort beyond the arc in a 95-79 victory over Northern Vermont-Johnson. For the week, she shot .529 (9-of-17) from the floor and .583 (7-of-12) from long range as Maine Maritime remained undefeated against North Atlantic Conference foes.