WATERVILLE, Maine – Husson University senior Bailey Donovan earned North Atlantic Conference women’s basketball Player of the Year honors for the second consecutive year and was also named the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year, headlining the NAC’s 2022-23 women’s basketball post-season award honorees.

SUNY Cobleskill first year Emily Satterday was voted the conference’s Rookie of the Year by the conference’s head coaches, while Maine Maritime Academy Head Coach Craig Dagan was tabbed for Coach of the Year honors.

Maine Maritime Academy senior Lauren Plissey was named the North Atlantic Conference Senior Scholar Athlete in women’s basketball.

Donovan averaged 13.0 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks over 14 conference games, and was fourth among conference leaders in rebounding. She also charted a .550 shooting percentage (72-of-131) that was good enough for second among league leaders in conference games. Overall, Donovan currently averages 15.2 points and 13.5 rebounds, and ranks third among NCAA Division III leaders in total rebounds with 365. She is 12th among Division III leaders in total blocks with 65, averaging 2.4 per game. On the defensive glass, Donovan grabbed 9.0 rebounds per game including 8.4 defensive rebounds in conference games. She has tallied 20 double-doubles during the 2022-23 season, and charted a season-high 26 points on February 11 against Maine Maritime Academy. Donovan’s 25-rebound performance against Maine Maritime on February 11 is currently tied for 10th among NCAA Division III single-game highs this season.

Donovan earned NAC Player of the Year honors in 2022, and joins Kenzie Worcester (2019), Chandler Guerrette (2017), Victoria McIntyre (2016), Bethany Sevey (2011), and Shelby Bradford (2009 and 2010) as previous Husson women’s basketball players to receive the honor. Donovan is the fourth Husson selection for Defensive Player of the Year, joining Joan Overman (2020) and Chandler Guerrette (2016 and 2017).

Satterday completed her rookie season averaging 10.4 points and 13.1 rebounds over 14 conference games. She is third among NAC leaders in overall rebounding with 12.6 boards per game, checking in at 10th among NCAA Division III leaders in the category, and has averaged 10.5 points over 26 games in her inaugural collegiate campaign. Satterday recorded 14 double-doubles and 16 double-digit scoring performances during the 2022-23 season, and recorded her season high of 19 points on January 6 against UMaine-Presque Isle.

Satterday is the first SUNY Cobleskill basketball player, men’s or women’s, to earn a major award since the Fighting Tigers joined the North Atlantic Conference prior to the 2020-21 academic year.

Dagan is in his 22nd year as head coach at Maine Maritime Academy, and he enters Saturday’s NAC Women’s Basketball Tournament championship game with a 372-193 (.658) career record. The award is Dagan’s third NAC Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year honor after previously earning the accolade in 2005 and 2022. He previously led the Mariners to the NAC women’s basketball crown in 2005.

Plissey currently averages 11.4 points and 7.1 rebounds this season for Maine Maritime women’s basketball; she enters the NAC Women’s Basketball Tournament championship game with 1,046 career points (9.9 per game) and 859 rebounds (8.1 per game) over her four-plus years with the Mariners. A 2022 graduate of Maine Maritime with a degree in marine biology, she currently holds a 4.00 grade point average in graduate school at MMA. Plissey earned NAC Women’s Basketball Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2022, and was a First Team All-NAC selection in 2019 and 2022.

Away from the court, Plissey is an active member of Maine Maritime women’s basketball’s Dribble Kids program at the Adams School in Castine, Maine, and she has worked as a sustainability intern with Casella Waste Systems.

In addition to the top conference awards, 15 student-athletes were named to the All-Conference First, Second, and Third Teams, and 12 were named to the NAC Women's Basketball Sportsmanship Team. The Sportsmanship Team is reserved for those who distinguish themselves through demonstrated acts of sportsmanship and ethical behavior. The honorees have positively affected the sport culture and game environment by clearly demonstrating sportsmanship and integrity beyond playing rules and etiquette.
The complete list of North Atlantic Conference women’s basketball award recipients, All-Conference, and Sportsmanship Team selections is below:

Player of the Year – Bailey Donovan, Husson
Defensive Player of the Year – Bailey Donovan, Husson
Rookie of the Year – Emily Satterday, SUNY Cobleskill
Senior Scholar Athlete – Lauren Plissey, Maine Maritime
Coach of the Year – Craig Dagan, Maine Maritime

All-North Atlantic Conference
First Team
Paris Atuahene, Northern Vermont-Johnson
Molly Burdick, SUNY Poly
Bailey Donovan, Husson
Lauren Plissey, Maine Maritime
Emily Wheaton, UMaine-Presque Isle

Second Team
Maria Barela, Maine Maritime
Joie Culkin, SUNY Canton
Vanessa Duarte, Husson
Lyrik Jackson, SUNY Poly
Erianna Moore, Maine Maritime

Third Team
Hope Aniceto, SUNY Canton
Alexis Ireland, UMaine-Presque Isle
Emily Satterday, SUNY Cobleskill
Sage Smith, Northern Vermont-Lyndon
Gabriella Wardwell, Northern Vermont-Johnson

Sportsmanship Team
SUNY Canton – Marijke Kroon
Cazenovia – Kristina Davis
SUNY Cobleskill – Jordan Finch
SUNY Delhi – Yasmeen Kablaoui
UMaine-Farmington – Jaycie Stevens
Husson – Trinity Montigny
Northern Vermont-Johnson – Devyn Thompson
Northern Vermont-Lyndon – Kadienne Whitcomb
Maine Maritime – Grace Huntwork
SUNY Poly – Allison Osborn-Smith
UMaine-Presque Isle – Aleia Milano
Thomas College – Samantha Fortin