Drexel University Athletics
Women's Basketball Announces End Of Season Team Awards
4/12/2022 8:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA – The Drexel University women's basketball team announced its team award winners on Tuesday as part of the Dragons' end of year banquet.
LOOKING BACK AT THE SEASON
Drexel had a historic season that included tying the program record with 28 wins and ended the season with just six losses, the fewest in team history. DU won the Colonial Athletic Association regular season championship with a 16-2 record in conference. As part of the year, The Dragons posted a 14-game winning streak, which was at one point, the longest in NCAA Division I and is the third longest in program history. Drexel advanced to the Sweet 16 of the WNIT, the deepest run for the team in the tournament since 2013. Part of the WNIT run was a dramatic 17-point, fourth quarter comeback against Bucknell at home in the Second Round. 2021-22 was the fifth consecutive full season in a row with 20 or more wins.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER AWARD / KEISHANA WASHHINGTON
Keishana Washington was named team MVP for a year in which she averaged 19.2 points per game, ranking second in the CAA in scoring, on her way to First Team All-Conference honors. She was also recognized as the CAA Scholar Athlete of the Year and was on the All-Tournament Team. One of her biggest attributes this season was her consistency. Washington was one of only 13 players in Division I this season to reach double figures in every game she played this season (minimum 25 games) and one of only six to have done it in 30 or more games. She posted 20 or more points in 15 contests, topped 30 three times, and recorded just the fourth game of 40 or more in program history when she achieved the feat at William & Mary on January 30. She topped the 1,000 point mark for her career on December 14 against Yale and moved into the top-10 in three-pointers made and field goals made. Washington finished the year with 1,505 points and is 11th on the Drexel career scoring list. This season alone, she dropped 654 points, the fourth most in a year in program history.
MO CRONIN SPIRIT & LEADERSHIP AWARD / TESSA BRUGLER
Tessa Brugler took home the Maureen Cronin Spirit and Leadership Award, the fifth year in which the award has been named for Drexel's longtime equipment manager who passed away following the 2016-17 season.
STEVEN SHER ACADEMIC AWARD / KEISHANA WASHINGTON, BRIANNE BORCKY, AND HETTA SAATMAN
Keishana Washington, Brianne Borcky, and Hetta Saatman were recognized as the Steven Sher Academic Award recipients. Washington was selected as the CAA Scholar Athlete of the Year and has a 3.72 GPA as a psychology major. Borcky is one of the top academicians on the team with a 3.96 GPA in marketing. Saatman boasts a 3.72 GPA as an elementary education major.
LIL HAAS COACHES AWARD / MAURA HENDRIXSON
The Lil Haas Coaches Award went to Maura Hendrixson. Hendrixson came back from an injury at the end of last season and made her 2021-22 debut against Dartmouth on November 30. With "Furm" in the lineup, the Dragons went 24-4, averaged seven more points per game, and shot 20 points better from the floor. Individually, she ranked fourth in the nation with a 3.03 assist-to-turnover ratio.
LIZ BERRY MOST IMPROVED AWARD / JASMINE VALENTINE
Jasmine Valentine earned the team's Liz Berry Most Improved Award. Valentine was one of the first players off the bench this season for Drexel and came up in a big way, particularly on the glass as the season moved forward. She had two games this season with 10 or more rebounds, against Longwood on December 11 and a career-best 13 boards at Northeastern on February 13. One of her most memorable performances came in the WNIT Second Round when she scored a personal best seven points and had five rebounds in the comeback against Bucknell.
REBOUNDING AWARD / TESSA BRUGLER
Tessa Brugler joined Drexel as a graduate transfer this season and made an immediate impact, particularly on the boards. Her 8.9 rebounds per game were fifth in the CAA and the most for a Drexel player since the 2001-02 season.
MEGHAN CREIGHTON ASSIST AWARD / HANNAH NIHILL
Hannah Nihill finished the season 27th in the nation with 164 assists and was third in the CAA at 4.8 assists per game. Her 523 career dimes rank her third all-time at Drexel behind only Creighton (527) and Barbara Yost (584).
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR / HANNAH NIHILL
The top defensive honors on the team went to Hannah Nihill, who was recognized as the team's Defensive Award recipient. Nihill was named to the CAA All-Defensive team and was in the top-40 nationally with 75 steals. 50 of her swipes came in the final 16 games of the season and she concludes her career with 313 takeaways, second on the Drexel all-time list and seventh among active Division I players.
CHARGE LEADER / MARIAH LEONARD
The Dragons recognized Leonard for drawing the most charges on the team for the fourth straight season, a stat the team compiled in both games and practice.
IRON DRAGONS / SEVEN
Seven Dragons took home the Iron Dragon award. Sira Ba, Borcky, Brugler, Hendrixson, Momo LaClair, Nihill, and Washington were all recognized as Iron Dragons for their work in the weight room before and during the season.
LOOKING BACK AT THE SEASON
Drexel had a historic season that included tying the program record with 28 wins and ended the season with just six losses, the fewest in team history. DU won the Colonial Athletic Association regular season championship with a 16-2 record in conference. As part of the year, The Dragons posted a 14-game winning streak, which was at one point, the longest in NCAA Division I and is the third longest in program history. Drexel advanced to the Sweet 16 of the WNIT, the deepest run for the team in the tournament since 2013. Part of the WNIT run was a dramatic 17-point, fourth quarter comeback against Bucknell at home in the Second Round. 2021-22 was the fifth consecutive full season in a row with 20 or more wins.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER AWARD / KEISHANA WASHHINGTON
Keishana Washington was named team MVP for a year in which she averaged 19.2 points per game, ranking second in the CAA in scoring, on her way to First Team All-Conference honors. She was also recognized as the CAA Scholar Athlete of the Year and was on the All-Tournament Team. One of her biggest attributes this season was her consistency. Washington was one of only 13 players in Division I this season to reach double figures in every game she played this season (minimum 25 games) and one of only six to have done it in 30 or more games. She posted 20 or more points in 15 contests, topped 30 three times, and recorded just the fourth game of 40 or more in program history when she achieved the feat at William & Mary on January 30. She topped the 1,000 point mark for her career on December 14 against Yale and moved into the top-10 in three-pointers made and field goals made. Washington finished the year with 1,505 points and is 11th on the Drexel career scoring list. This season alone, she dropped 654 points, the fourth most in a year in program history.
MO CRONIN SPIRIT & LEADERSHIP AWARD / TESSA BRUGLER
Tessa Brugler took home the Maureen Cronin Spirit and Leadership Award, the fifth year in which the award has been named for Drexel's longtime equipment manager who passed away following the 2016-17 season.
STEVEN SHER ACADEMIC AWARD / KEISHANA WASHINGTON, BRIANNE BORCKY, AND HETTA SAATMAN
Keishana Washington, Brianne Borcky, and Hetta Saatman were recognized as the Steven Sher Academic Award recipients. Washington was selected as the CAA Scholar Athlete of the Year and has a 3.72 GPA as a psychology major. Borcky is one of the top academicians on the team with a 3.96 GPA in marketing. Saatman boasts a 3.72 GPA as an elementary education major.
LIL HAAS COACHES AWARD / MAURA HENDRIXSON
The Lil Haas Coaches Award went to Maura Hendrixson. Hendrixson came back from an injury at the end of last season and made her 2021-22 debut against Dartmouth on November 30. With "Furm" in the lineup, the Dragons went 24-4, averaged seven more points per game, and shot 20 points better from the floor. Individually, she ranked fourth in the nation with a 3.03 assist-to-turnover ratio.
LIZ BERRY MOST IMPROVED AWARD / JASMINE VALENTINE
Jasmine Valentine earned the team's Liz Berry Most Improved Award. Valentine was one of the first players off the bench this season for Drexel and came up in a big way, particularly on the glass as the season moved forward. She had two games this season with 10 or more rebounds, against Longwood on December 11 and a career-best 13 boards at Northeastern on February 13. One of her most memorable performances came in the WNIT Second Round when she scored a personal best seven points and had five rebounds in the comeback against Bucknell.
REBOUNDING AWARD / TESSA BRUGLER
Tessa Brugler joined Drexel as a graduate transfer this season and made an immediate impact, particularly on the boards. Her 8.9 rebounds per game were fifth in the CAA and the most for a Drexel player since the 2001-02 season.
MEGHAN CREIGHTON ASSIST AWARD / HANNAH NIHILL
Hannah Nihill finished the season 27th in the nation with 164 assists and was third in the CAA at 4.8 assists per game. Her 523 career dimes rank her third all-time at Drexel behind only Creighton (527) and Barbara Yost (584).
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR / HANNAH NIHILL
The top defensive honors on the team went to Hannah Nihill, who was recognized as the team's Defensive Award recipient. Nihill was named to the CAA All-Defensive team and was in the top-40 nationally with 75 steals. 50 of her swipes came in the final 16 games of the season and she concludes her career with 313 takeaways, second on the Drexel all-time list and seventh among active Division I players.
CHARGE LEADER / MARIAH LEONARD
The Dragons recognized Leonard for drawing the most charges on the team for the fourth straight season, a stat the team compiled in both games and practice.
IRON DRAGONS / SEVEN
Seven Dragons took home the Iron Dragon award. Sira Ba, Borcky, Brugler, Hendrixson, Momo LaClair, Nihill, and Washington were all recognized as Iron Dragons for their work in the weight room before and during the season.
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