Drexel’s Keishana Washington Headlines 2022-23 CAA Women’s Basketball Postseason Awards

3/7/2023 2:00:00 PM

Hunter Peters

RICHMOND, Va. (March 7, 2023) – Drexel graduate guard Keishana Washington was named CAA Player of the Year in women’s basketball to headline the conference’s postseason awards as voted on by the league’s 13 head coaches.

Northeastern head coach Bridgette Mitchell was voted CAA Coach of the Year by her peers, and Deja Bristol was selected as the CAA Sixth Player of the Year also representing the Huskies. Elon freshman guard Raven Preston was pegged as the CAA Rookie of the Year, while Kylie Kornegay-Lucas earned CAA Defensive Player of the Year honors. In addition, Riley Casey of William & Mary was chosen as the CAA Women’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Tara Cousins was the second straight player from Delaware to receive the Dean Ehlers Leadership Award.

Washington was the unanimous CAA Player of the Year, becoming the third Dragon in program history to win the award. The graduate guard is second in the NCAA, scoring 27.0 points per game, and ranks fourth with 783 total points. Her single-season point total is a Drexel program record and currently the third most in CAA history. Washington has reached double figures in 63 consecutive games, including every game this season. In addition, she has scored at least 20 points in 24 games this year, 30 or more 11 times and is the only player in the NCAA with three 40-point performances.

Mitchell has lifted Northeastern to new heights in her second year as head coach of the Huskies. After being picked to finish eighth in the CAA Preseason Poll, Northeastern exceeded all expectations, tallying a program-record 13 CAA wins and earning a share of the CAA Regular Season title for the first time in program history. Mitchell guided Northeastern to an 18-11 record, and the Huskies are riding an eight-game winning streak entering the conference tournament, which is one shy of their program record. Mitchell is the second CAA Coach of the Year from Northeastern and the first since 2013.

Preston becomes the first CAA Rookie of the Year in Elon program history after an impressive freshman campaign. The guard from Greensboro, N.C. leads the Phoenix and all first-year players with 12.7 points per game and ranks third in the conference with 8.1 rebounds per contest. She recorded six double-doubles this season, the most by a CAA freshman since 2015-16. Preston reached double figures in 18 games during her rookie season, including 13-of-16 in CAA play, highlighted by a career-high 31 points against Davidson, the most by an Elon freshman in at least the past 12 seasons.

Kornegay-Lucas was one of two players ranked among the top 10 in the league in blocks and steals per game this season. The redshirt junior guard ranked second in the CAA with 2.6 steals per game and 74 total steals, both of which rank in the top 50 nationally. She recorded at least one steal in 26-of-29 games this season, had multiple steals on 18 occasions and tallied three or more 15 times. Kornegay-Lucas was seventh in the conference with 26 blocks, and cleaned up on the defensive glass, ranking second in defensive rebounds per game (6.0). She is the first CAA Defensive Player of the Year in Towson program history.

Bristol has provided key minutes off the bench in her first season with Northeastern. The junior forward plays just over 17 minutes per game but is a sparkplug every time she steps on the floor. She is the team’s leading rebounder, averaging 4.6 boards per game, and fourth-leading scorer, contributing 7.8 points per contest. Additionally, she leads the CAA in field goal percentage, shooting 61.5 percent from the floor. Bristol has reached double figures nine times this season, with seven coming in league play.

Casey was named the CAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year for her accomplishments in the classroom and on the basketball court. A graduate student at William & Mary, Casey has a 3.65 GPA and will complete her Master of Business Administration this year after earning her Bachelor of Arts in Economics at Columbia University in 2021. Academically, Casey was a member of the CAA Commissioner’s Honor Roll and the William & Mary Dean’s List in 2022. On the court, Casey was a first team All-CAA selection, ranking second in the league scoring with 18.5 points per game. The Tribe’s leading scorer reached double figures 22 times this winter, including her last 10 games, and set a Tribe single-season record with six 30-point efforts, which ranks second in the CAA.

Cousins received the Dean Ehlers Award, annually presented to the women’s basketball student-athlete who “embodies the highest standards of leadership, integrity and sportsmanship in conjunction with her academic and athletic achievement”. Cousins is pursuing her Bachelor of Arts in Biological Sciences with a minor in Africana Studies, maintaining a 3.60 GPA. The junior guard was named a team captain for the 2022-23 season and is the Delaware SAAC President, representing the Blue Hens on the CAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee as well. In her leadership roles, she has focused on providing resources for mental health awareness and has attempted to foster a diverse and inclusive athletic department at Delaware. On the court, Cousins has started in all of her 24 games this season, contributing 8.2 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.

Casey, Kornegay-Lucas and Washington were accompanied on the All-CAA first team by Northeastern junior guard Derin Erdogan and Stony Brook graduate guard Annie Warren.

The All-CAA second team was comprised of North Carolina A&T graduate center Jazmin Harris, Charleston senior guard Jada Logan, Stony Brook sophomore forward Sherese Pittman, Hofstra graduate guard Brandy Thomas and William & Mary graduate guard Sydney Wagner.

The individuals on the All-CAA third team include North Carolina A&T junior guard Maleia Bracone, Stony Brook senior guard Gigi Gonzalez, Northeastern sophomore guard Gemima Motema, Delaware senior center Klarke Sconiers and Hampton junior forward Nylah Young.

First Team All-CAA

Name	School	Class	Pos.	Hometown / High School
Riley Casey	William & Mary	Gr.	G	Brentwood, Tenn. / Franklin Road Academy
Derin Erdogan	Northeastern	Jr.	G.	Istanbul, Turkey / Istanbul Universitesi SK
Kylie Kornegay-Lucas	Towson	R-Jr.	G	Camden, Del. / New Hope Academy
Annie Warren	Stony Brook	Gr.	G	Atlanta, Ga. / Westlake
Keishana Washington	Drexel	Gr.	G	Pickering, Ont. / Durham Prep

Second Team All-CAA

Name	School	Class	Pos.	Hometown / High School
Jazmin Harris	North Carolina A&T	Gr.	C	McLeansville, N.C. / Eastern Guilford HS
Jada Logan	Charleston	Sr.	G	Rutherfordton, N.C. / R-S Central
Sherese Pittman	Stony Brook	So.	F	Richmond, Va. / The Steward School
Brandy Thomas	Hofstra	Gr.	G	Baldwin, N.Y. / Christ The King
Sydney Wagner	William & Mary	Gr.	G	Phoenixville, Pa. / Spring-Ford

Third Team All-CAA

Name	School	Class	Pos.	Hometown / High School
Maleia Bracone	North Carolina A&T	Jr.	G	Anderson, S.C. / T.L. Hanna HS
Gigi Gonzalez	Stony Brook	Sr.	G	Miramar, Fla. / Nova
Gemima Motema	Northeastern	So.	G	Portland, Maine / Portland
Klarke Sconiers	Delaware	Sr.	C	Queens, N.Y. / Christ The King
Nylah Young	Hampton	Jr.	F	Suffolk, Va. / King’s Fork HS

CAA Player of the Year: Keishana Washington, Drexel
CAA Coach of the Year: Bridgette Mitchell, Northeastern
CAA Rookie of the Year: Raven Preston, Elon
CAA Defensive Player of the Year: Kylie Kornegay-Lucas, Towson
CAA Sixth Player of the Year: Deja Bristol, Northeastern
Dean Ehlers Leadership Award: Tara Cousins, Delaware
CAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Riley Casey, William & Mary

CAA All-Defensive Team

Name	School	Class	Pos.	Hometown / High School
Maleia Bracone	North Carolina A&T	Jr.	G	Anderson, S.C. / T.L. Hanna HS
Kylie Kornegay-Lucas	Towson	R-Jr.	G	Camden, Del. / New Hope Academy
Belle Kranbuhl	Monmouth	Jr.	C	Boonville, N.Y. / Adirondack Central
Victoria Mason	Hampton	So.	G	Chandler, Ariz. / Chandler
Gemima Motema	Northeastern	So.	G	Portland, Maine / Portland

CAA All-Rookie Team

Name	School	Class	Pos.	Hometown / High School
Alexis Andrews	Charleston	Fr.	G	Montgomery, Ala. / Park Crossing
Chaniya Clark	North Carolina A&T	R-Fr.	C	Fort Myers, Fla. / Ft. Myers HS
Kylie Lavelle	Drexel	Fr.	F	Moosic, Pa. / Riverside
Grace O’Neill	Drexel	Fr.	G	West Chester, Pa. / Archbishop Carroll
Raven Preston	Elon	Fr.	G	Greensboro, N.C. / Southeast Guilford

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