Stony Brook, Gonzalez, Langford Headline 2023-24 CAA Women’s Basketball Year-End Honors

3/12/2024 2:00:00 PM

Hunter Peters

RICHMOND, Va. (March 12, 2024) – Stony Brook headlined the 2023-24 CAA Women’s Basketball year-end honors as three programs earned their first-ever major awards in a vote of the league’s 14 head coaches.

Stony Brook graduate guard Gigi Gonzalez was named CAA Player of the Year, and her coach, Ashley Langford, earned CAA Coach of the Year honors, becoming the first Seawolves to collect CAA major awards. Additionally, Towson redshirt senior Kylie Kornegay-Lucas repeated as CAA Defensive Player of the Year, and Charleston freshman guard Taryn Barbot garnered CAA Rookie of the Year accolades. Finally, Monmouth senior guard Jania Hall was voted Sixth Player of the Year, and Campbell teammates graduate guard Shy Tuelle and senior forward Brittany Staves received the respective honors of CAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year and the Dean Ehlers Leadership Award, marking the first major award winners for the Camels and Hawks.

Gonzalez established herself as one of the best playmakers in the CAA to make history for the Seawolves. The graduate guard led the conference in scoring, averaging 15.9 points per game, and ranked second in the league with 5.0 assists per contest. Gonzalez reached double figures in 26 games this season, surpassing 20 points on six occasions, including a career-high 30 points on January 12. In addition, she dished out five or more assists 16 times and tallied her second career double-digit assist performance. It marks the second straight season Gonzalez has earned All-CAA accolades, receiving first team recognition after third team honors a year ago.

Langford guided Stony Brook to its first CAA Regular Season title in program history, posting a 16-2 record in league play. Under her direction, the Seawolves went 25-3 overall, recording the second-highest win total in program history, and their .893 winning percentage ranks sixth in the NCAA this season. Furthermore, Stony Brook won 23 games by double-digits, ranking 12th nationally in scoring margin while leading the conference in nine statistical categories.

Barbot becomes the first CAA Rookie of the Year in Charleston program history, producing an impressive freshman campaign. The Floral Park, N.Y. native led all first-year players and ranked fifth in the conference with 14.9 points per game. A six-time CAA Rookie of the Week, Barbot reached double figures in 21 games, eclipsed 20 points six times and scored a season-high 36 points on January 14 – the most by any CAA player this season. In addition, she contributed 6.1 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 1.8 assists per game during her first collegiate season. However, Barbot not only established herself as a top-tier rookie but earned All-CAA second team recognition.

Kornegay-Lucas won CAA Defensive Player of the Year honors for the second consecutive season, becoming the sixth player in league history to earn the award multiple times. The redshirt senior guard was the only player in the conference to rank top-10 in steals and blocks per game. Kornegay-Lucas was second with 2.4 steals per game and seventh with 1.2 blocks per contest. Additionally, Kornegay-Lucas ranked second in the CAA with 8.0 rebounds per game, leading the league in defensive rebounding (6.6), while contributing 12.6 points per game on the offensive end, collecting First Team All-CAA honors for the second year in a row.

Hall is a key contributor for the Hawks off the bench and one of the main reasons Monmouth leads the CAA in bench points per game (24.3). The senior guard plays just over 21 minutes per game, contributing 8.7 points per contest as the third-leading scorer for the Hawks. She has reached double figures off the bench in 14 games this season, including nine times in league play. Additionally, Hall averages 2.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists in her reserve minutes.

Tuelle was named CAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year for her accomplishments in the classroom and on the court. A two-time graduate from Campbell, Tuelle earned bachelor’s degrees in Accounting and Sport Management before obtaining her MBA in May. Academically, Tuelle has been a member of the Big South Presidential Honor Roll and Campbell University Dean’s List four times during her tenure, accumulating a 3.67 GPA during her undergraduate studies before completing her Master’s program with a 3.84 GPA. On the court, Tuelle was Campbell’s second-leading scorer this season, contributing 10.1 points per game while ranking second in the CAA in three-pointers per game (2.6) and third in three-point field goal percentage (.388).

Staves 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.” Staves completed her B.S. in Kinesiology and is pursuing her MBA, maintaining a 4.0 GPA during her graduate studies. The graduate forward is a three-year team captain for the Camels and a SAAC representative for the women’s basketball program. Her leadership was evident in occupying the role of President for Campbell’s CAA Steering Committee, a group formed to guide the university during its conference realignment. Furthermore, Staves has represented Campbell in several national leadership forums and performed over 150 hours of community service during her time in Buies Creek. On the court, Staves has appeared in all 27 games for the Camels, averaging 8.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.

Gonzalez and Kornegay-Lucas were joined on the All-CAA first team by Charleston fifth-year guard Jenna Annecchiarico, North Carolina A&T junior guard Jordyn Dorsey, and William & Mary graduate forward Nylah Young.

The All-CAA second team was comprised of Barbot, Towson junior guard Patricia Anumgba, Northeastern senior guard Derin Erdogan and Stony Brook teammates graduate center Khari Clark and junior forward Sherese Pittman.

The individuals earning Third Team All-CAA honors include Monmouth senior guards Kaci Donovan and Ariana Vanderhoop, Campbell senior forward Christabel Ezumah, Hampton senior guard Camryn Hill and Charleston fifth-year guard Jada Logan.

First Team All-CAA

Name	School	Class	Pos.	Hometown / Highschool
Jenna Annecchiarico	Charleston	Fifth	G	Baldwin, N.Y. / Baldwin
Jordyn Dorsey	N.C. A&T	Jr.	G	Augusta, Ga. / Cross Creek HS
Gigi Gonzalez	Stony Brook	Gr.	G	Miramar, Fla. / Nova
Kylie Kornegay-Lucas	Towson	R-Sr.	G	Camden, Del. / New Hope Academy
Nylah Young	William & Mary	Gr.	F	Suffolk, Va. / Kings Fork

Second Team All-CAA

Name	School	Class	Pos.	Hometown / Highschool
Patricia Anumgba	Towson	Jr.	G	Silver Spring, Md. / Paint Branch
Taryn Barbot	Charleston	Fr.	G	Floral Park, N.Y. / St. Mary
Khari Clark	Stony Brook	Gr.	C	Denver, Colo. / Thomas Jefferson
Derin Erdogan	Northeastern	Sr.	G	Istanbul, Turkey / Istanbul Universitesi SK
Sherese Pittman	Stony Brook	Jr.	F	Richmond, Va. / The Steward School

Third Team All-CAA

Name	School	Class	Pos.	Hometown / Highschool
Kaci Donovan	Monmouth	Sr.	G	Owego, N.Y. / Owego Free Academy
Christabel Ezumah	Campbell	Sr.	F	Sugar Hill, Ga. / Lanier HS
Camryn Hill	Hampton	Sr.	G	Dallas, Texas / South Grand Prairie High
Jada Logan	Charleston	Fifth	G	Rutherfordton, N.C. / R-S Central
Ariana Vanderhoop	Monmouth	Sr.	G	Boston, Mass. / Cathedral HS

CAA Player of the Year: Gigi Gonzalez, Stony Brook
CAA Coach of the Year: Ashley Langford, Stony Brook
CAA Rookie of the Year: Taryn Barbot, Charleston
CAA Defensive Player of the Year: Kylie Kornegay-Lucas, Towson
CAA Sixth Player of the Year: Jania Hall, Monmouth
CAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Shy Tuelle, Campbell
Dean Ehlers Leadership Award: Brittany Staves, Campbell

CAA All-Defensive Team

Name	School	Class	Pos.	Hometown / Highschool
Jenna Annecchiarico	Charleston	Fifth	G	Baldwin, N.Y. / Baldwin
Maleia Bracone	N.C. A&T	Sr.	G	Anderson, S.C. / T.L. Hanna HS
Christabel Ezumah	Campbell	Sr.	F	Sugar Hill, Ga. / Lanier HS
Kylie Kornegay-Lucas	Towson	R-Sr.	G	Camden, Del. / New Hope Academy
Belle Kranbuhl	Monmouth	Sr.	F	Boonville, N.Y. / Adirondack Central

CAA All-Rookie Team

Name	School	Class	Pos.	Hometown / Highschool
Taryn Barbot	Charleston	Fr.	G	Floral Park, N.Y. / St. Mary
Ande’a Cherisier	Delaware	Fr.	C	Baltimore, Md. / Saint Frances Academy
Cassidy Geddes	William & Mary	Fr.	G	Hickory, N.C. / Newton-Conover
Taylor Henderson	UNCW	R-Fr.	G	Charlotte, N.C. / Winston Salem Christian
Paris Locke	N.C. A&T	Fr.	F	Baltimore, Md. / McDonough
Maraja Pass	Elon	Fr.	G	Shelby, N.C. / Winston Salem Christian

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