AMHERST, N.Y. - Senior Caroline White (Fairport, N.Y.) headlines a plethora of All-East Coast Conference selections from the Daemen College women's basketball team as she was named the ECC Women's Basketball Player of the Year today. White is one of four Daemen players to earn All-ECC honors for the 2020-21 season.
Redshirt senior Tiara Filbert (Batavia, N.Y.) and junior Katie Titus (Penfield, N.Y.) join White on the All-ECC first-team, each earning the honor for the second time in their respective careers. Junior Mickayla Ivy (Grand Rapids, Mich.), a second-team selection, collects all-league honors for the first time in her three-year career.
Daemen also took home two additional major awards. Freshman Alahna Paige (Rochester, N.Y.) was tabbed the ECC Rookie of the Year, while head coach Jenepher Banker was voted the ECC Coach of the Year.
The announcement of All-ECC teams was made this afternoon in a press release from conference headquarters on Long Island.
White, a 5-foot-11 forward, becomes the first women's basketball player from Daemen to be named ECC Player of the Year. One of only three players to start all 12 games this year, she has scored in double figures nine times and has produced three double-doubles on the year. The team's leading scorer at 15.0 points per game, she also ranks second on the team in rebounds per game (7.7), minutes per game (29.3), three-point field goals made (19) and steals (16). Among the ECC leaders, she ranks second in points per game and rebounds per game and first in three-point field goal percentage (.442). She recorded her 500th career rebound earlier this season and enters the postseason just 47 points shy of 1,000 career points.
Filbert, a 5-foot-9 guard, is an all-league selection for the third-straight season. A one-time ECC Player of the Week selection, she has scored in double figures in six of eight games this season and ranks third on the team in points per game (13.3). The team leader in minutes per game (30.5), she is also contributing 3.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per contest. Among the ECC leaders, she ranks fifth in points per game, eighth in minutes per game and third in field goal percentage (.500). She recorded her 1,000th career point during a season-opening win over Mercyhurst and has totaled 1,096 points in 93 career games. She enters the postseason ranked 20th in career points among Daemen's all-time leaders.
Titus becomes the first player in program history to earn All-ECC honors in each of their first three seasons. A first-team selection and ECC Rookie of the Year as a freshman, she earned second-team all-league honors last year. She has scored in double figures in nine of 12 games this year and ranks second on the team and third in the league in points per game (14.5). The ECC leader in rebounds per game (8.5), three-pointers made (31) and blocks (30), she also leads the team and ranks third among the league leaders in steals (22). For her efforts she has been named the ECC Player of the Week once and ECC Defensive Player of the Week four of a possible seven times this season. Titus has started 60 of a possible 68 games over her three-year career and has totaled 113 three-pointers, 537 rebounds, 117 blocks, 94 steals and 881 points. As a rookie, she became the first women's basketball player from Daemen to garner a major award from the ECC since the Wildcats joined the conference. She also became the first freshman to earn first-team All-ECC honors since Madison Rowland of Queens in 2013-14.
Filbert, White and Titus are joined on the All-ECC first-team by Dimitra Gkizani and Paige McCormick of Roberts Wesleyan and Alexa Huertas of St. Thomas Aquinas.
Ivy enjoyed a breakout season for the Wildcats. After averaging less than three points and three rebounds per game over her first two seasons, the 5-foot-10 forward is contributing 9.3 points and 6.8 rebounds this year. A starter in all 12 games, she has scored in double figures four times this season and has averaged 12.9 points and 7.6 rebounds over the last seven games. She racked up a career-high 21 points and a career-high 16 rebounds—her first career double-double—in a 70-48 win over Roberts Wesleyan on Feb. 5. Ivy currently leads the ECC in field goal percentage (.545) and ranks fifth among the league leaders in rebounds per game.
Ivy is joined on the All-ECC second-team by Gabriella Aspuru and Safiyyah Lee of Molloy, Sara Pfeiffer of D'Youville and Katie Wall of Mercy. Aspuru was also tabbed at the ECC Defensive Player of the Year.
Paige becomes the second Daemen player (Titus) to be named ECC Rookie of the Year over the past three seasons. A heralded high school player at Irondequoit High School in Rochester, she stepped right in as the starting point guard for the Wildcats this season and enters the post season ranked second among all ECC players in assists per game (3.5). She has shown improvement throughout the season and has averaged 12.0 points and 3.6 assists with 14 three-pointers over the last five games. She exploded for seven three-pointers (one shy of the team record) and 28 points in a regular-season finale win over St. Thomas Aquinas this past weekend. A two-time ECC Rookie of the Week selection, she is averaging 7.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists on the year. She also ranks third on the team and 10th in the league in three-pointers made (18).
Daemen has gained regional and national recognition under Banker's guidance the past two seasons. Since the start of the 2019-20 season the the Wildcats have posted a 34-6 overall record and a 22-3 mark in league play. Banker guided Daemen to a 23-5 record, its first ECC tournament title and its first-ever NCAA tournament bid last winter. She followed up by guiding the Wildcats to an 11-1 record and a perfect 9-0 mark in ECC play this year. Daemen finished unbeaten in conference play for the first time in its NCAA era (2015-present) and the third time in program history. A first-ever NCAA regional ranking came during the 2019-20 season, and this year the Wildcats entered the national rankings for the first time during their NCAA era. Daemen will enter the post season ranked No. 9 in this week's Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) media poll, their highest-ever ranking in the program's NCAA era. Daemen also came in at No. 12 in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II top 25 coaches poll. Banker is in her fifth season as head coach at Daemen and owns a career record of 75-48 with the Wildcats.
Top-seeded Daemen (11-1) will open defense of its 2020 ECC tournament title tonight (Feb. 4) when it hosts fourth-seeded Molloy (4-4) in the semifinal round. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m. at Lumsden Gymnasium on the Daemen campus.
Daemen College features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.
Support Daemen College's return to intercollegiate athletic competitions by making a contribution to the Game On Campaign and the Daemen Wildcats Gotta Play Fund. This comprehensive fundraising campaign was established to help offset the loss of valuable external revenue streams that directly support Daemen's 17 varsity teams. To learn more, visit daemenwildcats.com/gameon.
