Area players garner All-State accolades

Freeman Player of the Year Simon highlights list of locals feted by sportswriters association

Wallkill High’s Rachel Simon heads the list of Mid-Hudson Athletic League girls basketball players named New York State Sportswriters Association All-Stars.

Simon, the Freeman’s two-time Player of the Year, was named to the Class B second team.

Also honored were fellow Wallkill seniors Heather Kiczek and Chelsea Murphy, Pine Plains’ Ashley Starzyk, Highland’s Alison and Briana Rozzi, Alison Rozzi of Roosevelt, Red Hook’s Jessica Wilkinson, Tanisha Edge of Saugerties, Taylor Orszewski of Marlboro and Spackenkill’s Anna Thompson.

Simon averaged 16.6 points, 2.8 steals, 2.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in helping to lead Wallkill to a third consecutive MHAL and Section 9, Class A title. She finished with 1,074 career points.

The Panthers reached the regional finals for a third year in a row, but lost to Albertus Magnus in overtime. Simon torn her ACL four days before that game and is currently recovering from knee surgery.

Kiczek averaged 12.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, 1.7 assists and 1.6 steals and carried Wallkill’s offense in the first half against Magnus.

She was placed on the Class B sixth team and Murphy was se-

lected to the eighth team. Murphy averaged 9.9 points, 4.9 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 3.3 steals for the Panthers.

Both Kiczek and Murphy were first-team Freeman All-Stars.

Starzyk, a sophomore center, was a key part of Pine Plains making its first trip to the state final four. She made the state All-Tournament team and was selected to the NYSSWA Class C fourth team.

Wilkinson was chosen for the 14th All-Star squad

in Class B. Saugerties’ Tanisha Edge was a honorablemention selection. Both are juniors.

Allison Pritchard, a Freeman first-team AllStar who finished with 1,140 career points for Roosevelt, was a seventh-team All-Star in Class AA.

A quartet of MHAL players were selected to the Class B All-Stars. Spackenkill’s Anna Thompson was a fifth-team selection. Orszewski is on the ninth team.

Alison Rozzi was named to th 12th team.

Her younger sister Briana, an eighth-grader, was a honorable-mention choice.

FREEMAN FILE PHOTO Two-time Freeman Player of the Year Rachel Simon of Wallkill was named to the Class A second team by the state sportswriters association.

FREEMAN FILE PHOTO Roosevelt standout Allison Pritchard earned a sport on the state sportswriters Class AA seventh team.

FILE PHOTO Pine Plains standout Ashley Starzyk, who helped lead the Bombers to the state semifinals, was named to the Class C fourth team.