Donnelly 3-peats as Liberty League Player of the Year
TROY, N.Y. » Senior forward Kelly Donnelly (Wynantskill/Averill Park H.S) made history on Tuesday as the first Liberty League member to win three Player of the Year awards, leading the Skidmore College women’s basketball team as the league announced its yearly awards on Feb. 27.
In addition, senior guard Veronica Moceri was named to the All-Liberty League second team. Head Coach Darren Bennett and Associate Head Coach Elyse Schlump were named Co-coaching Staff of the Year for leading the Thoroughbreds this season.
Donnelly adds to her growing trophy case with her third consecutive Player of the Year nod, sharing the award with Ithaca’s Cassidy O’Malley this season. Donnelly led the league in scoring at 19.4 points per game, finishing second in rebounds (9.1 rpg) and steals (2.3 spg), and third in shooting percentage (.469). She’s scored in double figures in every game this season, stretching her streak to 66 games over three seasons. She’s tallied 12 double-doubles and has scored 20 or more points 13 times, including a season-high 30 points against RPI on Jan. 27.
Donnelly set the Skidmore alltime scoring record back on Jan. 26 against Union, and tallied her 1,000th career rebound in the Liberty League Semifinal game against Vassar this past Saturday. So far, Donnelly has 1,807 career points and 1,027 rebounds (third alltime), becoming the first Skidmore player with 1,600 points and 1,000 rebounds.
Moceri earns a spot on the second team after earning an honorable mention nod last season. Moceri is second on the team in scoring with 11.8 points per game, and is among the league’s best in assists (2.9 apg) and at the free throw line (.821). She leads the team in 3-point shooting, making 1.8 treys per game at a .318 clip. She’s tallied a careerbest 307 points, tallying 15 or more points seven times, including a season-high 24 points on Senior Day against RIT. In the last 10 games, Moceri has averaged 15.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game, while shooting 37 percent from the field, 36.2 percent from 3-point range, and 90.7 percent (49-of-54) from the free throw line. She was named the Liberty League Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player af-
ter averaging 17 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in Skidmore’s two victories.
Bennett and Schlump have earned Coaching Staff of the Year honors for the second consecutive season. Picked third to finish the league in the preseason, Skidmore won its second consecutive Liberty League regular season title with a 14-4 mark in league play, eventually winning the Liberty League title for the second time in program history and second time in four seasons. Bennett has earned three league awards since his arrival in 2004.
The Thoroughbreds (189) defeated RIT 65-42 to earn the Liberty League crown and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Skidmore will head to Bowdoin for the first round game on Friday, against FDU-Florham at 5 p.m.