LOCK HAVEN, Pa. --- The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference has released the 2023 Women’s Basketball All-Conference Teams and major award winners, the league office announced Thursday afternoon.
The all-conference teams and major awards were determined by votes from league head coaches.
In the East, senior Ariel Jones of Shippensburg was honored with Athlete of the Year. This year, Jones established her name in the conference history book by breaking the PSAC career points record and by surpassing the PSAC’s single-game scoring record with a 53-point game against Millersville back on Jan. 23, 2023. Jones ranked no. 2 in the nation in scoring with 25.2 points per game and ranked first in all of Division II in made free-throws with 183 total. Named PSAC Athlete of the Week nine times just in 2022-23, Jones led the Shippensburg team to a shared regular season title in the Eastern Division as well as to the No. 2 East seed in the conference tournament.
Michelle Kozicki was named Defensive Player of the Year for the West Chester Golden Rams. Kozicki’s team-high 8.5 rebounds per game elevated West Chester to become the top rebounding team in the conference while also ranking 11
th in the nation in rebounding-margin. In addition to efforts on the boards, Kozicki added 54 total steals (ranked top-10 in the conference) as well as 12 blocks. Kozicki’s defense also earned her first PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Week award in February of 2023.
Lock Haven’s Alana Robinson was titled the Eastern Division’s Freshman of the Year. In her debut season, Robinson made an immediate impact on both sides of the ball. Offensively, she became her team’s second-leading scorer with 11.3 points per game. Defensively, she recorded 53 blocks to rank second in the conference. Also a strong presence on the boards with a team-high 7.0 rebounds per game, Robinson assisted the Bald Eagles in reaching the postseason tournament as the no. 6 seed.
In her ninth season as West Chester University head coach, Kiera Wooden earns her second PSAC East Coach of the Year award (previously winning in 2018.) With Wooden at the helm, the Golden Rams went 22-7 overall (18-4 PSAC) in 2022-23 to secure a shared PSAC East regular season title as well as the East’s top seed heading into the postseason tournament. Wooden also guided four of her athletes to all-conference selections this year.
In the West, Gannon’s Samantha Pirosko was voted Athlete of the Year by the league’s head coaches. Pirosko averaged 20.1 points per game on a .549 field goal percentage to become the conference’s second-leading scorer with the second-best efficiency. Outside of scoring, she added 230 rebounds, 20 blocks, and 35 steals. Named an Athlete of the Week three times this season, Pirosko also led the Golden Knights to a regular season division title and the top tournament seed in the West.
Bri Claxon was the other Golden Knight to win an award this season, earning Freshman of the Year laurels. Coming off the bench, Claxon averaged 7.9 points per game and contributed 53 total rebounds and 29 steals. The guard became the third-leading scorer for Gannon and was given an Athlete of the Week honor for a two-game stretch that included a career-high 30-point effort against IUP in a win back on Jan. 11, 2023.
California (Pa.) sophomore Allycia Harris was given recognition as the West’s Defensive Player of the Year. This season saw Harris record 8.6 rebounds per game (fourth in the conference), 32 total blocks (seventh in the conference), and 42 steals. Named a PSAC Defensive Athlete of the Week in 2023, Harris helped lift the Vulcans to the no. 2 seed in the West and to a first-round bye in the championship tournament.
Edinboro’s Callie Wheeler rounds out the major awards as the West Coach of the Year. This season, Wheeler brought the Fighting Scots to the PSAC Tournament for the third time in her three-year tenure as they went 17-12 overall and 13-9 in the conference. With Wheeler, Edinboro also developed the highest-scoring offense in the league this season by averaging 73.6 points per game. Two of her athletes—Rana Elhusseini and Hayley Sims—were all-conference selection for 2022-23.
2022-23 PSAC Women’s Basketball All-Conference Teams
EASTERN DIVISION FIRST TEAM
| Pos. |
Player |
University |
Cl. |
Hometown / Previous School |
| F |
Jasmine Hilton^ |
Mansfield |
Jr. |
Upper Marlboro, Md. / Charles Herbert Flowers |
| G |
Leah Johnson*^ |
West Chester |
Jr. |
Columbus, N.J. / Notre Dame |
| G |
Ariel Jones*** |
Shippensburg |
Sr. |
Lebanon, Pa. / Cedar Crest |
| G |
Taylor Langan |
Millersville |
Gr. |
Lake Hopatcong, N.J. / Jefferson Township |
| F/C |
Emily McAteer |
West Chester |
Jr. |
Thornton, Pa. / Garnet Valley |
| G/F |
Naia Pulliam |
Kutztown |
So. |
Wilmington, Del. / St. Elizabeth |
| G |
Ryan Weise |
E. Stroudsburg |
Gr. |
Allentown, N.J. / Allentown |
EASTERN DIVISION SECOND TEAM
| Pos. |
Player |
University |
Cl. |
Hometown / Previous School |
| F |
Abbey Hearn |
Kutztown |
Jr. |
Lewes, Del. / Cape Henlopen |
| F |
Michelle Kozicki |
West Chester |
So. |
Wilmington, Del. / Padua Academy |
| G |
Anna McTamney |
West Chester |
So. |
Plymouth Meeting, Pa. / Plymouth Whitemarsh |
| G |
Marin Miller |
Millersville |
Fr. |
Hollidaysburg, Pa. / Hollidaysburg |
| F |
Lauren Pettis^ |
Shippensburg |
Gr. |
Harrisburg, Pa. / Susquehanna Township |
| G/F |
Casey Remolde^^ |
Kutztown |
Sr. |
Philadelphia, Pa. / Saint Basil Academy |
| F |
Alana Robinson |
Lock Haven |
Fr. |
Rockaway, N.J. / Pope John Paul II |
*Indicates previous First Team All-PSAC selection
^Indicates previous Second Team All-PSAC selection
Athlete of the Year: Ariel Jones, Shippensburg
Defensive Player of the Year: Michelle Kozicki, West Chester
Freshman of the Year: Alana Robinson, Lock Haven
Coach of the Year: Kiera Wooden, West Chester
WESTERN DIVISION FIRST TEAM
| Pos. |
Player |
University |
Cl. |
Hometown / Previous School |
| G |
Kiera Baughman |
IUP |
So. |
Mount Joy, Pa. / Donegal |
| G |
Rana Elhusseini* |
Edinboro |
Jr. |
Dearborn, Mich. / Fordson |
| G/F |
Rajah Fink^ |
California (Pa.) |
Sr. |
Dover, Pa. / Dover |
| G |
Christiane Frye^ |
Seton Hill |
Jr. |
Monaca, Pa. / Central Valley |
| G |
Ciaira Loyd* |
California (Pa.) |
Sr. |
Scranton, Pa. / Scranton |
| F |
Samantha Pirosko* |
Gannon |
Sr. |
Eastlake, Ohio / Eastlake North |
| G |
Hayley Sims |
Edinboro |
So. |
Cleveland Heights, Ohio / Cleveland Heights |
WESTERN DIVISION SECOND TEAM
| Pos. |
Player |
University |
Cl. |
Hometown / Previous School |
| G |
Peyton Alazaus |
Pitt-Johnstown |
Jr. |
Alliance, Ohio / West Branch |
| G |
Sierra Bermudez^ |
Clarion |
So. |
Philadelphia, Pa. / Neumann Goretti |
| G |
Jayde Boyd^ |
Mercyhurst |
Sr. |
Pittsburgh, Pa. / Oakland Catholic |
| G |
Olivia Fasick |
Pitt-Johnstown |
Jr. |
Harrisburg, Pa. / Bishop McDevitt |
| G |
Deleah Gibson |
Slippery Rock |
R-Sr. |
Cleveland, Ohio / Shaw |
| G |
Isabellah Middleton |
Slippery Rock |
R-So. |
Leesburg, Pa. / Tuscarora |
| G |
Emma Wright |
Gannon |
Gr. |
Fairview, Pa. / Talawanda |
*Indicates previous First Team All-PSAC selection
^Indicates previous Second Team All-PSAC selection
Athlete of the Year: Samantha Pirosko, Gannon
Defensive Player of the Year: Allycia Harris, California (Pa.)
Freshman of the Year: Bri Claxon, Gannon
Coach of the Year: Callie Wheeler, Edinboro