March 7, 2008

FAIRFIELD, CT (March 7, 2008) - Sacred Heart freshman Alisa Apo (Freehold, NJ) was named the Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year while junior teammates Kaitlin Sowinski (Hopkinton, RI) and Stephanie Ryan (Coram, NY) earned All-NEC honors announced at the 2008 NEC Tournament banquet Friday night at Long Island University. In addition to her rookie award, Apo also earned a spot on the league's all-rookie team while head coach Ed Swanson was named the NEC Coach of the Year for the second time in his career.

Apo put together a sensational freshman campaign, starting 21 of the 29 games and finishing second on the team and first among all league rookies averaging 12.0 points per game. She finished the regular season shooting 42.9% (42-98) from behind the three-point arc, second among the NEC leaders. Apo finished 12th among the league's scoring leaders and she was fifth at the free throw line, knocking down 77.5% (86-111).

She got even better when the spotlight of the NEC schedule took center stage, averaging 14.7 points while shooting 44.4% (32-72) from behind the arc over the 18 game league slate. She took home four Choice Hotels NEC Rookie of the Week awards during the season, first among the league's newcomers.

Since joining the league in 1999-00, Apo is the third Pioneer to win the NEC's top-rookie award adding her name to the trophy next to Nicolle Rubino (2003) and Amanda Pape (2004).

Sowinski also joins Pape in becoming just the second Pioneers all-time to garner All-Northeast Conference first team honors. The junior center has improved every season as Sacred Heart and burst onto NEC scene this season finishing tied for third in scoring at 17.1 points per game, eighth in rebounds at 7.4 caroms per game and first in blocked shots with 97. Sowinski was second in the league in shooting percentage for the second-straight year hitting 54.3% (189-348) of her shots.

She finished the year with nine double doubles, tying for the team lead, and had a streak of 22-games in double digits. She went over the 200 block mark for her career and sits a 225, a school Division I record. Her 97 blocks (3.34 per game) ranks her sixth in the nation among the NCAA leaders. She turned in one of the all-time top-games in a Pioneer uniform with her 33 point, 10 rebound effort in a 92-82 win over Quinnipiac, setting a new Division I record for points scored in a game. Sowinski heads into the NEC Tournament just two points shy of 1,000 for her career, a mark that only 12 other players in school history have accomplished.

Ryan made her debut in the Pioneer Red & White this season and didn't disappoint. The junior transfer from Fairfield University had some early struggles as she shook off the rust of a year off and went on to earn All-NEC second team honors this season. Ryan finished the year averaging 11.8 points and led the team in rebounding at 8.3 per game She finished 12th in the league in scoring and fourth in rebounding, leading all players with 6.66 defensive caroms per game. She shared the team lead with Sowinski with nine double doubles each.

After averaging just 6.0 points and shooting 27.8% (10-36) in her first four games, Ryan began to find her way in Coach Swanson's offense and went on to find double digits in 21 of the final 25 games. She finished the season shooting a respectable 38.8% (33-85) from behind the arc, ranking sixth in the league. Ryan also led the team with 49 steals and was second in field goal percentage at 48.5% (128-264).

Head Coach Ed Swanson's Pioneers were picked to finish fourth in this season's Preseason Coaches' Poll with few thinking Sacred Heart would be able to overcome the losses of the program's all-time leading scorer in Amanda Pape as well as three-year starters Jasmine Walker and Kerri Burke. But despite losing almost 4,000 career points on offense, 1,800 career rebounds and 600 career assists from those three stars, Swanson found a way to get his young team to gel and has them heading into this weekend's tournament ready to challenge for another title.

The Pioneers posted a 19-10 mark this season and finished 14-4 in league play for a third place finish earning the 18-year head coach his second Brenda Reilly Coach of the Year award. The Pioneers have won 18 or more games now in seven-straight seasons and have a shot a their third-straight 20-win season if they can advance to the tournament semifinals. Swanson himself is closing in on another coaching milestone as he sits at 297 career wins. His 120 NEC wins ranks him second to Bill Sheahan's record of 124 at Mount St. Mary's.

Swanson's first NEC Coaching Award came after the leading the Pioneers to a 20-7 regular season in 2003-04, the year he picked-up his 200th career victory. He was named the NECC Coach of the Year in 1995-96 after leading the Pioneers to a then school record 20-7 campaign.

The Pioneers will take part in their ninth-straight NEC Tournament this weekend at Long Island University. SHU is the #3 seed and will face-off with #6 seeded Monmouth at 7:30 pm Saturday night. The game will be broadcast on WICC 600 am as well as webcast on www.PackNetwork.com.

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