April 21, 2010
PHILADELPHIA - At the annual Philadelphia Big 5 Women's Basketball Awards Banquet held this evening at the Drexelbrook, seniors Morgan Robertson and Tara Lapetina were honored for their efforts on the court this past season.
Robertson earned a spot on the Big 5 First Team and the Big 5 All-Academic Team for the second straight year, while Lapetina was named the co-winner of the Sportsmanship Award.
Robertson becomes just the eighth Explorer to be named to the first team twice after a season of leading La Salle in scoring (10.1 ppg), rebounding (5.8 pg), and FT% (.782), which also ranked her 144th in nation.
She posted two double-doubles this past season and 14 in her career, third most by an Explorer as a member of the A-10 conference. She scored in double figures 16 times, led the team 11 times, including season-high 21 at Long Island (11/15). Robertson grabbed seven-plus rebounds 12 times, leading the team in 14 games, including a season-high 11 versus Saint Joseph's (1/27).
The other Explorers to earn at least two first team honors were Kathy Bess ('80 & '84), Linda Hester ('85 & '86), Tracey Sneed ('88 & '89), Jenn Cole ('92 & '93), Chrissie Donahue ('95, '96 & '97), Crista Ricketts ('04, '05, '06, & '07), and Carlene Hightower ('07 & '08).
During the 2009-10 season, she has now been selected to four academic teams and was named the Atlantic 10 Conferences' Student Athlete of the Year, the school's first in basketball, as she carries a 3.89 grade point average with a dual major in psychology and political science.
In her career, Robertson has now been recognized on nine academic teams, and becomes La Salle's first repeat honoree on the Big 5 team since Shaune McLaughlin became the first after the 2004 and 2005 seasons.
Lapetina, who returned to the Explorers for a fifth season, picks up the fourth Sportsmanship Award for La Salle, and the first since Jenna Graber earned the honor after the 2007 season. Ironically, McLaughlin is the only two-time winner, from any school, of the Sportsmanship Award, taking it home in 2005 and 2006.
Lapetina finished the season with a team-leading 73 assists and held a team-best 1.1 assist-to-turnover ratio. She also knocked down 42.4% (39-92) of her three-point attempts, which gave her a career mark of 38.7% (122-315). The mark ranks her with the sixth-best percentage ever at the school, while her career 281 assists, was 22 shy of the top 10 at the school.
Below is all of the award winners announced at tonight's banquet.
Champion - Villanova
Rookie of the Year - (Co-Award Winners)
Ashley Prim, Saint Joseph's
Laura Sweeney, Villanova
Most Improved Player
Ashley Logue, Saint Joseph's
Sportsmanship - (Co-Award Winners)
Tara Lapetina, La Salle
Maria Getty, Villanova
All-Academic Team
Morgan Robertson, La Salle
Sarah Bucar, PENN
Shelby Smith, Saint Joseph's
LaKeisha Eaddy, Temple
Shannon Elliott, Villanova
First Team All-Philadelphia Big 5
Kristen McCarthy, Temple
Maria Getty, Villanova
Brittany Ford, Saint Joseph's
Morgan Robertson, La Salle
LaKeisha Eaddy, Temple
Second Team All-Philadelphia Big 5
Shaqwedia Wallace, Temple
Jasmine Stone, Temple
Laura Sweeney, Villanova
Sarah Bucar, PENN
Ashley Logue, Saint Joseph's
Player of the Year
Kristen McCarthy, Temple
Coach of the Year
Tonya Cardoza, Temple
