February 23, 2006

Steph Czajkowski

Paula Foote

Pria Young

Marisa Vespa

GENEVA, N.Y.—The William Smith basketball team dominated the All-Liberty League teams which were announced today, placing four players on the top two teams. Junior guard Paula Foote (Sidney/Sidney, N.Y.) and sophomore guard Marisa Vespa (Immaculate Heart/Watertown, N.Y.) earned first-team honors, while senior guard Pria Young (Council Rock/Richboro, Pa.) and sophomore forward Stephanie Czajkowski (Bishop Ludden/Syracuse, N.Y.) brought home second-team praise.

Interim Head Coach Lindsay Drury and her assistants Alex Ivansheck and Charlie Evangelista were named the Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year in a vote of their peers, after guiding the Herons to a 19-5 overall record. The coaching staff led William Smith to a 12-2 record in conference play, winning the regular season title and the right to host the Liberty League Tournament. Following two seasons as an assistant coach at William Smith, Drury was promoted to interim head coach just five weeks before the start of this season.

Foote is one of three Herons averaging a team-high 10.7 points per game. She has played a team-high 29.8 minutes per game and is William Smith’s top free throw shooter, converting 75.5 percent from the charity stripe. Foote ranks fourth in the League in assists (3.0), sixth in free throw percentage, ninth in scoring, and 10th in field goal percentage (42.6%). She reached double digits in scoring 15 times this season, recorded a season-high 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting against Union.

Vespa, who has been limited to 16 games due to injury, is averaging 9.1 points and 4.8 assists, while shooting a team-best 40 percent from beyond the three-point arc. She scored a season-high 20 points at Hamilton, and dished out a season-high eight assists in both games against St. Lawrence. After just 44 career games, Vespa ranks 11th in career assists (218). The 2005 Liberty League Rookie of the Year is making her second straight appearance on the first-team.

Young is averaging 10.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.0 steals, and 2.8 assists. She ranks second in the League in three-pointers made (42), fourth in steals, seventh in assists, seventh in three-point field goal percentage (.365), 11th in scoring, 14th in field goal percentage (.386), and 15th in rebounding. Young scored a season-high 18 points at Elmira and again vs. Hamilton. A premier pilferer, she recorded a season-high nine steals against both Ithaca and Keuka. Young ranks third in career steals (251) and 13th in career points (933). She received All-Liberty League honorable mention last season.

Czajkowski leads William Smith in scoring (10.7), field goal percentage (.500), and rebounding (6.8). She also leads the League in field goal percentage and ranks seventh in rebounding, 11th in scoring, and 13th in steals. Czajkowski recorded four double-doubles. She scored a season-high 19 points against Rensselaer and at Clarkson, while collecting a season-high 12 rebounds against Rensselaer and at St. Lawrence. Czajkowski was named the Liberty League Forward of the Week three times this season. As a first-year, she received All-Liberty League honorable mention.

William Smith’s four players on the first and second teams are the most of any school in the eight-team League.

The Liberty League Tournament begins in Bristol Gym at 6 p.m. on Feb. 24 when St. Lawrence University battles Union College. William Smith and Rensselaer will tangle in the second semifinal at 8 p.m. The championship game will be played the following afternoon at 3 p.m.

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