STAFF REPORT
South Kortright graduate Jessica Laing is one of 12 national women's finalists for the Jostens Trophy, which will honor the most outstanding men and women in Division III basketball for the 13th year on March 18 at the Salem Civic Center.
Laing, a senior forward at Cortland State, will be judged by the Rotary Club of Salem, Va., on basketball ability, academic prowess and community service. Laing has a 3.11 grade point average as a physical education major and has worked with disabled and underprivileged children in her four years at Cortland.
On Monday, Laing earned her second straight SUNY Athletic Conference Player of the Year award. She is averaging 20.4 points and 12.6 rebounds for the Red Dragons, who won the SUNYAC Tournament championship Saturday to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. Laing also received SUNYAC Tournament MVP honors.
Cortland (25-3), which has won 20 in a row, will open play in the 64-team tournament at 8 p.m. Friday at the University of Rochester. William Paterson (25-2) and Mary Washington (21-5) will meet at 6 p.m.. Friday in the other first-round NCAA game at Rochester. Rochester, William Paterson and Mary Washington received at-large Pool C bids to the tournament.
Friday's winners will meet at 7 p.m. Saturday back at Rochester. Saturday's winner will advance to round of 16.
Laing is Cortland's all-time leading scorer with 2,146 points in 116 games. She also has 1,296 rebounds, 133 three-point field goals and 77 double-doubles (including 28 this season).
Laing earned Daily Star Player of the Year honors as a South Kortright senior in 2006, when she led the Rams to the Class D state championship and a 25-1 finish.
The SUNYAC also named 12th-year Cortland coach Jeannette Mosher
See LAING on Page 13
its Coach of the Year for the second straight season. Mosher (279-62) won her fourth SUNYAC award in the last five seasons and sixth overall.
On Saturday, Cortland will make its eighth NCAA appearance under Mosher and 10th overall. The Red Dragons, who were ousted in the second round of NCAAs by host Scranton last season, have never made it past the round of 16 (1992, 2001).
Cortland also receives 7.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game from Bainbridge-Guilford graduate Jen Patten, a junior forward.
O-State trio honored
Three Oneonta State women's players also earned All-SUNYAC honors, the Red Dragons announced Tuesday.
Senior guard Sara Chrystie made All-Conference for the third straight season with her first appearance on the First Team. She averaged 6.9 points, amassed a team-best 132 assists and had 39 steals for Oneonta (17-10). Chrystie leads NCAA D-III players in assist-to-turnover, at three assists for every one turnover.
Sophomore swing player Samantha Szkotak joined Chrystie on the SUNYAC First Team after leading the Red Dragons in scoring (12.8 points per game) and rebounds (5.7 pg). She also blocked 32 shots and hit 36 three-pointers.
Rebecca Bucci, a junior swing player, received an honorable mention. Bucci finished second on the team in scoring (9.5 ppg) and rebounding (5.6 pg). She also had 117 assists, 44 three-pointers and 44 steals.
Wehner's team in NCAAs
Cooperstown graduate Jen Wehner, the 2008 Daily Star Player of the Year, has led Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts to its first NCAA Division III Tournament appearance in her second season.
Wehner had a game-high 20 points and 10 rebounds Saturday to lead the Trailblazers to their first Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference Tournament title with a 68-65 championship victory over Worcester State.
Wehner earned the tournament's most outstanding player honors for MCLA (18-9), which will visit top-seeded Amherst College in the opening round of the NCAAs at 6 p.m. Friday.
A First Team All-MASCAC selection, sophomore forward Wehner is averaging team-bests of 14.5 points, 10.2 rebounds and 3.1 blocks this season.
O-State honors track duo
Oneonta State named junior indoor track standouts Durell Cull and Liz Maziejka its athletes of the week Monday.
Cull scored 15 of O-State's 75 points in the SUNYAC men's championships this past weekend. He won the 55-meter dash with a NCAA provisional time of 6.41 seconds and placed fourth in the 200 at 22.50, helping the Red Dragons to a fourth-place finish.
Maziejka led Oneonta's women to a third-place finish. She won the 400 with an Eastern College Athletic Conference qualifying time of 58.94 and teamed with freshman Carolyn Nasr, junior Kristan Catanese and sophomore Lauren Brunetto to win the 1,600 relay title for the second straight season.
Maziejka also placed third in the 200 with an ECAC time of 26.33.
