Bankos, McDonald, Speck, and Young-Uhrich earn Landmark honors
Juniata College women’s basketball dominated the Landmark Conference post-season awards and placed three players on the All-Landmark squads, when the league’s honors list was unveiled on Thursday.
HUNTINGDON, Pa. – Juniata College women's basketball dominated the Landmark Conference post-season awards and placed three players on the All-Landmark squads, when the league's honors list was unveiled on Thursday.
Senior guard Ashton Bankos (York, Pa./York Catholic) was named the Landmark's Player of the Year while sophomore forward Kate McDonald (Pennsylvania Furnace, Pa./State College Area) was tabbed as the league's Defensive Player of the Year.
Head Coach Danny Young-Uhrich '00 and assistant coaches Claudia McDowell '09 and Anne Millar were selected as the Landmark's Coaching Staff of the Year for the second consecutive season.
Bankos and McDonald both earned a spot on the All-Landmark First Team, while junior guard Jordan Speck (Huntingdon, Pa./Southern Huntingdon) was a Second Team All-Landmark honoree.
Bankos heads into Saturday's Landmark championship game averaging 13.5 points and 3.4 assists per game, while hauling down 5.9 rebounds per contest. She logged her second double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds in the Landmark semifinal triumph over Moravian College, and has recorded 18 double-digit scoring performances this season.
Bankos has 1,054 career points and ranks ninth among Juniata's all-time scoring leaders.
McDonald leads the Landmark Conference with 9.1 rebounds per game, including a league-high 3.7 offensive boards per contest. She also averages 12.1 points per game, and has charted 11 double-doubles this season.
Speck has averaged 8.3 points and 4.8 rebounds this season, and has been Juniata's most prolific 3-point threat this season with 39 treys. She ranks fourth in the Landmark with 1.50 3-point field goals made per game and is seventh in 3-pont field goal percentage.
No. 10-ranked Juniata (25-1, 14-0 Landmark) will host Catholic University of America (21-5, 11-3 Landmark) in Saturday's Landmark tournament championship game, with the winner receiving the league's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship. Tip-off at the Kennedy Sports + Recreation Center is 2:00 p.m.
2011-12 All-Landmark Conference Women's Basketball Team
First Team
- G-Ashton Bankos, Juniata, Sr., York, Pa. (York Catholic)
- G-Danielle Barber, Drew, Sr., Cape May Courthouse, N.J. (Middle Twp.)
- F-Alexandra Blair, Moravian, Sr., Easton, Pa. (Bethlehem Catholic)
- F-Kate McDonald, Juniata, So., Pennsylvania Furnace, Pa. (State College Area)
- G-Alison Sweeney, Scranton, So., Wall, N.J. (St. Rose)
- G-Jill Woerner, Catholic, Jr., Providence, R.I. (St. Mary's Bayview)
Second Team
- F-Victoria Ault, Drew, Sr., Middletown, N.J. (Mater Dei)
- F-Erin Boggan, Scranton, Jr., Danbury, Conn. (Danbury)
- G-Emily Grabiak, Catholic, So., Haddonfield, N.J. (Haddonfield Memorial)
- F-Katarina Owunna, Catholic, Jr., Pittsburgh, Pa. (Mount Alvernia)
- G-Jordan Speck, Juniata, Jr., Huntingdon, Pa. (Southern Huntingdon)
- G-Katherine Torto, Scranton, Jr., Binghamton, N.Y. (Seton Catholic Central)
Player of the Year: Ashton Bankos, Juniata
Defensive Player of the Year: Kate McDonald, Juniata
Rookie of the Year: Alexis Wright, Moravian
Coaching Staff of the Year (Head Coach): Juniata College (Danny Young-Uhrich)
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