Worcester, MA- The Worcester State 2023 MASCAC Men’s Basketball Championship team had four selected while the Women’s Basketball team had a single selection named to this year's All-Conference teams as announced Wednesday by the league. Sophomore Aaron Nkrumah (Worcester, MA) and fifth year coach Tyler Hundley lead the conference awards with Nkrumah being named MASCAC Player of the Year and Hundley earning BSN Sports Coach of the Year.
Nkrumah, a sophomore from Worcester, Mass., earned the 2022-23 MASCAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Year, as well as being the lone Worcester State recipient of first team honors, after finishing at the top of the conference in several categories and helping the Lancers to a perfect MASCAC record of 12-0. He closed out the regular season first in total points with 431 and steals with 66, third in points per game at 17.2 and seventh in blocks with 22. He also averaged 7.8 rebounds per game with a total of 195, a 43.1 field goal percentage and 53 assists on the year. In the win over Bridgewater State, he had a season-best 30 points with 11 rebounds and three steals.
After leading the Lancers to their first-ever 20-win season, perfect league record and the MASCAC Regular Season title to go along with the first NCAA appearance for the program in 29 years, Tyler Hundley was voted the 2022-23 BSN Sports Coach of the Year by his peers.
Being named to the MASCAC second team were graduate student Erik Bjorn (Holden, MA), senior Erin Gallella (Tewksbury, MA) and junior Ryan Rubenskas (Bridgewater, MA). Bjorn is just the second Lancer to record 1,000 points along with 1,000 rebounds during his career. He recorded 243 points and rebounds thus far this season. Rubenskas recorded 376 points with 218 rebounds and 42 blocks. Gallella collected 292 points this past season, securing 114 rebounds to go along with 120 assists and 71 steals to help lead the Women’s team to a semifinal match up with Bridgewater State in the MASCAC Tournament.
The Worcester State Men’s Basketball team is back in action on Friday as they travel to Middlebury for a 6:10pm start, for the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
2022-23 MASCAC MEN’S BASKETBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS
FIRST TEAM
Player/Institution Class Position Hometown
Emerson Halbleib, Bridgewater State Graduate Center Carmel, Ind.
Noah Yearsley, MCLA Graduate Guard Averill Park, N.Y.
Brendon Hamilton, Westfield State Senior Forward Worcester, Mass.
JT Thompson, Westfield State Senior Forward Columbia, S.C.
Aaron Nkrumah, Worcester State Sophomore Guard/Forward Worcester, Mass.
SECOND TEAM
Player/Institution Class Position Hometown
Juran Ligonde, Framingham State Graduate Guard/Forward Dedham, Mass.
Conner Byrne, Salem State Senior Forward Melrose, Mass.
Chris MacDonald, Salem State Senior Guard/Forward Wakefield, Mass.
Erik Bjorn, Worcester State Senior Forward Holden, Mass.
Ryan Rubenskas, Worcester State Sophomore Forward/Center Bridgewater, Mass.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Aaron Nkrumah, Worcester State Sophomore Guard/Forward Worcester, Mass.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Emerson Halbleib, Bridgewater State Graduate Center Carmel, Ind.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Dante Kikuba, Bridgewater State Freshman Guard Framingham, Mass.
BSN SPORTS COACH OF THE YEAR
Tyler Hundley, Worcester State
2022-23 MASCAC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS
FIRST TEAM
Player/Institution Class Position Hometown
Sophia Gaucher, Bridgewater State Senior Forward Lakeville, Mass.
Kylie Grassi, Bridgewater State Sophomore Forward Plymouth, Mass.
Katty Haidul, Framingham State Junior Forward Gilford, N.H.
Flannery O’Connor, Framingham State Junior Forward Amesbury, Mass.
Liz Zaiter, Salem State Senior Forward Peabody, Mass.
Jordan Grant, Westfield State Junior Forward Gray, Maine
SECOND TEAM
Player/Institution Class Position Hometown
Caroline Tripp, Bridgewater State Junior Guard Plymouth, Mass.
Gwendolyn Carpenter, Framingham State Junior Guard Ashley Falls, Mass.
Abuk Teng, Salem State Sophomore Guard Manchester, N.H.
Olivia Hadla, Westfield State Junior Guard Westfield, Mass.
Erin Gallella, Worcester State Junior Guard Tewksbury, Mass.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Kylie Grassi, Bridgewater State Sophomore Forward Plymouth, Mass.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Sophia Gaucher, Bridgewater State Senior Forward Lakeville, Mass.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Ernidia Goncalves, Salem State Freshman Forward Everett, Mass.
BSN SPORTS COACH OF THE YEAR
Bridgett Casey, Bridgewater State