NEWPORT, RI (3/06/03) - In just her second season with Saint Joseph's, Cindy Griffin is the Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year. Griffin came to Hawk Hill at the start of the 2001-02 season after serving as the Head Coach for Loyola College for three seasons. A 1992 graduate of Saint Joseph's, Griffin boasts a 42-17 record as the Hawks' mentor, 90-50 in her five years as a head coach. Last year, she lead SJU to a 24-8 record and a post season appearance in the WNIT. This year, her Hawks enter the Atlantic 10 Championship as the top seed in the East with a 13-3 Conference mark and an 18-9 overall record. Griffin joins former SJU head coach Jim Foster as the second Hawk to be honored as coach of the year. in . Foster was recognized as A-10 Coach of the Year in both 1989-90 and 1984-85. A former Hawk standout on the hardwood, she was a player under Foster during the 1989-90 season. She later served on his coaching staff at Vanderbilt. Two other Hawks were also honored at the A-10's annual awards banquet that was held at the Hyatt Regency in Newport, R.I. Junior Irina Krasnoshiok was named to the A-10's all-Conference third team. Krasnoshiok averaged a team-high 14.9 points per game this season, while grabbing 6.1 rebounds and shooting 50.5% from the field. The Chisinau, Moldova native ranks among SJU's career leaders in both free throw and three-point field goal percentage. Fellow junior Stephanie Graff was named to the A-10's Academic All-Conference team. It marks the fourth straight year that a Hawk has been named to the Academic squad. Graff finished third on the team in scoring (11.4 ppg) and topped the team in rebounding (7.3 rpg.) and blocked shots (1.4 bpg.). Graff was also named to the Verizon Academic All-District II Second Team by CoSIDA. George Washington senior Cathy Joens has been tabbed the 2003 Atlantic 10 Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Year, in a poll conducted by the Conference coaches. A native of Irvine, CA, Joens also claimed a spot on the first-team All-Conference squad for the second consecutive year. The 5-11 guard/forward finished the regular season ranked second in the league in scoring with her 17.9 points per game. She also ranked among the Conference leaders in three-point field goals made (2nd/3.07), three-point field-goal percentage (4th/.423), steals (7th/2.07), assists (12th/3.37) and free-throw percentage (10th/.730). Xavier freshman Tara Boothe rewrote the Atlantic 10 record book with her record-setting 11 Rookie of the Week citations, including a league-best nine consecutive awards. The Fort Thomas, KY native finished the regular season as the top freshman scorer and sixth overall in the Conference with her 16.0 points per game. She also finished sixth in rebounding (8.1rpg) and second in field-goal percentage (.539). She scored in double figures in 26-of-27 games, including one 30+-point performance and four 20+-point performances. Her 19 boards in a 94-92 four-overtime win against George Washington on Feb. 9 tied the Atlantic 10 record for a freshman. The Atlantic 10's Defensive Player of the Year is Massachusetts' Jennifer Butler. A member of the Atlantic 10's first-team, Butler has led the nation in rebounding from the beginning of the season. The Brooklyn, NY native finished the regular season with a 14.4 rebounding average and finished third in the Conference in scoring with a 17.0 points per game average. She also was first in steals with 2.41 per game and fifth in blocks with 1.30 per game. She became the A-10's career rebounding leader by grabbing 19 boards in her team's 64-51 win over Fordham on Feb. 27. Butler has 719 rebounds in regular season Conference games for her career, an Atlantic 10 record. Former Rutgers standout and current NY Liberty player Sue Wicks (1985-1988) previously held the record with 706 boards. In her 27 outings, Butler has grabbed double figure rebounds 25 times and has recorded a league-leading 23 double-double performances. She also grabbed a school record 30 rebounds in a 78-70 double- overtime loss to Florida on Dec. 28, which tied her for fifth all-time in the NCAA record book and tops in the nation this season for rebounds in a game. The Most Improved Player of the Year is Fordham senior Mobolaji Akiode. A second-team All-Conference performer, she has scored in double figures in 24 of 29 contests, including three 30+-point performances. She set her career high with 32 points in Fordham's 57-50 win over St. Bonaventure on Feb. 13. She currently leads the Rams and ranks fourth in the Atlantic 10 with a 16.8 points per game average. Last year, the Maplewood, NJ native scored 9.6 points per game while starting 15 games. Rounding out the Atlantic 10 award winners is Valerie Williams of George Washington, the 2003 Sixth Player of the Year. This is the second consecutive year that a Colonial has won this award, with senior Lindsay Davidson taking the honor last season. Williams averaged 14.7 minutes per game seeing action in all 27 games and making one start. A spark off the bench, she finished the regular season averaging 6.5 points per game and 2.2 rebounds per game. The Ft. Lauderdale, FL native has scored in double figures seven times this season. PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Cathy Joens, George Washington
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Tara Boothe, Xavier
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Jennifer Butler, Massachusetts
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER: Moboblaji Akiode, Fordham
SIXTH PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Valerie Williams, George Washington
STUDENT ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Beth Friday, Duquesne
COACH OF THE YEAR: Cindy Griffin, Saint Joseph's
ATLANTIC 10 ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS FIRST-TEAM
Jennifer Butler, Massachusetts
Beth Friday, Duquesne
Cathy Joens, George Washington
Reetta Piipari, Xavier
Amy Waugh, Xavier
SECOND-TEAM
Mobolaji Akiode, Fordham
Kate Flavin, Richmond
Ugo Oha, George Washington
Stacey Smalls, Temple
Ebony Tanner, Richmond
THIRD-TEAM
Tara Boothe, Xavier
Candace Futrell, Duquesne Jr
Amber Goppert, Richmond Jr.
Irina Krasnoshiok, Saint Joseph's Jr.
Stefanie Miller, Dayton Jr.
ROOKIE TEAM
Tara Boothe, Xavier
Candice Dupree, Temple
Araceli Gil, Richmond
Davineia Payne, La Salle
Kristy Wallner, Xavier
DEFENSIVE TEAM
Jennifer Butler, Massachusetts
Amber Goppert, Richmond
Shayla Johnson, Rhode Island
Ugo Oha, George Washington
Stacey Smalls, Temple
ACADEMIC TEAM
Chrissy Donovan, Dayton
Beth Friday, Duquesne
Stephanie Graff, Saint Joseph's
Courtney Mattingly, St. Bonaventure
Amy Waugh, Xavier