April 15, 2011

PHILADELPHIA - Saint Joseph's junior guards Michelle Baker and Katie Kuester and sophomore guard Shelby Smith were recognized by the Philadelphia Big 5 for their outstanding play during the 2010-11 season, conference officials announced on Friday. Baker and Kuester were both selected as All-Big 5 Second Team honorees, with Kuester garnering the Big 5 Sportsmanship Award, while Smith was selected to the Big 5 All-Academic Team

Leading the Hawks in scoring (12.2 ppg) and tallying the most points by a Hawk since 2006-07, Baker proved to be the Hawks' "go to" player this season. Pacing Saint Joseph's offense 12 times during the year, she hit numerous big shots for the Hawks, including the game-winning layup against New Hampshire and a team-best 19 points in a win over VCU in the First Round of the WNIT. The anchor of Saint Joseph's defense, Baker helped the Hawks limit opponents to just 58.6 points per game and 37.2 percent shooting. Relied upon to guard the opposing team's top perimeter player, Baker thrived as a starter this year, posting a career-high in steals (38), while becoming just the second Saint Joseph's player to earn Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team honors.

Arguably one of the top three-point threats in the Big 5, Kuester had a career year in 2010-11, averaging career-highs in points (10.4 ppg), assists (77), and leading Saint Joseph's in three-point field goals with 62. The Hawks leading scorer seven times this past year, Kuester also proved to be a threat at both ends of the court, adding 30 steals. Serving as a co-captain, Kuester guided her team to the Hawk Classic title in December, garnering MVP honors along the way. She is just the second Hawk to earn the Big 5 Sportsmanship Award, joining Mary Kate McDade who earned the recognition in 2009.

Smith, a dual major in psychology and business, earned her second-straight Big 5 All-Academic Team selection. Posting a 3.87 GPA, she will be inducted into both the Psi Chi and Betta Gamma Sigma honor societies later this spring. Smith appeared in 26 games this year for the Hawks, scoring a season-best nine points against La Salle in the Atlantic 10 Tournament.

The Hawks capped the 2010-11 season with a second-place finish in the Big 5 with a 3-1 mark. Saint Joseph's posted a 20-12 overall record and advanced to the second round of the Postseason WNIT.