Women’s Hoops Cleans Up the CAA Awards

When you’re as dominant in your conference as the JMU Women were this year, it’s not surprising you do well at the end of season awards banquet.  But the sheer volume for the Dukes this year is still fantastic.

CAA Player of the Year Kirby Burkholder

Kirby Burkholder takes down the CAA Player of the Year. Nikki Newman makes 3rd Team CAA AND comes home with CAA Defensive Player of the Year, which is basically a lifetime achievement award for all her years terrorizing the post in the league. And of course Coach (and growing legend) Kenny Brooks won the CAA’s Coach of the Year Award.

Oh, you thought that was all?  Not even close. Junior Toia Giggetts and Sophomore Precious Hall both made the CAA’s second team (and more knowledgeable observers of these things than us seem to think Hall was robbed by her underclassman status of being on the first team).  And as if to mark their dominance and make sure no one was left out in the Dukes’ starting five, sophomore Jazmon Gwathmey joined Newman on the All-Defensive team. And last, and maybe most important given the shine it adds to the previously mentioned hardware, both Burkholder and Newman were named to the All-Academic Team.

Needless to say, these women and their coach seem to consistently make us all proud to be Dukes. Now it’s on to the CAA Tourney, starting Friday at noon in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Again, the Dukes have a shot at an at-large, but it sure would make everyone associated with this proud program breathe a lot easier to take care of business and bring home the CAA title!  Go Dukes!