Gonzalez, Santa Fe Receive GNAC Major Awards
WINTHROP, Mass. – After helping the Regis College women's basketball finish in a tie for third in the regular season league standings and advance to the semifinals of the conference tournament, freshman guard Pam Gonzalez (Revere, Mass.) has been voted Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Rookie of the Year as well as Second Team All-GNAC, sophomore forward Arie Searcy (Santa Rosa, Calif.) received Third Team All-GNAC recognition, and Angela Santa Fe earned GNAC Coach of the Year honors from her peers, as the league office announced the postseason awards Monday.
Gonzalez started 23 of the 26 games she appeared in this season, leading the Pride with 13.5 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.5 steals per game, plus she dished out 3.0 assists per contest. She also posted the most double-digit scoring performances for Regis with 16, including four games with 20 or more points, and she notched seven double-doubles.
Gonzalez was named GNAC Rookie of the Week seven times across 14 weeks as well as New England Women's Basketball Association (NEWBA) Rookie of the Week on three occasions. She capped the season by receiving All-Tournament honors after averaging 20.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 4.5 steals per game last week during the GNAC playoffs, including a season-high 23 points at Saint Joseph's College in the semifinals last Thursday.
Searcy enjoyed a stellar second season for the Pride, starting 25 of the 26 games she appeared in and averaging 10.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game. She scored a career-high 20 points against Wentworth Dec. 2, and she notched a double-double at Rivier Jan. 18 with 16 points and 10 rebounds. During Regis' GNAC quarterfinal victory over Colby-Sawyer last Tuesday, Searcy scored 13 points, pulled down nine rebounds, and collected two steals.
Santa Fe guided a team picked sixth in the preseason poll to within one game of the top spot in the final regular season standings, including victories over eventual GNAC champion Emmanuel and Suffolk. Completing her seventh season at the helm, Santa Fe moved into second place on Regis' all-time wins list for women's basketball with 132 career victories, plus she is now tied for the most conference victories for the Pride with 99 league wins. This is her first GNAC Coach of the Year award, but fourth overall coaching honor as she received NECC Coach of the Year honors three straight seasons (2013-16).
Gonzalez and Searcy are two of 11 players from the 2019-20 roster eligible to return next season as the Pride will look to build on their 15-12 overall mark that included an 8-3 record within the GNAC. Regis will play 16 league games in 2020-21 as the conference moves to a divisional setup, with the Pride part of the South Division along with Albertus Magnus, league newcomer Dean, Johnson & Wales, Lasell, and University of Saint Joseph.