New York, N.Y. – The Skyline Conference announced the 2013-14 All-Conference Teams in Women's Basketball on Thursday morning and the Dolphins were represented on both the First and Second Team and collected two major awards. Junior Kelly Fraser (Staten Island, N.Y.) is a First Team selection and the league's Defensive Player of the Year and freshman Christina Barone (Staten Island, N.Y.) appears on the Second Team. In addition, Head Coach Kevin Clifford has been picked as the league's Coach of the Year.
Fraser has had a standout season as a junior and leads Mount Saint Vincent in scoring average, rebounding average and blocked shots. Fraser is putting up 17.4 points and 13.1 rebounds per game heading into Thursday's Skyline Tournament Semifinal at Farmingdale State and has blocked 89 shots.
The 5-11 center has scored in double-figures in all but three games this season and has poured in at least 20 points in a game nine times, including a career-high 35 against then #20/24 Randolph-Macon on December 18. Fraser has also reached double-figures in rebounding in all but three contests this season, leading to a team-high 19 double-doubles.
Heading into Thursday's tilt with the Rams, Fraser sits in the top-10 in the conference in five separate categories. She leads the league in rebounding, double-doubles and blocked shots and ranks fifth in scoring average and sixth in field-goal percentage at 42.8. In the national rankings, last released on Monday, Fraser is third in double-doubles, seventh in blocks per game and eighth in rebounds per game. Fraser has been named the Skyline Conference Player of the Week on four occasions during the 2013-14 regular season.
Newcomer Barone played in all 25 games as a freshman and made 24 starts for the Dolphins during the regular season. She was tops on the team in assists with 151, steals with 57 and free-throw percentage at 76.6. Barone was fourth on the team in scoring average with 8.5 points per game and was also good for just under four rebounds per game.
Barone handed out at least 10 assists in a game on three occasions during the regular season, including a career-high 12 against New Rochelle on December 5. Barone also scored in double-figures 10 times for the Dolphins and posted a pair of double-doubles.
Through play in the regular season, Barone sits atop the Skyline Conference rankings in assists and in assist-to-turnover ratio with a mark of 1.86. Her steal total is good for eighth in the league heading into play on Thursday at Farmingdale State. Nationally, Barone is 12th in assists per game and 46th in assist-to-turnover ratio. She has been named the league's Rookie of the Week three times in 2013-14.
In his second season mentoring the Women's Basketball program, Clifford has picked up Coach of the Year honors after leading the Dolphins to a 17-8 mark to date and a 9-5 mark in Skyline Conference play. Clifford helped turnaround a team that posted a single league win a season ago and had a combined 17-32 overall record and 10-22 mark in league play the two season's prior to his arrival.
Heading into Thursday's Skyline Conference Semifinal matchup at Farmingdale State, Clifford has led the Dolphins to 24 triumphs, including 10 victories against Skyline rivals. In his two seasons at the Mount he has mentored three All-Skyline Conference selections, an All-Met Second Team pick and had the program produce 13 Skyline Conference Weekly Award winners.
At 17-8 overall, Mount Saint Vincent will travel to top-seeded Farmingdale State on Thursday night or the semifinal round of the Skyline Conference Tournament. The Dolphins, who will make their first appearance in the tournament since the 2009-10 season, and Rams will tip-off at 7:00 p.m.