LINK: Complete GNAC Release
Winthrop, Mass. – Senior forward Olivia Bolden (South Windsor, Conn.) of the Albertus Magnus College women's basketball team has been named the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Basketball Player of the Year as announced by the league office on Monday afternoon. Bolden was also named to the GNAC All-Conference First Team.
Along with Bolden, junior Jill Johnson (North Haven, Conn.) also received All-Conference honors as the guard earned a spot on the Third Team.
The GNAC All-Sportsmanship Team was also announced on Monday afternoon and junior Kristen Cunning (Hoboken, N.J.) represented the Falcons on the squad.
Bolden earned end of the league recognition for the fourth season after being tabbed as a two-time First Team All-GNAC selection as a junior and sophomore and also was named GNAC Rookie of the Year in 2015. She ended her senior campaign leading the league in rebounds per game (13.5 rpg) and finished second averaging a career-best 21.6 points a game. She posted a team-high 21 double-doubles while shooting 48.6 percent from the field. Bolden scored 20 or more points 19 times highlighted by three 30-point performances, including a career-high 35 at Rivier on Jan. 11. The senior forward also reached two major milestones as she became the all-time program leader in points with 2,017 and rebounds with 1,127.
In her third year, Johnson led the team as well as the conference in steals, collecting a career-high 89 steals (3.6 spg). She ended her junior campaign averaging 16.1 points and 4.8 rebounds a game while shooting 37.8 percent from the field and 53.7 percent from the free-throw line. This year, she recorded seven 20 point performances, including two double-doubles and a career-high 30 points against Pine Manor.
In her first season with the team, Cunning averaged 5.0 points and 2.0 rebounds a game while shooting 26.4 percent from the field and 23.7 percent from behind the arc. She also finished out the season with 22 assists, 11 steals and five blocks.
For the fourth time in school history, the Falcons produced the GNAC Player of the Year in both men's and women's basketball as Jaqhawn Walters (Hartford, Conn.) was tagged as the GNAC Men's Basketball Player of the Year for 2018. Former Falcons Lianna Carrero and Darius Watson earned the honors in 2014 and Kendra Walker and Ray Askew were tagged as GNAC Player of the Year in 2010. Natalie Perlaza and Tim Russell were the first Falcon duo to claimed the honors in 2005.