Bucknell University Athletics
Ellie Mack Voted Patriot League Player of the Year, Trevor Woodruff Tabbed as Coach of the Year
3/6/2020 11:32:00 AM | Women's Basketball
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell senior Ellie Mack was voted the 2019-20 Patriot League Player of the Year, as announced by the League office on Friday. She becomes the fourth Bison in program history to earn the accolade and the second in four years.
Joining Mack as a major award winner was Trevor Woodruff, who took home the Coach of the Year award after leading Bucknell to a 23-6 record and a regular season title with a 16-2 Patriot League mark. Mack was named to the All-Patriot League First Team for a second consecutive season, while Junior Abby Kapp garnered Second Team recognition and junior Tessa Brugler landed on the Third Team. The Bison have had at least two players honored every year since 2014.
Mack watched in 2017 as teammate Claire DeBoer was named the Player of the Year, and she now joins her, Hope Foster, and Molly Creamer as the only Bison to have received the honor. It was a long journey for the Paoli, Pa. native, who was sidelined with injury as a freshman and didn't make her first collegiate start until her junior season.
Since entering the starting lineup as a junior, Mack has averaged 13.9 points per game and a .503 shooting percentage. She's been a two-time member of the All-Patriot League First Team and a 2019 All-Tournament Team selection. During her four seasons with the Bison, Mack has been a part of three regular season titles and two Patriot League Tournament Championships.
This season, Mack scored in double figures 26 times, including each of the last 15 games. She posted three double-doubles and finished the regular season third in the league in scoring, second in 3-point percentage, fourth in field goal percentage, and fifth in blocked shots. Mack currently ranks 23rd all-time in the program with 1,048 career points scored.
Kapp was a 2018 member of the Patriot League All-Rookie Team and now makes her return to an All-League list after her most well-rounded season yet. Kapp remains ones of the league's most dangerous 3-point shooters, as she matched her career high of 74 made triples during the regular season, and also emerged as a spectacular shot blocker and rebounder this season. Kapp is also second on the roster in steals and provided multiple assists in 12 games. In her best performance of the season, Kapp hit 6-of-8 from beyond the arc and led Bucknell with 23 points in a win at Lehigh.
Brugler has put together a breakout season after being voted a team captain in October. The Nazareth, Pa. native finished the regular season third on the roster in scoring behind Mack and Kapp and was second in rebounding. Brugler posted three double-doubles this season and led the Bison in scoring five times and rebounding 11 times. Brugler's .495 field goal percentage is fifth-best in the Patriot League, and she's third in offensive rebounds.
Woodruff becomes the fourth coach in program history to be named Patriot League Coach of the Year. Taking over the reins of the program in April, Woodruff set out to reshape the Bison defense while maintaining the level of success the program has seen in recent years. His defense now ranks eighth in the country and the team won the regular season by four games, which is the largest margin by any Patriot League team since the schedule was expanded to 18 games. He becomes the seventh Patriot League coach to win the award in his first season.
Under Woodruff, Bucknell won 19 games by double digits and posted a +13.2 scoring margin in league play. The Bison are now the No. 1 seed in the Patriot League Tournament and have won eight consecutive games leading into Monday's quarterfinal round.
2019-20 Women's Basketball All-Patriot League Teams and Major Awards
Player of the Year: Ellie Mack, Bucknell (Sr., F)
Defensive Player of the Year: Stephanie Karcz, Loyola Maryland (Sr., G)
Rookie of the Year: Maggie Pina, Boston University (Fr., G)
Coach of the Year: Trevor Woodruff, Bucknell
All-Patriot League First Team
Ellie Mack, Bucknell (Sr., F)
Rachel Thompson, Colgate (Jr., G)
Lauren Manis, Holy Cross (Sr., F)
Natalie Kucowski, Lafayette (Jr., F)
Stephanie Karcz, Loyola Maryland (Sr., G)
All-Patriot League Second Team
Jade Edwards, American (So., G)
Katie Nelson, Boston University (Jr., G)
Abby Kapp, Bucknell (Jr., G)
Avery LaBarbera, Holy Cross (So., G)
Camryn Buhr, Lehigh (Sr., G)
All-Patriot League Third Team
Kaitlyn Marenyi, American (Jr., G)
Alisa Fallon, Army West Point (So., G)
Maggie Pina, Boston University (Fr., G)
Tessa Brugler, Bucknell (Jr., F)
Abby Schubiger, Colgate (Sr., F)
Mary Kate Ulasewicz, Navy (Sr., G)
*Additional players were selected to the third team due to ties in voting.
All-Defensive Team
Indeya Sanders, American (Jr., G)
Maren Durant, Boston University (Fr., C)
Rachel Thompson, Colgate (Sr., G)
Lauren Manis, Holy Cross (Sr., F)
Natalie Kucowski, Lafayette (Jr., G)
Stephanie Karcz, Loyola Maryland (Jr., G)
Morgan Taylor, Navy (Sr., G)
*Additional players were selected to the all-defensive team due to ties in voting.
Hope Brown, Army West Point (G)
Maggie Pina, Boston University (G)
Maren Durant, Boston University (C)
Sydney Johnson, Boston University (G)
Alexa Brodie, Colgate (G)
Emily McAteer, Loyola Maryland (F)
*Additional players were selected to the all-rookie team due to ties in voting.
