TORONTO - St. Lawrence College's Lacey Knox was named the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) women's basketball player of the year in a ceremony held at the Holiday Inn Toronto International Airport on Thursday morning as part of the 2013 belairdirect OCAA Women's Basketball Championship.

Knox (Kingston) won the OCAA East and overall scoring championship, leading all OCAA players with a 20.3 points per game average. The third-year Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) all-Canadian scored 365 points while contributing 145 rebounds, 51 steals, 44 assists and 27 blocks. Knox also headlines the OCAA East first-team all-stars.

Algoma's Corina Bruni (Sault Ste. Marie) is an all-Canadian for the second straight season. The fourth-year guard led all OCAA players with 101 assists and was second in steals with 71 during the regular season. She averaged 15.6 points per game to go with her 98 rebounds and five blocks. Bruni is also an OCAA West first-team all-star.

Jessica Cetoute of St. Lawrence-Kingston is the OCAA East and overall rookie of the year. Cetoute (Ottawa) was one of the top rebounders in league play with 217 to her credit. She was second on the Vikings in scoring averaging 13.2 points per game while contributing 44 steals, 22 blocks and 15 assists. Cetoute is an OCAA East first-team all-star as well as a member of the East all-rookie team.

Redeemer's Jesseca Brown (Grand Manan, N.B.) is the OCAA West rookie of the year. Brown led her teammates with a 17.2 points per game average, and was among the top five scorers throughout OCAA. She also contributed 109 rebounds, 44 steals, 31 assists and 13 blocks. A member of the West all-rookie team, Brown also earned West first-team all-star status.

Remy Simpson of St. Lawrence-Kingston is the OCAA East coach of the year and is the OCAA nominee for CCAA coach of the year. To say the Vikings had a turnaround season would be an understatement. St. Lawrence improved on last season's record by 15 wins after going 0-16 last year. This year's 15-3 mark was good for second place in the OCAA East, and a berth into the OCAA championship.

Algoma's Ryan Vetrie is the OCAA West coach of the year. The Thunderbirds soared to a 16-2 record, including a perfect mark of 9-0 at home. Algoma finished in second place in the region for the second straight season, its last in OCAA. Algoma makes the move to Ontario University Athletics this fall.

Shylanda Saunders of Sheridan is the scoring champion of the OCAA West. Saunders (Dartmouth, N.S.) averaged 19.6 points per game totaling 353 points. Saunders is a member of the West second-team all-stars.

Algonquin's Abeer Farhat (Ottawa) is the OCAA East defensive player of the year. Farhat contributed 85 rebounds, 40 steals and two blocks on a Thunder squad that allowed a league-low 40.1 points per game. Algonquin won the East regional championship with a perfect 18-0 record. Farhat is also an East first-team all-star.

Felicia Mazerolle (Elliot Lake) of Fanshawe is the OCAA West defensive player of the year. Mazerolle led the OCAA with 73 steals while contributing 68 rebounds. Fanshawe limited opponents to a 51.6 points per game average en route to its West regional championship. Mazerolle is also a West first-team all-star.

Joining Knox, Cetoute and Farhat as OCAA East first-team all-stars are Algonquin's Sandre Bascoe (Ottawa) and Loyalist's Jenni Thompson (Belleville). Lambton's Riley Williams (Sarnia) and St. Clair's Kendyl Rizea (Windsor) join Bruni, Brown and Mazerolle as West first-team all-stars.

OCAA East second-team all-stars include Fleming's Kelly Killoran (Sarnia); Kelsey Hare (Whitby) of Durham; George Brown's Shan Wilson (Toronto); Sharika Smith (Mississauga) of Seneca; and Cambrian's Trish Taylor (Sudbury).

Along with Saunders, Laura Cooper (Thunder Bay) of Algoma; Fanshawe's Janine DeLeon (Guelph); Aleena Domingo (Toronto) of Humber; and Niagara's Allana Arundell (Toronto) are OCAA West second-team all-stars.

Joining Cetoute on the OCAA East all-rookie team are Centennial's Tamara James-Francis (Toronto); Cassandra Powell (Calgary, Alta.) of George Brown; Loyalist's Nikea Worrell (Cambridge) and Haley Gourdier (Kingston) of St. Lawrence-Kingston.

Brown, Karissa Kajorinne (Thunder Bay) of Algoma; Humber's Aleena Domingo (Toronto); Lacey Wolters (Kingsville) of Mohawk; and Sheridan's Haeven Durrant (Mississauga) form the OCAA West all-rookie team.

2012-13 OCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL MAJOR AWARDS

OCAA Women's Basketball East Division Champions
Algonquin Thunder

OCAA Women's Basketball West Division Champion
Fanshawe Falcons

OCAA Women's Basketball Player of the Year
Lacey Knox, St. Lawrence-K

CCAA Women's Basketball All-Canadians
Lacey Knox, St. Lawrence-K
Corina Bruni, Algoma

OCAA Women's Basketball Rookie of the Year
Jessica Cetoute, St. Lawrence-K

OCAA Women's Basketball League Scoring Champion
Lacey Knox, St. Lawrence-K

OCAA Women's Basketball CCAA Coach of the Year Nominee
Remy Simpson, St. Lawrence-K

OCAA Women's Basketball East Division Scoring Champion
Lacey Knox, St. Lawrence-K

OCAA Women's Basketball West Division Scoring Champion
Shylanda Saunders, Sheridan

OCAA Women's Basketball East Division Coach of the Year
Remy Simpson, St. Lawrence-K

OCAA Women's Basketball West Division Coach of the Year
Ryan Vetrie, Algoma

OCAA Women's Basketball East Division Rookie of the Year
Jessica Cetoute, St. Lawrence-K

OCAA Women's Basketball West Division Rookie of the Year
Jesseca Brown, Redeemer

OCAA Women's Basketball East Division Defensive Player of the Year
Abeer Farhat, Algonquin

OCAA Women's Basketball West Division Defensive Player of the Year
Felicia Mazerolle, Fanshawe

OCAA Women's Basketball East Division First-Team All-Stars
Sandre Bascoe, Algonquin
Abeer Farhat, Algonquin
Jenni Thompson, Loyalist
Lacey Knox, St. Lawrence-K
Jessica Cetoute, St. Lawrence-K

OCAA Women's Basketball East Division Second-Team All-Stars
Kelly Killoran, Fleming
Kelsey Hare, Durham
Shan Wilson, George Brown
Sharika Smith, Seneca
Trish Taylor, Cambrian

OCAA Women's Basketball East Division All-Rookie Team
Tamara James-Francis, Centennial
Cassandra Powell, George Brown
Nikea Worrell, Loyalist
Jessica Cetoute, St. Lawrence-K
Haley Gourdier, St. Lawrence-K

OCAA Women's Basketball West Division First-Team All-Stars
Corina Bruni, Algoma
Felicia Mazerolle, Fanshawe
Riley Williams, Lambton
Jesseca Brown, Redeemer
Kendyl Rizea, St. Clair

OCAA Women's Basketball West Division Second-Team All-Stars
Laura Cooper, Algoma
Janine DeLeon, Fanshawe
Aleena Domingo, Humber
Allana Arundell, Niagara
Shylanda Saunders, Sheridan

OCAA Women's Basketball West Division All-Rookie Team
Jesseca Brown, Redeemer
Karissa Kajorinne, Algoma
Aleena Domingo, Humber
Lacey Wolters, Mohawk
Haeven Durrant, Sheridan

- OCAA -

ABOUT ONTARIO COLLEGES ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION

The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) is a recognized leader in intercollegiate athletics in the province, dedicated to student athlete and sport development. The OCAA has 30 members sponsoring 16 league and tournament championships.

For additional information please contact:
Josh Bell-Webster
Marketing and Communications
Ontario Colleges Athletic Association
Tel: 416-426-7041
Fax: 416-426-7308
E-mail: bell-webster@ocaa.com