University of Richmond Athletics
Women's Basketball Earns Atlantic Honors
03/02/2006 | Women's Basketball
March 2, 2006
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - The Atlantic 10 Conference announced yesterday that the University of Richmond's Saona Chapman, Araceli Gil, Mirna Mazic, and Sarah Williams earned All-Conference honors following the conclusion of the 2005-06 women's basketball season. Chapman earned Second-Team and All-Academic honors, while Gil and Mazic were named to the Honorable Mention Team and Williams was selected to the All-Rookie Team.
Chapman (Voluntown, Conn.) was selected to the second team for the third year straight after finishing second in the conference for assists, 11th for steals, and fourth for assist/turnover ratio. Additionally, the three-year co-captain led the Spiders in assists for the third year straight, and moved herself up in the Spider record book in many categories. In addition to hitting her 1,000th point in a Richmond uniform halfway through the season at Xavier, Chapman's senior year was highlighted with 12 double-digit performances, including one double-double.
"I'm proud of Saona for making Second Team All-Conference," stated Richmond head coach Michael Shafer. "She faced a more defensive focus this year and she was able to perform well and she deserves recognition for that."
In addition to her outstanding performance on the court, Chapman also performed well in the classroom and was selected to the All-Academic Team for the second consecutive year. Majoring in Religion and Leadership Studies, Chapman has accumulated a GPA of 3.46 while playing basketball and staying active throughout the community.
Gil (Santa Barbara, Calif.) rounded out her senior season with the Spiders in fancy style by scoring double-figures in 13 games, hitting a career-high and a Richmond record-tying seven three-pointers against Fordham, and shooting perfect from the free throw line in 12 contests. Averaging 9.3 ppg overall and 10.1 ppg in conference play, Gil led the Spiders in three-point percentage for the second year straight and finished ninth in the A-10 for three-point field goals made, seventh for assists, and third for assist/turnover ratio.
Mazic (Zabreb, Croatia) earned Honorable Mention Honors after leading the Spiders in scoring (10.6 ppg overall and 11.5 ppg in A-10 play), rebounding (6.5 rpg), and blocks (1.0 bpg). The only Spider to end the season in double-digits, Mazic recorded five double-doubles on her way to an amazing sophomore season that included one 30-point game against La Salle and 12 double-digit performances.
"Gil and Mirna both undoubtedly deserve this honor," stated Shafer. "I thought they both had very good campaigns. When you look at all three All-Conference honorees, in my mind, I feel like they all could have easily been first or second team, and that really shows the depth of the conference."
Williams (Wilmington, Dela.) was named to the All-Rookie team after a stand-out freshman year in which she averaged 6.1 ppg overall and 8.2 ppg in conference play. She was dubbed Rookie of the Week twice throughout the season (1/28) and (2/18) and reached double figures in eight of the last 11 contests. Well known for her three-point shot, Williams hit three or more three-pointers in six games and scored a career-high 15 points after hitting a career-high four treys against Rhode Island.
"Sarah came on strong as they year progressed and really turned the corner as conference play heated up," stated Shafer. "The great thing about the All-Rookie team is that you have three more years."
The Spiders just rounded out their regular season 12-16 overall and 7-9 in Atlantic 10 action. They will open Atlantic 10 Tournament play on Friday at noon with the La Salle Explorers in Philadelphia, Pa.
