Tom Azzara, Associate Director of Athletics, Farmingdale State

WHITE PLAINS, NY (17 December 2007) - The College of New Rochelle may not be a national power, but that does not stop Ruchelle Austin (Brooklyn, NY/Sheepshead Bay) from giving her all. This week's PrestoSports/Met Basketball Writers Association Player of the Week scored 73% of her teams points during a two-game stretch, that saw the Blue Angels (0-9 Overall, 0-2 Hudson Valley Women's Athletic Conference) lose at Yeshiva 71-41 and to Old Westbury 81-40.
Despite an 0-2 week for CNR, Austin averaged an unbelievable 29.5 points, 25.0 rebounds, 3.5 steals, and 3.0 blocks per game. The senior shot 46% for the week. She scored 32 points and shot 55% during a loss to Yeshiva on Wednesday, while grabbing 23 rebounds, blocking four shots and amassing two steals. On Saturday against Old Westbury, she scored 27 points, grabbed 27 rebounds, dished out two assists, had two blocked shots, and five steals.

This Week's Honor Roll
Mary Lepore, Adelphi University, Senior, Guard, 5'6", Manhasset, NY/St. Mary's
Dominique McClendon, Baruch College, Senior, Center, 5'11", Chicago, IL/Seaside (CA)
Sabra Wrice, Fairfield University, Senior, Guard, 5'8", Riverside, NJ/Riverside
Dee Dee Smith, Felician College, Senior, Forward, 5'9", Monticello, NY/Monticello
Valerie Nainima, Long Island University, Sophomore, Guard, 5'5", Suva, Fiji/St. Joseph's Secondary
Delmara Reece, Mercy College, Freshman, Forward, 5'10", Yonkers, NY/Saunders HS
Trish McMahon, St. Joseph's-LI, Sophomore, Forward, 5'10", North Patchogue, NY/Patchogue-Medford
Pamela Robinson, SUNY Old Westbury, Sophomore, Guard, 5'5", Wheatley Heights, NY/Half Hollow Hills West

About the PrestoSports/MBWA Weekly Player of the Week Award
Founded for the 2004-05 season, the Player of the Week Award is granted on a weekly basis by the New York Area Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association. Each week, each of the nearly 75 schools that play college basketball in the Tri-state area have the ability to nominate one male and one female student-athlete, based upon their on-court accomplishments over the previous seven days. An esteemed panel of eight media members votes to select from the nominations the most outstanding player. Any player who receives any votes, but are not named the Player of the Week, are then named to the Honor Roll.

About PrestoSports
PrestoSports is proud to sponsor the college basketball in the New York area, and specifically the MBWA. We are pleased to recognize the best athletic achievements in the Tri-state area. A Rockville, Md., based company, PrestoSports is a leading provider of athletic content management software to colleges and conference offices used for designing, building and maintaining official athletic websites. With clients across the country, PrestoSports focuses on smaller schools and conferences in NCAA Divisions II and III.

-PrestoSports-