Arlington, Va. – Hofstra seniors Anma Onyeuku and Annie Payton were named to the All-Colonial Athletic Association third team, it was announced tonight at the league's tournament banquet in Arlington, Va.
Freshman forward Elo Edeferioka was selected to the all-rookie squad and Onyeuku also earned a spot on the all-academic team. The voting for the postseason awards was done by the conference's head coaches.
James Madison's Kirby Burkholder was honored as the 2014 CAA Player of the Year while JMU's Kenny Brooks earned Coach of the Year accolades. The Dukes saw another player garner a major award with Nikki Newman capturing Defensive Player of the Year honors. William & Mary's Marlena Tremba was the Rookie of the Year and Delaware's Stephanie Leon won the Dean Ehlers Leadership Award.
The postseason awards were the first in the careers of both Onyeuku and Payton. Onyeuku, from Fayetteville, Ga., was a second-team All-CAA preseason pick and lived up to that billing by averaging a team-leading 11.7 points and a 6.5 rebounding average that was second on the squad behind only Edeferioka's 7.4 figure.
Onyeuku has finished in double figures 20 times this season, including the last four games entering the tournament. Five of her seven career double-doubles have come in her last collegiate campaign. Onyeuku also had just 16 turnovers in 16 conference games while posting 12 blocks and 20 steals in league competition.
Payton is second on the team with 11.5 points per game. The guard has five of Hofstra's 11 20-point efforts, including a career-high 27-points against the College of Charleston on Feb. 16. Payton has been one of the team's most clutch players this season and is 20-for-23 from the free low line in the final five minutes of games. The Camden, N.J., native also averaged 13.3 points in conference play.
Edeferioka averaged 6.3 points and 7.4 rebounds while notching four double-doubles. She set a Hofstra season high in the team's regular season finale on Sunday with 17 rebounds in a home win over NJIT. The Warri, Nigeria, product has played in all 28 games with 21 starts.
Fifth-seeded Hofstra ended the regular season at 14-14 and 8-8 and will face fourth-seeded Drexel on Friday at 2:30 p.m. the quarterfinal round of the CAA Championships at the Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro, Md.
