The America East Conference (AE) announced their All-Conference accolades for the 2020-21 basketball season. The University of New Hampshire (UNH) women’s basketball had three players named as All-Conference selections.
Senior guard Amanda Torres was named to the AE All-Conference Second Team as well as the All-Defensive Team. This selection marks Torres’ second year in a row on the All-Defensive Team. Junior forward Ivy Gogolin was named to the AE All-Conference Third Team and received honors for the AE All-Academic Team. Rounding out the awards for the Wildcats was first-year guard Adara Groman, who made the AE All-Rookie Team.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Torres garnered two end-of-season awards. The captain, who is the lone senior on the team, had a tremendous season. She averaged 12.2 points per game, which ranked seventh among America East players and her 2.6 assists ranked eighth in the conference. Torres’ impact can be felt on both ends of the court; the senior ranked second in the conference in steals with 2.2 per game.
Head coach Kelsey Hogan has run out of ways to praise her senior captain. Still, she gave it another shot when discussing Torres’ season goals earlier this year. Hogan said she and Torres sat down before the season began and laid out what she wanted to accomplish.
“We talked about being on the All-Conference Defensive Team. We talked about becoming the All-Conference player that we see. So that’s a big push too. We talked about accolades for her just because of her hard work and thinking that she definitely is deserving of all that because of that hard work she’s put in,” explained Hogan.
Coach Hogan has said repeatedly that the team goes as Torres goes. Luckily for Hogan and her team, the veteran Wildcat isn’t going anywhere as Torres has decided to play a fifth year at UNH.
Gogolin was behind only Torres in points per game for the Wildcats. The junior averaged 11.6 points and 5.7 rebounds. Those numbers were good enough for eighth and 14th in the conference respectively. Gogolin, who majors in business administration and finance, excelled in the classroom with a 3.95 GPA, earning her spot on the All-Academic Team. This year is Gogolin’s first selection to an All-Conference Team. She made the AE Commissioner’s Honor Roll in 2019 and 2020.
The standout first-year for UNH this season was Groman. Her selection to the AE All-Rookie team affirms her place as a critical piece in Coach Hogan’s plans to revamp the program. Groman ranked first in minutes per game among all rookies in the conference and averaged 6.7 points per game. Groman’s shooting will make her a valuable offensive weapon for the Wildcats for years to come.
Photo courtesy of UNH Athletics (In order: Adara Groman, Amanda Torres, Ivy Gogolin).
