ROCHESTER, N.Y. (February 25, 2015) – Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball junior Kaitlyn Astel was named the Empire 8 Conference's Player of the Year Wednesday in addition to a First Team All-Conference selection.
 
Additionally, sophomore Brittany Washington and junior Miranda Ripken were named all-conference honorable mentions, while junior Megan Petuskey was named Stevens' Sportswoman of the Year.
 
Astel led the Ducks to 22 regular season wins and enters this weekend's tournament as the E8's leading scorer at 16.6 points per game. The Staten Island native also leads the Ducks with 6.6 rebounds per game, and is second with two assists per game.
 
Washington came off the bench in 24 games for the Ducks, averaging 8.2 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while Ripken's 8.6 points per game is good for second on the team. Ripken made all 25 starts this season, and added 3.7 rebounds and two assists per game.
 
The postseason recognition is a first for Astel and Washington while Ripken was named an honorable mention after the 2012-13 season.
 
Stevens will battle St. John Fisher College Friday at 8 p.m. in the E8 Championship semi-final for a chance to play the winner of top-seeded Ithaca College and fourth-seeded Nazareth College on Saturday. All three games will be played at Ithaca.
 
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