ATLANTA, Ga. -- Continuing to make history as a pair of the most accomplished players in program history, graduate student Sondra Fan and senior Anaya Simmons set a new bar for success on Thursday as they were both named All-Americans by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). It marks the first time in CNU Basketball history, men's or women's, that two Captains earned All-America plaudits in the same season. 

Simmons was named a WBCA First Team All-American, joined by nine other honorees announced in a press release on Thursday morning. She joins only Pam Stewart, Karen Barefoot, Chelsie Schweers, and Fan as the only First Team selections in program history. Meanwhile, Fan collected WBCA Honorable Mention All-American honors and became just the fifth player in program history to garner multiple All-American plaques over the course of her career. 

In addition, the WBCA announced the 2022-23 NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year finalists, including head coach Bill Broderick among the selected for the second straight year. 

After one of the most spectacular front-court performances in back-to-back seasons for a Division III player, Simmons was recognized as one of the top players in Division III during the 2022-23 season. The Williamsburg, Va. native finished her junior campaign as the nation's leader in field-goal percentage and would return for her senior season with her eyes set on even higher standards of success. Throughout the course of the year, Simmons continued to climb the single-season and career charts in Division III lore with some of the most efficient shooting percentages in the history of the level. 

After a perfect 5-for-5 effort in her final game against Brooklyn College in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Simmons raised her single-season shooting percentage to 68.5 percent. That mark ranks in the top-10 all-time for a Division III player, but moreover, it increased her career field-goal percentage to an incredible 63.3 percent which will etch her name into the record books as the seventh most efficient player in Division III history. 

Despite playing under 20 minutes per game over her 82 career games played, Simmons eclipsed 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds while playing in the fast-paced Captains rotation. She averaged a career-high 13.7 points and 7.8 rebounds per game this season while wreaking havoc on the defensive end with 44 steals and 12 blocked shots. She was named the D3hoops.com Region VI Player of the Year, a first team All-Region and first team All-Conference pick this season. 

While Simmons manned the paint, her veteran teammate, Sondra Fan, continued her assault on the Captains record book with yet another consistent performance on the floor in 2022-23. She joins Linda Richardson, Barefoot, Misty Hart, and Schweers as the only Captains to garner multiple All-American laurels after earning First Team WBCA honors and second team D3hoops.com recognition last year. 

This season, Fan is leading the Captains with 14.3 points per game while continuing a string of four straight seasons with 300+ points, 60+ rebounds, 55+ assists, and 55+ steals. Led by her steady contributions night in and night out, Fan ranks sixth all-time in career scoring with 1,470 career points and second all-time in career three-pointers. The Poquoson, Va. native also made history as the program's first ever Academic All-American announced on Wednesday as her award ledger continues to grow. 

Both players have shattered conference records as Simmons' FG% and Fan's three-pointers have set a new standard in the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference. Fan was the first player in program history to win four straight conference titles and Simmons aided in securing the last three. 

Broderick leaned on his veteran leaders to earn his second straight spot among the finalists for the WBCA National Coach of the Year. The Captains are 30-0 and ranked No. 1 in the nation heading into this weekend's Final Four and Christopher Newport is 73-1 dating back to December of the 2019-20 season. Despite the losses of two starters for multiple games this season, Broderick has led Christopher Newport to a fourth straight conference title and seventh straight trip to the sectional weekend of the NCAA Tournament. It will be the second time in ten seasons under Broderick that CNU will compete for a chance to go to the national championship game. 

The Captains will face Rhode Island College on Saturday, March 18 at 5:00 p.m. in the NCAA Division III National Semifinals. Live stats and live video will be available from Oosting Gymnasium on the campus of Trinity College (CT).  

 

2023 WBCA NCAA Division III Coaches' All-Americans:
Name	School
Natalie Bruns	New York University
Aleah Grundahl	University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Madison Kellione	Transylvania University
Elyce Knudsen	Millikin University
Bridget Monaghan	University of Scranton
Morgan Morrison	Smith College
Maggie Russell	Tufts University
Brynn Serbin	Ohio Northern University
Anaya Simmons	Christopher Newport University
Katie Titus	University of Rochester

 

2023 WBCA NCAA Division III Coaches' All-America honorable mention:
Name	School
Maya Arnott	Washington University in St. Louis
Claire Baguley	Hope College
Korin Baker	Whitman College
Anna Barry	Eastern Connecticut State University
Megan Bauman	Babson College
Megan Bealer	DeSales University
Natasha Blizzard	Hardin-Simmons University
Gabrielle Boggs	Albright College
Claire Brock	Emory University
Reilly Campbell	Trinity College (CT)
Kacie Carollo	University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Jordan Carpenter	University of Mary Washington
Emily Dorn	Ithaca College
Meghan Dryburgh	Washington & Jefferson College
Sondra Fan	Christopher Newport University
Syrita Faraj	The Sage Colleges
Savannah Feenstra	Hope College
Brianna Fitzgerald	SUNY at New Paltz
Meghan Graff	Bates College
Sam Hourihan	Springfield College
Lauren Hunter	U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
Grace Hynes	University of Chicago
Kaci Kranson	University of Scranton
Maddy Mandyck	Williams College
Sami Martin	Loras College
Shannon McCoy	Kean University
Summer McNulty	Elizabethtown College
Kaylee Murphy	University of California-Santa Cruz
Alexa Mustafaj	Middlebury College
Parris Parmer	Hardin-Simmons University
Belle Pellecchia	New York University
Olivia Rangel	Carroll University
Damaris Rodriguez	New Jersey City University
Jessie Ruden	University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Anna Sanders	Gustavus Adolphus College
Mary Schleusner	Washington & Lee University
Symantha Shackelford	Marymount University
Mackenzie Szlosek	Gettysburg College
Gabby Timmer	Calvin University
Zoë Tomlinson	Colorado College

 

2023 WBCA NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year Finalists:
NAME	SCHOOL
Meg Barber	New York University
Bill Broderick	Christopher Newport University
Jenna Cosgrove	Rhode Island College
Michelle Ferenz	Whitman College
Julie Fulks	Transylvania University
Lynn Hersey	Smith College
Mark Huelsman	Ohio Northern University
Laurie Kelly	Gustavus Adolphus College
Olivia Lett	Millikin University
Heather Macy	Greensboro College
Benjamin O'Brien	University of Scranton
Jill Pace	Tufts University
Jessica Turner	Skidmore College