NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Following the most successful women's basketball campaign in the 50-year history of Christopher Newport women's basketball, head coach Bill Broderick and senior forward Anaya Simmons have been named the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) State Coach and Player of the Year. Simmons was joined on the All-State First Team by graduate student guard Sondra Fan. 

For the second straight year, Fan and Simmons hauled in first team All-State accolades, marking the first time a player has repeated as a first team pick since Tia Perry in 2013 and 2014. They join an exclusive group of only three former Captains to collect first team All-State honors more than once in her career, including Candace Bryant (2005, 2006), Chelsie Schweers (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011), and Perry. 

Simmons joins Schweers, a four-time State Player of the Year, and Fan, who garnered the recognition last season, as the only players in CNU women's basketball history to earn the award. Broderick picks up his sixth State Coach of the Year selection in just ten seasons at the helm for Christopher Newport. 

Broderick led the Captains to a new standard of success in 2022-23, as Christopher Newport won a program record 31 games and advanced to the NCAA Division III National Championship Game for the first time. He was named the D3hoops.com National Co-Coach of the Year and also garnered Conference and Region Coach of the Year plaudits. 

In his 10th season, Broderick showcased some of his finest coaching by leading CNU to a 31-0 record heading into the title game. Despite the loss of starting point guard Gabbi San Diego for eight games and two postseason injuries to starters, including the aforementioned State Player of the Year Anaya Simmons, Broderick led his team to new heights in 22-23. Under his guidance, the Captains led the nation in scoring margin and set program records for points and assists in a season. The Captains outpaced opponents by an average of nearly 33 points per game during the magical run, which included back-to-back wins over Top 25 foes in the NCAA Tournament. 

Broderick recorded his 250th career win at CNU in the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Championship Game and has moved up into the top-ten all-time in NCAA history for career winning percentage with an 83.49 mark in his decorated career. 

On the hardwood, Broderick's team was led by Simmons and Fan during the year. For the second straight year, Simmons led the nation in field-goal percentage as she continues to shatter school and conference records for efficiency from the field. In her senior season, Simmons became just the fourth player in Division III history to go back-to-back as stat champion in FG% after knocking down 68.5 percent of her shots this season. 

She carries a 63.3 percent career shooting percentage into the offseason, ranking in the top-ten all-time at Division III. During the season, she eclipsed the 1,000 career point plateau and hauled in over 500 rebounds while averaging a career-high 13.7 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. She collected first team WBCA All-American and fourth team D3hoops.com All-American honors after being named the D3hoops.com Region VI Player of the Year and a first team All-Region and All-Conference pick. 

While her teammate dominated the paint, Sondra Fan put together yet another consistent and impressive campaign in the backcourt. The first three-time All-Region pick for the Captains since the legendary Chelsie Schweers and only the third ever (Karen Barefoot) in program lore, Fan capped her career with a third All-State certificate. The 2022 State Player and Defensive Player of the Year followed up her impressive senior season with a graduate campaign that carried the Captains all the way to the title game. 

Fan led the Captains with 14.1 points per game, setting career highs for field goals and three-pointers made in a season. She also dished a career-high 71 assists, added 89 rebounds, and 58 steals. Despite averaging just over 20 minutes per game over the course of her career, Fan climbed all the way to sixth all-time in program history with 1,494 career points. She also ranks second all-time in career triples and free-throw shooting, knocking down nearly 81 percent from the charity stripe. 

Christopher Newport ranked No. 2 in the final WBCA and D3hoops.com National polls and wrapped up the year with a 31-1 overall record. The Captains finished as national runners-up affter making the team's ninth NCAA tournament appearance in 10 seasons under Broderick. 


2022-23 VaSID College Division All-State Women's Basketball
 

VaSID Coach of the Year	Broderick, Bill	Christopher Newport University
VaSID Defensive Player of the Year	Schleusner, Mary	Washington and Lee University
VaSID Player of the Year	Simmons, Anaya	Christopher Newport University
VaSID Rookie of the Year	Schleusner, Mary	Washington and Lee University

 

First Team
Schleusner, Mary	Washington and Lee University
Kagey, Catherine	Randolph-Macon College
Simmons, Anaya	Christopher Newport University
Allard, Auzhane	Richard Bland College
Fan, Sondra	Christopher Newport University
Second Team
Carpenter, Jordan	University of Mary Washington
Norman, Jasmine	Richard Bland College
Bryant, Jada	Apprentice School
Greene, Terese	Shenandoah University
Meadows, Kylie	Bluefield College