2021-22 Shore Girls Basketball Coaches Association Awards
Note to reader: The following honors are courtesy of the coaches who provided this information to the Shore Sports Network. Our staff did not have any input into these selections and we appreciate the Coaches Association sharing this information so we can promote the outstanding accomplishments of the girls who compete in the Shore Conference.
Co-Coaches of the Year
Dawn Karpell, St. John Vianney
With all the talent she has at her disposal it would be easy to overlook the outstanding job Karpell has done at St. John Vianney. A finalist for the Jersey Mike’s Naismith National Coach of the Year, she guided the Lady Lancers to a 32-1 season and the final NJSIAA Tournament of Champions title as they finished No. 3 in the final Blue Star Media Elite 25 national rankings. Their only loss came to No. 2 Sidwell Friends (Washington D.C.) in February.
What Karpell, a former player at the Holmdel school, does so well is manage all that talent as Vianney had 12 players who appeared in at least 25 games. While they will lose Madison St. Rose, Megan Cahalan, Ashley O’Connor and Paige Knutsen to graduation don’t expect the winning to stop as they return a deep roster and of course have Karpell, who is 474-103 in 14 seasons, to lead the way.
William Wishart, Shore Regional
Photo: Doug Bostwick, WLB Sports Shots
It’s both a curse and a blessing to be part of the Class A Central Division with the likes of Red Bank Catholic, Rumson-Fair Haven, and Holmdel. Shore Regional ended up fifth in the division with a 4-8 record but those night-in and night-out battles helped them prepare for the NJSIAA Tournament. Wishart saw his Blue Devils beat Highland Park, Keansburg, Point Beach, and then South Hunterdon to claim the third Central Jersey Group 1 title in program history.
Shore extended their winning streak to eight games with a win over Wildwood in the Group1 semifinals before falling to perennial power University in the group final as they closed the door on a 19-13 season just a year removed from going 3-9. What’s just as exciting for the Blue Devils and Wishart is the return of players like Rylee Drahos, Conley Smolokoff, Reese Fiore, and Leilani Andrews as among their entire roster only Julia Iannuzzelli and Kayla O’Scanlon will graduate.
Shore will also be placed in the more friendly Class C South division next winter with Donovan Catholic, Jackson Liberty, Monmouth Regional, Ocean Township, and Lakewood.
30 famous people you might not know were college athletes
Stacker dug deep to find 30 celebrities who were previously college athletes. There are musicians, politicians, actors, writers, and reality TV stars. For some, an athletic career was a real, promising possibility that ultimately faded away due to injury or an alternate calling. Others scrapped their way onto a team and simply played for fun and the love of the sport. Read on to find out if your favorite actor, singer, or politician once sported a university jersey.
