Williams Named MASCAC Defensive Player of the Year; Joins Hadla, Grant on First Team
Westfield State University placed three players on the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference’s women’s basketball all-conference first team, highlighted by Defensive Player of the Year Octaviana Williams (Springfield, Mass./Minnechaug).
WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State University placed three players on the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference's women's basketball all-conference first team, highlighted by Defensive Player of the Year Octaviana Williams (Springfield, Mass./Minnechaug).
Williams had an outsized impact in the Owls' press, as the 5-4 sophomore guard averaged 3.1 steals and a team-best 6.7 rebounds per game, while adding six points and 2.4 assists per game.
She helped key an Owls defense that ranks second in the nation in steals per game, turnovers forced per game, and turnover margin.
Williams was joined on the first team by senior forward Jordan Grant (Gray, Maine/Gray-New Gloucester) and senior guard Olivia Hadla (Westfield, Mass.).
Hadla led the Owls at 15.4 points per game and shot 37 percent from behind the three point-arc, making 64 triples this year. She led the league with 3.2 steals per game and added 2.5 assists per game. She ranked second in the conference in three-point field goal percentage, and seventh in points per game. Hadla was named to the league's second team at the end of 2022-23 season.
Grant netted 15.3 points per game, grabbed 61 rebounds and 2.1 steals per night. She was named to the first team for the second consecutive season. Grant ranked eighth in the league in points per game, ninth in steals, second in blocked shots (0.7 per game), and fourth in field goal percentage (46.7).
Both Grant and Hadla reached 1,000 points scored in their collegiate careers this season.
Westfield finished the season with 17-10 overall record under 18th year head coach Andrea Bertini.