
DATE: Thursday, February 27, 1997           TAG: 9702270663

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C4   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY VICKI L. FRIEDMAN, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   86 lines

OLD DOMINION'S PENICHEIRO, LARRY CLAIM CAA TOP HONORS

For the second-consecutive year, the Colonial Athletic Association has selected Old Dominion point guard Ticha Penicheiro as Player of the Year and Lady Monarchs coach Wendy Larry as Coach of the Year.

The awards were announced Wednesday afternoon at a Richmond luncheon preceding the CAA Tournament's play-in game. ODU, ranked No. 2 nationally, dominated the selections with four players - Penicheiro, Clarisse Machanguana, Nyree Roberts and Mery Andrade - on the first team. American forward Mary Klima rounded out the first team.

Penicheiro is the national leader in assists with an average of 8.2, and she led the league in steals with 5. That makes her the CAA's all-time leader in steals with 405. She has recorded 200 assists and 130 steals in each of her last three seasons. A Dean's List student in communications, Penicheiro also made the league's all-academic squad. On Tuesday she and Machanguana were named two of 12 finalists for the Naismith national player of the year award.

Larry received the coaching honor for the fourth time in the last five years. This Lady Monarchs team has been Larry's best, going 26-1 and 4-1 over ranked teams. That includes Larry's first-ever win in 14 years over Tennessee and a victory over Stanford, which came into the field house ranked No. 1. ODU's only loss came in the second game of the season to North Carolina State.

American's Jeff Thatcher, Richmond's Bob Foley and UNC Wilmington's Susan Yow also received votes.

Post players Machanguana and Roberts have been an unstoppable combination since the start of the season. Machanguana, a senior 6-5 forward, leads the league in scoring with 19.8 points to go with 7.1 rebounds. Roberts, a 6-3 center, was the CAA's second-leading scorer with 17.7 points along with 7.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks.

Andrade, last year's Rookie of the Year, is a potent defender and an offensive threat, averaging 11.8 points. Along with Penicheiro, Machanguana, Richmond's Amy Dorsett and James Madison's Kish Jordan, she was named to the CAA's All-Defensive Team.

George Mason point guard Kristeena Alexander, averaging 15.2 points and 3.3 steals, was honored as the CAA's Rookie of the Year. ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo appeared on page C1]

HUY NGUYEN

Staff file

Ticha Penichero

CAA WOMEN'S HONORS

Player of the Year: Ticha Penicheiro, Old Dominion

Coach of the Year: Wendy Larry, ODU

Rookie of the Year: Kristeena Alexander, GMU

First team All-CAA

Ticha Penicheiro, ODU

Clarisse Machanguana, ODU

Nyree Roberts, ODU

Mery Andrade, ODU