Click here for the NESCAC women’s basketball all-conference honors release.

Bates College junior Meg Coffin was recognized as the premier women’s basketball player in the New England Small College Athletic Conference on Wednesday, while sophomore teammates Sarah Barton and Matia Kostakis also earned league honors.

Coffin, a second-team All-NESCAC player a year ago, made the leap to become Player of the Year for 2005-06, the second straight season a Bates player has won the honor — Olivia Zurek ’05 won it last season.

The 6-1 center from Westford, Mass., was named conference Player of the Week on two occasions, and she ranked among the top four in the NESCAC in five major statistical categories: she was second in scoring (17.1 ppg), first in rebounding (10.8 rpg), second in field goal percentage (.587), fourth in blocked shots (1.54 bpg) and fourth in steals (2.25 spg).

Coffin was also Bates’ most consistent player, as exhibited by her 16 double-doubles. Coffin had only one game without reaching double figures in either points or rebounds, but in that game against Wesleyan she collected nine points and eight rebounds.

Coffin is also a two-time All-NESCAC defender in women’s soccer, and was named second-team All-America in 2005.

Barton, who was NESCAC Co-Rookie of the Year in 2004-05 with Kostakis, is fifth in Division III in assists per game, at 6.9, and she leads the conference in that category by a whopping margin of 2.6 over her nearest competitor.

The 5-9 point guard from Portsmouth, N.H., also led the NESCAC in three-point shooting (.412), was eighth in steals (1.78 spg), 29th in scoring (8.2 ppg), and 15th in blocked shots (0.59 bpg). Barton has started in all 27 games this season and leads Bates in minutes per game (31.3) while grabbing 4.5 rebounds per game, third on the team, and shooting .818 at the free throw line, second on the team.

Kostakis missed the team’s first seven games due to a foot injury, but made an immediate impact when she was able to hit the floor. The 6-0 forward from Andover, Mass., was Bates’ second-leading scorer and rebounder, at 12.1 ppg and 7.2 rpg. Those averages would put her 10th and ninth, respectively, in the conference leaders, but because she hasn’t quite played in 75 percent of the Bobcats’ games — she will have after Bates’ NCAA tournament game on Friday – she doesn’t appear among those listed.

Kostakis shot an impressive .806 on free throws, thanks in part to a 13-for-14 performance in Bates’ biggest win of the season, 56-51 over arch rival Bowdoin on Jan. 13.

The Bates women’s team (19-8), ranked 24th in this week’s D3Hoops.com poll, travels to Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, N.Y., on Friday to play Bridgewater (Va.) College (22-6) at 5:30 p.m. in the opening round of the NCAA Division III tournament. The winner of that game will advance to face Mount Saint Mary (25-3) or Baruch College (22-6) Saturday at 5 p.m.

The success of Bates College’s men’s and women’s basketball teams this season translated into awards announced by the New England Small College Athletic Conference on Wednesday.

Meg Coffin captured the NESCAC’s Player of the Year award for her efforts leading the Bobcats into the NESCAC championship game and into their second consecutive NCAA Division III tournament appearance.

Coffin (Westford, Mass.) was a natural pick as a First-Team All-NESCAC player, while sophomore teammates Sarah Barton (Portsmouth, N.H.) and Matia Kostakis (Andover, Mass.) each earned spots on the All-NESCAC Second Team.

A NESCAC Championship finalist for the fourth consecutive season, the Bobcats (19-8) travel to Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, N.Y., on Friday to face Bridgewater (Va.) College in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Meanwhile, men’s basketball coach Joe Reilly garnered NESCAC Coach of the Year honors after leading Bates to its most successful season, including a school-record 20 wins and a third consecutive trip to the NESAC Semifinals.

Also drawing All-NESCAC honors on the men’s side were juniors Zak Ray (Bangor, Maine) and Rob Stockwell (Temple, N.H.), each of whom made the all-conference Second Team for the second straight year.

For the first time in Bates history, the men’s and women’s basketball teams both finished in the top four of NESCAC, giving the Bobcats homecourt advantage in two first-round playoff games this Saturday.

Ranked No. 3 in NESCAC, the men’s team will host No. 6 Williams at 2 p.m. at Alumni Gymnasium. The women, ranked No. 2 in the conference, will play No. 7 Tufts University at 4 p.m. Admission to both games is free and open to the public.The men’s team finished the regular season 17-7 and 6-3 in NESCAC. Against Trinity on Feb. 12, center Elliott Linsley ’05 (Murrieta, Calif.) secured Bates’ third-place finish, draining an 18-footer from the right wing as time expired. The Bobcats won 69-67.

Rob Stockwell ’07 (Temple, N.H.) led the Bobcats this season, averaging 16 points and eight rebounds per game. Point guard Zak Ray ’07 (Bangor, Maine) averaged 12 points with five assists, while senior Brian Gerrity (Augusta, Maine) averaged 13 points per game. On Dec. 11, Gerrity became the 26th player in school history to score 1,000 career points.

Finishing the regular season 22-1 and 8-1 in NESCAC, the women’s team ranks No. 1 in the D3hoops.com national poll and No. 2 in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Coaches’ Poll.

The Bobcats only loss came against then No. 1 Bowdoin on Jan. 14. The Bobcats won their next 10 games, including a 74-62 win over Bowdoin on Feb. 1, but the Jan. 14 matchup was a conference game, giving the Polar Bears top seed in NESCAC.

Bates and Bowdoin finished a combined 4-0 against Colby this season, meaning the Bobcats’ win in February deferred the CBB title — and ultimate bragging rights — to the NESCAC tournament. Bates and Bowdoin could face each other in the NESCAC championship game next weekend for the third time in as many years.

Forward Olivia Zurek (Arlington, Mass.) averaged 16 points and 10 rebounds per game her senior year. She recorded 14 double-doubles in 23 games and was named NESCAC Player of the Week three times. She scored her 1,000th career point on Nov. 23 and finished the regular season as Bates’ all-time leading rebounder (838). With 1,348 career points, Zurek ranks third in scoring.

Meg Coffin ’07 (Westford, Mass.) provided a presence on the blocks this season, averaging 12 points and seven rebounds per game; she finished the year with three double-doubles.

The men’s and women’s teams faired well against their playoff opponents during the regular season. The men beat Williams on the road, 80-70, while the women beat Tufts, 76-66, also away from Alumni Gymnasium.

For the latest sports news, scores and updates, visit the Bates Athletics Web site.