ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy women's basketball team recently met to celebrate its 2020-21 season and announce its annual award recipients. The Mids' upperclass swept the honors as Jennifer Coleman won the Adm. Larson Award (Team MVP), Kolbi Green was selected as the Best Defensive Player, Ciera Hertelendy was named the team's Most Improved Player and Sophie Gatzounas collected the Coaches' Award.

Admiral Larson Award (Team MVP) – Jennifer Coleman
One of the top players in the Patriot League during the abridged 2020-21 season, Coleman was honored as the team's most valuable player after leading the program with averages of 17.1 points, 11.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 36.9 minutes of action per game. Additionally, she recorded 2.3 steals per game, while appearing in nine of the Mids' 12 contests. Coleman finished top-four in all five of those categories amongst Patriot League players, ranking first in minutes, second in rebounds, while standing third in scoring and assists and fourth in steals.The multi-talented guard reached double figures in scoring in every game, including 20-plus point outputs on three occasions; 25 versus Morgan State, 25 against Loyola and 21 at Army. Coleman posted seven double-doubles with a season-high of 15 rebounds accompanying her 25-point game versus Loyola on Feb. 13. Defensively, the junior from Richmond, Virginia had multiple steals in six games, twice tallying four thefts. She was selected to the All-Patriot League Second Team in March.

Head Coach Tim Taylor on Coleman's Award:
"Jenn was definitely deserving of this award. She put up incredible numbers throughout the Patriot League season and solidified herself as one of the top players in the conference. Finishing in the top four in five major categories is special. I am excited to watch her development this off-season and excited to see Jenn improve upon this year."

Best Defensive Player - Kolbi Green
Coleman's backcourt cohort, Green was an extremely active member of Navy's defensive effort during the 2020-21 as she led the team with 2.6 steals per game over 11 contests. As a unit, the Mids' defense held opponents to just 60.7 points per game, including two contests where the opposing team failed to score 50 points, Army on Jan. 23 (49 pts) and Loyola on Feb. 14 (46 pts). Individually, Green led the Patriot League with her steals per game average. Her single-game high in 2020-21 was five steals versus Lafayette on Feb. 17. In addition to her defensive prowess, Green averaged 13.4 points and 3.8 rebounds over 36.5 minutes of action per game.

Taylor on Green's Award:
"In my opinion, Kolbi was one of the top defenders in the Patriot league this year. She usually guarded the best player and consistently disrupted other offenses. Her on-ball defense and basketball IQ allowed her to lead the league in steals. I love the toughness and competitiveness she brings to our team."

Most Improved - Ciera Hertelendy
Coming into her junior year with just 16 games of action over her first two seasons with the program, Hertelendy transformed herself into a key cog in Navy's 2020-21 success. One of only three players to appear in all 12 games this past season, Hertelendy fought her way into the starting lineup for game three and never looked back. She earned her starting spot after a standout season debut as a reserve on Nov. 29 when she gathered nine rebounds and four blocks in 19 minutes versus George Mason. Beginning on Dec. 13 at William & Mary, she was Navy's starting post for each of the next 10 games. Aggressive in the paint, Hertelendy grabbed six or more rebounds in seven of those starts, as well as tallied blocks in seven games during that stretch. For the year, she averaged 3.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 26.1 minutes per contest.

Taylor on Hertelendy's Award: 
"CC was deserving of this award as she continually got better each day. Her effort and willingness to take coaching allowed her to improve every day. CC was consistent and we knew what to expect from her everyday and that is what you want as a coach." 

Coaches' Award - Sophie Gatzounas
The Mids' team captain in 2020-21, Gatzounas thrived for Navy in every task and responsibility thrown her way both on and off the court. Helping first-year head coach Tim Taylor and his staff get acclimated to the Naval Academy and the Navy Women's Basketball program, Gatzounas also had to bring stability to her teammates as the COVID-19 pandemic threw roadblock after roadblock at them both preseason and in-season. With all of these responsibilities off the court, Gatzounas didn't miss a beat in her senior season as she set career-highs in scoring (13.4 points/game), rebounding (7.5 rebounds/game), blocks (1.0 rejections/game) and minutes played (36.4 minutes/game). Leaned upon heavily early in the season, Gatzounas averaged 20.7 points and 8.0 rebounds per game over the first three contests of 2020-21, including a career-high 26 points on Nov. 29 at George Mason. Versus Patriot League opponents, the Massachusetts native turned in a dominant performance against service academy foe, Army on the weekend of Jan. 23-24 with 16 points and four boards over 35 minutes on Saturday before coming less than 24 hours later and going for 17 points and 10 rebounds over 39 minutes. A 2020-21 All-Patriot League Third Team honoree, Gatzounas will graduate at the end of May with a degree in general science and be commissioned into the United States Marine Corps.

Taylor on Gatzounas' Award:
"Sophie had a tremendous senior year on and off the court as recognized by the Patriot League Coaches. She was the consummate teammate and leader. Sophie was a warrior who did whatever we asked of her from defending, rebounding and scoring. My biggest regret is, I only had one year to coach her."