Dec. 26, 2006

EDISON, N.J. - Freshman forward Rachele Fitz (Seven Hills, Ohio) of the Marist women's basketball team was named Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week on Tuesday. It is the fourth time this season Fitz has received the honor from the MAAC.

In the Red Foxes' two games last week, Fitz averaged 18.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocked shots in 24.5 minutes per game. She shot 53.6 percent (15-for-28) from the field.

Fitz scored a career-high 26 points in Marist's 74-68 victory over Harvard on Dec. 18. The total was the highest for any Red Fox this season, and it was the most points a Marist freshman had scored since Marie Fusci had 30 against Boston University on Nov. 29, 1998. No Marist player had scored that many points coming off the bench since Fusci poured in 27 at Loyola (Md.) on Feb. 14, 2002. Fitz finished with 10 points in the Red Foxes' 67-52 loss at Yale on Dec. 22, the ninth straight game she scored in double digits.

Fitz has now won MAAC Rookie of the Week four times in the last five weeks. The only time she did earn the award in this span was Dec. 18, and Marist did not have a game between Dec. 11 and Dec. 17.

The Red Foxes, who are 8-3 overall, return to action at the Terrapin Classic in College Park, Md., later this week. Marist will take on Liberty of the Big South Conference in the first round on Friday at 3:30 p.m., and will face either defending national champion Maryland or UNC Greensboro on Saturday.