April 14, 2009
Met Basketball Writers Association Dinner Photo Gallery, 4/15
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - The Marist women's basketball team continued to collect postseason accolades on Tuesday, as Rachele Fitz (Seven Hills, Ohio), Julianne Viani (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.), and head coach Brian Giorgis earned honors from the Met Basketball Writers Association. Fitz and Viani were named to the All-Met first team while Giorgis was named the Maggie Dixon Coach of the Year. Fitz was also named the All-Met division I women's college basketball player of the year.
Fitz became Marist's all-time leading scorer in her junior season with 1,844 points. She led the Red Foxes in scoring with 20.5 points per game, rebounds with 9.3 per game, and field goal percentage at 59.8%. Fitz was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference's Player of the Year for the second straight time this season and was an Honorable Mention All-American by the Associated Press.
Viani had her best offensive season as a senior. She averaged 15 points and a team-high 4.5 assists per game. Viani also shot 37.8% from the three-point line and 86.3% from the free throw line. The 2009 MAAC Tournament MVP, Viani scored her 1,000th career point against Harvard on Nov. 23 and is fifth all-time at Marist in scoring with 1,447 points. She is also Marist's all-time leader in games played with 129 and three-point percentage, shooting 37.3% from beyond the arc for her career.
Giorgis earns his second straight Maggie Dixon Coach of the Year award after sharing the award last year with Rutgers head coach C. Vivian Stringer. The Red Foxes won over 20 games for the sixth straight season in 2008-09, taking their sixth straight MAAC regular season title. Marist also reached its fifth NCAA tournament in six years. Giorgis became Marist's all-time leader in wins on November 21 as the Red Foxes defeated Northeastern 93-65.
Marist finished the 2008-09 season 29-4, going 16-2 in the MAAC. The Red Foxes won their fourth straight MAAC Tournament championship and reached the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in six years.
