Following in the Tufts tradition, senior guard Tiffany Kornegay was named the 2011-2012 NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year, the fifth straight season a Tufts women's basketball player has been given the honor. Kornegay and senior co-captain forward Kate Barnosky also made the All-NESCAC second team, and coach Carla Berube was named NESCAC Coach of the Year.
The seniors have led the Jumbos to a 21-6 season so far, reaching the conference finals and recently receiving an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. Kornegay is second in the conference in rebounding — despite being just five-foot-six — and third in steals, and is a key component of the Jumbos' well-balanced offensive attack.
Barnosky is the team's leading scorer with 9.1 points per game, and has been the leader and focal point of the offense. She has also been crucial to the Jumbos' interior defense, holding her own despite frequently being matched up against taller opponents.
Berube earned her third NESAC Coach of the Year honor after leading the Jumbos to a 19-5 record in the regular season.
After graduating the program's all-time leading scorer, Colleen Hart (E ‘11), the Jumbos have already won more games than they did last year. Berube's emphasis on team defense has paid off — the Jumbos allow only 45.7 points per game, good for fourth in Div. III.
Berube, Barnosky and Kornegay will lead the Jumbos in their first-ever home NCAA tournament game on Friday night against the Misericordia Cougars.
