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CNR SENIOR RUCHELLE AUSTIN
NAMED 2008 NCAA DIVISION III CHAMPION
 

NEW ROCHELLE, NY, April 29, 2008 – College of New Rochelle senior Ruchelle Austin (Brooklyn, NY) has been named the 2008 NCAA Division III Statistical Champion for Rebounds Per Game. A member of The College of New Rochelle’s Blue Angels basketball team, Austin had an extraordinary season in which she led all of Division III in rebounding (17.9 per game) and in most rebounds in one game (32). In January, Austin had 32 rebounds against Polytechnic – the highest number in the nation for a single game this season.  

Named PrestoSports/Metropolitan Basketball Writers’ Association (MBWA) Player of the Week for the week of December 14, 2007, Austin was the first CNR basketball player to be honored by the MBWA and the first Hudson Valley Women’s Athletic Conference (HVWAC) basketball player ever to earn Player of the Week honors from the MBWA. The Association honored her for averaging 29.5 points, 25 rebounds, 3.5 steals, and three blocked shots per game, while shooting 46% from the floor. Austin won the award over a field of more than 70 candidates across all three divisions. Austin garnered numerous honors as well, including being named Association of Division III Independents (AD3I) Player of the Month for January and New York State Women’s Collegiate Athletic Association’s Senior All Star, and being a member of the HVWAC All Conference Team and Lesley University’s Bon Appetit Classic Tip-Off Tournament All-Tournament Team.

“I don’t really think about how many rebounds I’m making during the game,” says Austin.  “I don’t play for the accolades; I do it for love of the game.”

A native of Guyana, Austin came to the United States with her family in 2000.  They settled in Brooklyn, and she began playing basketball at Sheepshead Bay High School. At CNR, she joined the Blue Angels during her freshman year. A biology major, Austin, 21, will graduate with her Bachelor’s Degree on May 22.

“Ruchelle is truly one of the top women basketball players in the region and a wonderful ambassador for The College of New Rochelle both on and off the court,” says Harold Crocker, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics at CNR. “She has had a positive impact on our program and hopefully will continue to be associated with the team after graduation.”