RUTTY AND HOWARD EARN ALL-CACC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL HONORS
Orangeburg, N.Y. (3/4/26) The 2025-26 All-Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Women's Basketball All-Conference and major award winners were announced today by CACC Commissioner Dan Mara. The voting was conducted by the conference's 11 head coaches.
Dominican University New York's Ketura Rutty was named the Co-Rookie of the Year, while senior Cayla Howard was named to the Third Team.
Holy Family University senior guard Taylor Hinkle has been voted the 2025-26 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Year. Hinkle, who was also named to the All-CACC First Team, headlines the all-conference teams and major award winners.
Holy Family freshman guard Ella Brown and Dominican University New York freshman forward Ketura Rutty shared 2025-26 CACC Women's Basketball Rookie of the Year honors. Felician University junior forward Ane Valle was selected as the Defensive Player of the Year as well as to the All-CACC First Team, while Holy Family head coach Bernadette Laukaitis was voted the Athletic Solutions Coach of the Year. Wilmington University is the winner of the 2025-26 Women's Basketball Team Sportsmanship Award.
Hinkle, from Chalfont, Pa., is among Division II's top five rebounders, leading the CACC with 12.0 per game. She averages 13.9 points, good for 10th in the conference, while also ranking sixth in field-goal percentage (.473) and third in free-throw percentage (.811). Hinkle helped lead the Tigers to an undefeated CACC regular season and a trip to this weekend's conference semifinals.
Brown, a Perkasie, Pa., resident, is averaging 6.6 points and 4.6 rebounds for Holy Family, which is ranked No. 19 in the most recent national Division II coaches poll. Rutty, who hails from Pine Bush, N.Y., scored 11.6 points with 6.9 rebounds per game for Dominican. She was a five-time CACC Rookie of the Week, while Brown earned that honor on three occasions. Rutty ranks 3rd in the conference in field goal percentage, 13th in scoring and rebounding.
Valle ranks seventh in the CACC with 8.1 rebounds per game, (6.0 defensive), second with a 2.79 steal average, and 19th with 0.55 blocks per contest. A native of Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, she also averages 16.6 points and a league-best 5.1 assists. The Golden Falcons sit second in the CACC in field-goal percentage defense and third in scoring defense.
Laukaitis, in her seventh year at Holy Family, is the CACC Coach of the Year for the first time. After leading the Tigers to the 2024-25 CACC championship, she has guided this year's HFU squad (26-3, 20-0 CACC) to the top seed in the conference championship tournament and an 18-game winning streak heading into Saturday's semifinals.
Wilmington, led by head coach Dave Cranston, was the coaches' choice for demonstrating class and character throughout the regular season.
Howard earns her third All-Conference accolades this season. She fourth in the conference in blocks, 9th in free throw percentage and three-point field goals made and 11th in scoring.
The 2025-26 CACC women's basketball major award winners and all-conference teams are listed below.
2025-26 CACC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Taylor Hinkle (Holy Family University)
2025-26 CACC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Ella Brown (Holy Family University)
Ketura Rutty (Dominican University)
2025-26 CACC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Ane Valle (Felician University)
2025-26 ATHLETIC SOLUTIONS CACC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL COACH OF THE YEAR
Bernadette Laukaitis (Holy Family University)
2025-26 CACC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Wilmington University
2025-26 CACC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL FIRST-TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
Lucy Coogan (Caldwell University)
Stephanie Formby (Felician University)
Taylor Hinkle (Holy Family University)
Emily Spratt (Thomas Jefferson University)
Ane Valle (Felician University)
2025-26 CACC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SECOND-TEAM ALL CONFERENCE
Imani Gillette (Georgian Court University)
Jah'Nel Lewis (Caldwell University)
Gabby Recinto (Thomas Jefferson University)
Alyssa Rossignol (Post University)
Sara Tamoun (Chestnut Hill College)
2025-26 CACC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL THIRD-TEAM ALL CONFERENCE
Tiayo Adelekan (Chestnut Hill College)
Kaelah Carter (Holy Family University)
Rory Ciszkowski (Goldey-Beacom College)
Cayla Howard (Dominican University)
Skyler Searfoss (Holy Family University)