The Emerson women’s basketball team swept the NEWMAC awards Wednesday after junior point guard Bri Frongillo was named the NEWMAC Athlete of the Year and the coaches earned NEWMAC Coaching Staff of the Year. Graduate student Charlotte Levison was also named to the All-NEWMAC Second Team.
This year is only Frongillo’s second with the Lions after transferring to Emerson from Div. I Bryant University in the fall of 2023. She was named to the NEWMAC All-Conference First Team last season and recently broke the Emerson women’s basketball scoring record with 44 points against Coast Guard Academy. Frongillo also became the first Emerson women’s basketball player to earn NEWMAC Athlete of the Year, averaging a league-best 22.5 points and 5.2 assists per game.
“It definitely feels good to be recognized for what I did this year, especially being hurt early in the year,” Frongillo said in an interview with The Beacon. “Even though the year didn’t end exactly the way we wanted it to, we still had a really good season. We really improved from last year and showed that we’re a really good team.”
Head coach Bill Gould emphasized how quickly Frongillo made a positive impact on the team.
“She was new to the team last year, but she really started to fit in,” Gould said. “She is a captain this year, and I think she really took on that leadership role. Every award she has got, she’s worked really hard for, and she’s deserved.”
Levison, who only played the last two seasons for Emerson, was also “a unique and versatile player,” according to Gould.
“She just plays every position,” Gould said. “It’s not often that someone who’s among the leaders in assists in the conference is also among the leaders in blocked shots. That usually doesn’t happen.”
Levison had 78 assists this season and 42 blocks, her 1.8 blocks per game tied for second in the NEWMAC. Though she contributed greatly to the Lions’ points earned this season, she considers herself more of a defensive player.
“Me and Bri joke that she runs the offense and I run the defense,” Levison said. “I’m going to miss all the jokey things with Bri and things off the court more than on the court.”
With this being Levison’s final season, Frongillo, Lena Hicks, and Sofia Canter are set to lead the team next academic year.
“Dynamics obviously change year to year, but I hope I’ve left a good imprint on everybody,” Levison said. “People will still have to find their role next year, but the team is definitely in good hands.”
Both Frongillo and Levison highlighted the coaches’ impact on their season and personal development as players. Gould has been with the Emerson women’s basketball program since 2007 and won NEWMAC Coach of the Year for the 2018-2019 season and GNAC Coach of the Year in 2008-2009.
“Whether I’m a good coach or not, the Coaching Staff of the Year award goes to the players and the assistant coaches,” Gould said. “They play for me because I’m the head coach, but they really love playing for each other and the assistant coaches.”
The assistant coaches, Jenni-Rose DiCecco and Natalie Fraioli, bring “energy and youthfulness” to the team, according to Levison.
“They both connected with a lot of the players on a more personal level, which really helps,” Levison said. “They understand how each player will react, and I think they did a great job.”
Frongillo said that the coaching staff balance each other out and bring a great dynamic to practices and games.
“Coach Gould always gives the strangest pregame and halftime speeches,” Frongillo said. “And our two assistant coaches, Jenni-Rose and Natalie, are the best. The entire season, they’re on the bench, getting hype, really bringing in a lot of energy for us this year.”
While Frongillo and Levison’s achievements highlighted them as individual players, they both credited their awards to the team and coaching staff.
“Everyone plays a role on the team, no matter if you play zero minutes or 40 minutes,” Levison said. “It’s nice to have these individual awards, but they don’t mean much without recognizing everyone’s role.”
Frongillo mirrored this sentiment. “This season really showed that we’re not one or two players, but an entire team. It took all of us to have the success that we had this season.
