BIDDEFORD, Maine – With the release of the 2021 All-Commonwealth Coast Conference the Roger Williams University Women's Basketball team had four players earn all-conference honors while collecting two major awards.
 
Karli Opalka (Southbury, Conn.) and Katie Galligan (Pembroke, Mass.) were both selected to the All-CCC First Team while Caroline Elie (Rockland, Mass.) was named to the All-CCC Second Team. Sam Mancinelli (Peabody, Mass.) not only claimed a spot on the All-CCC Third Team, she was also honored as CCC Scholar-Athlete of the Year. In addition, head coach Kelly Thompson was selected as CCC Coach of the Year.
 
Thompson earns her third CCC Coach of the Year (2013-14, 2014-15) honor after leading Roger Williams to a 17-1 CCC record and a 22-2 record overall. The Hawks' great year so far has earned them the top seed in the CCC Women's Basketball Championship Tournament, the No. 3 spot in Region II in the latest NCAA Division III Regional Rankings, and a spot in the WCBA national poll, where they currently sit at No. 22.  The Hawks are one of the best ball-control teams in the nation with the second-best assists-to-turnover ratio in Division III at 1.44 and the 15th fewest turnovers nationally at 307. They are also one of the toughest teams in the division on the offensive boards, ranking fifth overall at 18.1 per game. Thompson's team is third in the CCC in scoring at 70.7 points per game, while allowing just 50.5 points per game, a league best. RWU is also the league leader in assists per game with 18.4. On a more personal note, Thompson recently achieved a major milestone victory, notching her 200th career win last week against Suffolk.
 
Opalka completed the regular season as one of the top frontcourt players in the conference. She leads the conference averaging 10.7 rebounds per game and totaling 107 offensive rebounds. Her 149 defensive rebounds and 256 total rebounds both place her second in the CCC while her 49.3 percent field goal percentage is third in the conference. Her 12.3 points per game average is second on the team and 12^th in the CCC. Over the course of the season, she is a two-time CCC Player of the Week and was named to the New England Women's Basketball Association (NEWBA) Weekly Honor Roll on February 8.
 
Galligan made an immediate impact on the team in her first official season of intercollegiate competition, A finalist for the CCC Rookie of the Year award, Galligan leads Roger Williams and ranks 11^th in the CCC averaging 13.5 points per game. Her 73 total assists place her seventh in the conference, while her 131 made field goals is eighth-best in the CCC. On February 14, she was honored as CCC Rookie of the Week while also being named NEWBA Rookie of the Week back on February 1.
 
Elie is another second-year Hawk that has impressed in her first official season. Her 10.8 points per game average puts her third on the team, while her 46 assists are fourth-best on Roger Williams. In addition, her 1.5 assist-to-turnover ratio is eight-best in the conference. Elie also ranks third on the team with 15 blocked shots and sixth on the squad with 21 steals. She had one of her best of the games on the season with a career-high 19 points and nine rebounds in an 82-71 win over Nichols on January 8.
 
Mancinelli has been the Hawks' floor general over the course of the season, helping lead the way for the team. She leads the CCC in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.9 while ranking third in the conference with 103 assists. She also places sixth in the CCC in three-point field goal percentage at 31.4. Off the court, Mancinelli had an excellent career academically as an undergraduate at Roger Williams and continued that trend as a graduate student this year. She is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Criminal Justice after completing her B.S. in Criminal Justice as part of the class of 2021 with a 3.918 GPA. She also completed minors in marketing and economics. Mancinelli is a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success, as well as the Alpha Chi National College Honor Society. The three-year Hawks captain has also interned at Ascensus Government Savings and the Essex County Sheriff's Department.