Cooks, Park-Lane, Espinoza-Hunter Named to All-BIG EAST Teams

NEW YORK – The BIG EAST Conference announced on Thursday that Sidney Cooks (Kenosha, Wis.) and Lauren Park-Lane (Wilmington, Del.) were named to the All-BIG EAST First Team and Andra Espinoza-Hunter (Ossining, N.Y.) earned Second Team designation.

A transfer from Mississippi State, Cooks was everything the Pirates had hoped she would be in her first year in South Orange. Named BIG EAST Player of the Week on Dec. 27, and to the Weekly Honor Roll on Feb. 28, she led the Pirates with 10 double-doubles including five in the last six games of the regular season. Cooks topped 20 points in a single-game six times, and 30 points twice including a career-high 35-point outburst against Butler on Feb. 22. Twice Cooks made 15 field goals in a game, which tied the program record for a single-game. Her seven blocks against DePaul on Jan. 30 are the second-most ever for a Pirate and the most since former Pirate Kelley Moore blocked seven against Pittsburgh on Jan. 8, 1990. In BIG EAST games, Cooks finished the regular season ranked first in blocks, fourth in rebounds and seventh in points per game.

Despite her diminutive size, Park-Lane again showed why she's one of the best point guards in the nation. A unanimous selection to the All-BIG EAST First Team, she was named to the Nancy Lieberman National Point Guard of the Year Watch List and the Cancun Challenge All-Tournament Team. An accomplished offensive threat averaging over 17 points per contest, she took her playmaking game to a new level in 2021-22. Park-lane won the BIG EAST assist title, averaging a conference-best 7.5 per game, which ranked second in the country. Her 152 assists in BIG EAST play set a new conference single-season record, and her 18 assists against Butler on Feb. 22 tied the conference mark and set a new Seton Hall single-game record. Park-Lane is the first player in Seton Hall history to score at least 30 points in back-to-back games. Additionally, she was named BIG EAST Player of the Week on Feb. 28 and to the Weekly Honor Roll seven times this season.

Named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team, Espinoza-Hunter continued to cement herself as one of the greatest three-point shooters and all-around players in Seton Hall history. A two-time MBWA Player of the Week, she earned BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll status five times this season. One of only 30 nationwide, Espinoza-Hunter was named a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award and was a Watch List member for the Cheryl Miller National Small Forward of the Year Award. Espinoza-Hunter topped 20 points in a single-game 11 times this season, including a career-high 35-point eruption against Creighton on Feb. 20. Despite playing only 44 games in a Seton Hall uniform, she ranks ninth all-time with 114 made three-pointers. Espinoza-Hunter enters the postseason ranked sixth in the BIG EAST in scoring and fifth in three-pointers made. Only Park-Lane has logged more minutes per game this season than her 37.8.

2021-22 BIG EAST POSTSEASON HONORS

BIG EAST Player of the Year
Maddy Siegrist, Villanova, Jr., F

BIG EAST Freshman of the Year
Aneesah Morrow, DePaul, Fr., F*

BIG EAST Coach of the Year
Denise Dillon, Villanova

BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year
Nika Mühl, Connecticut, So., G

BIG EAST Co-Most Improved Players
Lior Garzon, Villanova, So., F
Lauren Jensen, Creighton, So., G

BIG EAST Sportsmanship Award
Chloe Marotta, Marquette, Sr., F

BIG EAST Sixth-Woman Award
Morgan Maly, Creighton, So., G/F

All-BIG EAST First Team
Olivia Nelson-Ododa, Connecticut, Sr., F
Christyn Williams, Connecticut, Sr., G*
Emma Ronsiek, Creighton, So., F
Sonya Morris, DePaul, Sr., G*
Aneesah Morrow, DePaul, Fr., F*
Lauren Van Kleunen, Marquette, Grad., F
Leilani Correa, St. John's, Jr., G
LAUREN PARK-LANE, SETON HALL, JR., G*
SIDNEY COOKS, SETON HALL, R-SR., F/C
Maddy Siegrist, Villanova, Jr., F*

All-BIG EAST Second Team
Caroline Ducharme, Connecticut, Fr., G
Lauren Jensen, Creighton, So., G
Lexi Held, DePaul, Sr., G
ANDRA ESPINOZA-HUNTER, SETON HALL, GRAD., G/F
Lior Garzon, Villanova, So., F

All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention
Deja Church, DePaul, Grad., G
Janai Crooms, Providence, Jr., G

BIG EAST All-Freshman Team
Caroline Ducharme, Connecticut, Fr., G*
Azzi Fudd, Connecticut, Fr., G*
Aneesah Morrow, DePaul, Fr., F*
Kylee Sheppard, Providence, Fr., G*
Lucy Olsen, Villanova, Fr., G*

Scoreboard

Seton Hall University Athletics

Cooks, Park-Lane, Espinoza-Hunter Named to All-BIG EAST Teams

Players Mentioned

Sidney Cooks

Andra Espinoza-Hunter

Lauren Park-Lane

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