NEWPORT NEWS — For the third straight year and the fourth time in program history, the nationally-ranked Christopher Newport women’s basketball team boasts multiple D3hoops.com All-Region selections after junior Hannah Kaloi and senior Alivia Giles hauled in the honor on Tuesday afternoon. Kaloi was named a second team selection in Region VI while Giles picked up a third team certificate.
The veteran front court helped lead Christopher Newport to a 27-2 overall record and the fifth straight conference regular season and tournament championship for the program. CNU advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the eighth straight season and won a postseason game for the 12th straight appearance including ten under head coach Bill Broderick.
Both CNU players earned All-Region plaudits for the first time of their career after also collecting All-Conference honors for the first time this season. In 2008, Colandra Rollins and Chelsie Schweers became the first pair to earn All-Region honors in the same season; since, Sondra Fan and Anaya Simmons each garnered the recognition in 2022 and 2023 while Natalie Terwilliger joined them in 2022. Kaloi and Giles become just the fourth tandem to earn the esteemed on-court honors since 2002 when the award was first conceived.
This season, Kaloi earned a first team All-Conference certificate and went on to earn Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Tournament MVP honors. The junior only played 18 games this season due to an injury, Kaloi led the team in minutes per game. She finished out the season as the team leader in scoring, averaging 12.1 points per game, and ranked second on the squad in rebounding with 4.7 per contest.
Despite playing less than two-thirds of the season, Kaloi ranked third on the team in blocked shots and total rebounds. She knocked down 44.7 percent (72-161) from the field and buried 10 three-pointers during the season. At the free-throw line, Kaloi was exceptional, dropping in 84.2 percent of her attempts to rank as the fifth best season in program history. She finished the season with 13 double-figure scoring performances including a season-high 21-point outburst against SUNY New Paltz on December 29. She finished with 10 or more in nine of the last ten games played while shooting over 50 percent from the field.
Giles picked up second team All-C2C honors and was also named to the C2C All-Tournament Team. She was one of the most reliable Captains in 2023-24 starting all 27 games she played during the season. She was one of only three CNU players to average over 20 minutes per game and led the team in rebounding with 6.4 per game. Giles ranked second on the team in scoring, pouring in 11.5 points per game while scoring a team-high 311 points during the season.
While stepping into a more prominent role in the front court, Giles ranked first on the team in shooting percentage while knocking down 54 percent of her attempts from the field. In addition to her reliability with the ball in her hands, the senior forward was also an asset defensively, ranking second on the team in blocked shots (14) and fourth in steals (36). She recorded a career-high 28 points on 10-of-16 shooting and 8-of-11 from the FT line against Marymount while also grabbing 11 rebounds for a double-double. She finished the season with four double-doubles including an 18-point, 12-rebound effort against No. 17 Johns Hopkins in the NCAA Tournament second round.
Christopher Newport concluded an impressive season that included the 900th win in program history. The Captains also saw head coach Bill Broderick become the winningest coach all-time at CNU. The team extended its postseason streak to eight straight years while making the NCAA Tournament in ten of the eleven seasons under Coach Broderick.
Mary Schleusner (Washington and Lee) was named the Region VI Player of the Year and Sam Smith (Randolph-Macon) earned Region VI Rookie of the Year honors. Rounding out the major awards was Justin LeBlanc of Millsaps collecting Coach of the Year plaudits.
2023-24 D3hoops.com All-Region Honors
Player of the Year: Mary Schleusner, F, Washington and Lee
Coach of the Year: Justin LeBlanc, Millsaps
Rookie of the Year: Sam Smith, G, Randolph-Macon
| First team | ||||
| Pos. | Player | School | Yr. | Hometown |
| G | Claire Brock | Emory | Sr. | Knoxville, Tenn. |
| G | Tanaesha Ellison | William Peace | Jr. | Asheboro, N.C. |
| G | Haley Franklin | Millsaps | Jr. | Baton Rouge, La. |
| G/F | Jordan Carpenter | Mary Washington | Sr. | Chesterfield, Va. |
| F | Mary Schleusner | Washington and Lee | Jr. | Charlotte, N.C. |
| Second team | ||||
| G | Daniella Aronsky | Emory | Jr. | Hollywood, Fla. |
| G | Hanna Malik | Washington and Lee | Sr. | Raleigh, N.C. |
| F | Jane Elkins | Randolph-Macon | So. | Annandale, Va. |
| F | LynKaylah James | Berea | So. | Bowling Green, Ky. |
| F | Hannah Kaloi | Christopher Newport | Jr. | Herndon, Va. |
| Third team | ||||
| G | Kayla Cabiness | Ferrum | Sr. | Martinsville, Va. |
| G | Terese Greene | Shenandoah | Jr. | Culpeper, Va. |
| G | Kenadie Lee | Berry | Jr. | Sylvania, Ala. |
| G | Sam Smith | Randolph-Macon | Fr. | Chesterfield, Va. |
| F | Anna Giannopoulou | Guilford | So. | Athens, Greece |
| F | Alivia Giles | Christopher Newport | Sr. | Suffolk, Va. |
