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South Easton, Mass. – Le Moyne College junior forward Laurence Ekperigin (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.) was named the 2008-2009 Northeast-10 Men’s Basketball Player of the Year as voted by the conference’s 15 head coaches.

Ekperigin is the first Le Moyne men’s basketball player to ever be selected player of the year while a member of the Northeast-10. A two-time All-Northeast-10 selection, Ekperigin helped lead the Dolphins to the upcoming Northeast-10 Championship as the sixth seed. He is currently ranked second in the conference in scoring averaging 18.8 points per game and is first in rebounds with 11.6. Ekperigin is the only player in the NE-10 averaging a double-double per game as he leads the conference with 19 double-doubles. Ekperigin also leads the conference in blocks with 67 (2.5 per game). In addition, he was named to the First Team All-Northeast-10 for the second straight season.

The University of Massachusetts Lowell sophomore guard Max Kerman (Watertown, Mass.) was selected the 2008-2009 Defensive Player of the Year. Kerman has helped UMass Lowell’s second-ranked defense hold opponents to under 62 points per game (61.4). Kerman is averaging 8.2 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, while ranking among the conference leaders in steals averaging 1.4 a clip. As a team the River Hawks are ranked first in the NE-10 in steals and has forced 18.7 turnovers per game.

The post-season accolades continue for the River Hawks as guard Kyle Caiola (Parma, Ohio) was tabbed the 2008-2009 Freshman of the Year. He is the first UMass Lowell freshman since Uri Grunwald (2000-2001) to win the award. In just his first year of collegiate action, Caiola has had a sudden impact for the River Hawks. He’s currently averaging 13.9 points per game ranking 13th among the conference leaders and third among freshmen. Caiola is shooting 46-percent from the field and 39-percent from beyond the arc which ranks him 12th in the conference. He leads the NE-10 in steals with 2.2 per game. In addition, Caiola earned Second-Team All-Northeast-10 honors and was named to the All-Rookie team.

UMass Lowell head coach Greg Herenda was voted the 2008-2009 Coach of the Year by his peers. In just his first year as head coach at UMass Lowell, Herenda guided the River Hawks to a eight-win improvement in conference play from a year ago to a 16-6 record (21-6 overall). UMass Lowell, the second seed in the upcoming Northeast-10 Championship, received a first-round bye and will host a quarterfinal match up.

With 15 member institutions the Northeast-10 is the second largest NCAA Division II athletic conference in the nation. Its 23 championship sports provide athletic opportunities for over 5,500 student-athletes, the largest such program of any Division II conference.

- NE-10 -

2008-2009 Northeast-10 Conference
Men’s Basketball All-Conference Teams

First Team
Darren Duncan, Merrimack
Laurence Ekperigin, Le Moyne
Lew Finnegan, Bentley
A.J. Rudowitz, Stonehill
Jason Westrol, Bentley

Second Team
Kyle Caiola, UMass Lowell
Cassius Chaney, New Haven
Victor Colon, UMass Lowell
Darin Mency, Merrimack
Isiah Wallace, American Int'l

Third Team
Thomas Baudinet, Saint Anselm
Troy Bowen, Southern New Hampshire
Jermaine Clark, Saint Rose
Matt Hall, Stonehill
Patrick Shea, Assumption

All Rookie Team
Kyle Caiola, UMass Lowell
Christopher Johnson, Le Moyne
Wayne Mack, Merrimack
Tyler Schilling, Saint Michael's
Isiah Wallace, American International