Courtesy Westfield State Sports Information

Westfield State College women's basketball standout Andrea Wasuk(Lenox, Mass.) has been named a Region 1 finalist for the 2009 State Farm NCAA Division III Coaches All-America Team by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).

Wasuk, a senior forward, was one of five athletes recognized from Region 1 (79 New England colleges), with the others being Val Beckwith (Bates), Jessica Chapin (Brandeis), Jaclyn Daigneault (Amherst), and Ashley McFetridge (Eastern Connecticut State). Wasuk is Westfield State's first ever regional finalist.

"This is a great honor for Andrea and for Westfield State College," said fourth-year head coach Andrea Bertini. "There may be more talented players than Andrea but nobody works hard than she does."

The 42 finalists, who are voted upon by WBCA member coaches in each of the eight WBCA geographical regions, are now in the running for selection to the 10-member State Farm Coaches' All-America Team.

Wasuk recently received two other prestigious honors. She is a New England Women's Basketball Association (NEWBA) All-Region first-team selection and the Massachusetts State Conference Athletics Conference (MASCAC) Player of the Year.

Her contributions this season are a major reason why Westfield State won both the MASCAC regular season and tournament championships for the first time during the same season. The Owls were 22-5, the best winning percentage in school history.

Wasuk led the Owls in scoring (15.0) and rebounding (5.9) for the third straight season. She finished her outstanding four-year career with 1,373, third on the Owls' all-time scoring charts.