NEPSAC Class AA girls basketball took on a new look this season.
With several new teams and rising stars to watch, this winter was defined by which schools could overcome adversity and peak at the right time in March. Ultimately, that was Worcester Academy, which collected a handful of our inaugural postseason awards.
Our first awards include Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Coach of the Year as well as two All-Class AA teams. Selecting the honorees was a challenge. We consulted several coaches; player production, skill and versatility, team success and performance in big moments all played a part in our choices.
Here's a look at who lands on our Class AA awards list.
AWARD SEASON: Class AAA honors | Class A honors | Class B honors
Player of the Year: Elyse MacDonough, Worcester Academy
Class of 2025, 5-8 guard
Hometown: South Burlington, Vt.
NCAA: St. Bonaventure
MacDonough powered a remarkable turnaround year for Worcester Academy that culminated in a Class AA championship. One of the region's best shooters, MacDonough averaged 17.8 points and hit 36 percent of her eight 3-point attempts per game. She also chipped in 3.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.6 steals. Read our interview with MacDonough here.
MacDonough's string of massive games down the stretch of the winter season and through the playoffs ultimately earned her the award. She and Wilbraham & Monson star Caterina Ravosa were the frontrunning Player of the Year candidates.
Defensive Player of the Year: Fope Ayo, Austin Prep
Class of 2026, 6-5 center
Hometown: Methuen, Mass.
Ayo, ranked 42nd in the national 2026 class by ESPN, continued to turn her sky-high potential into meaningful production this winter. She averaged a monster 19.5 rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game, helping Austin Prep take a significant step forward and make the AA playoffs in its third year as a NEPSAC member.
Coach of the Year: Dan Sullivan, Worcester Academy
Sullivan came over to coach the girls after previously working as a Worcester Academy boys assistant for 11 years. He promptly led the Hilltoppers through a breakout, championship season. After starting 5-8, Worcester Academy went 18-2 the rest of the winter. The Hilltoppers established themselves as one of the most high-octane offenses and hardest-playing teams in NEPSAC at large.
THE JOURNEY:Â How Worcester Academy persevered to win a Class AA title
All-Class AA First Team
Olivia Fleming, Northfield Mount Hermon
Class of 2026, 5-6 guard
Hometown: Windham, N.H.
One of the top point guards in NEPSAC, Fleming averaged 11.7 points with her quickness and signature floater game. She also collected five rebounds, three assists and 2.2 steals per game, leading Northfield Mount Hermon to the No. 1 seed in the Class AA playoffs.
Elyse MacDonough, Worcester Academy
Class of 2025, 5-8 guard
Hometown: South Burlington, Vt.
NCAA: St. Bonaventure
MacDonough is our Class AA Player of the Year. Read our interview with her here.
Amanda Smith, Darrow
Class of 2025, 5-8 guard
Hometown: Brooklyn, N.Y.
NCAA: East Carolina
Smith kept defenses off balance with her shiftiness and pull-up scoring at point guard. She orchestrated the offense and point-of-attack defense for the Class AA finalists, tallying 10 points, 4.7 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game.
Caterina Ravosa, Wilbraham & Monson
Class of 2026, 6-2 forward
Hometown: East Longmeadow, Mass.
Ravosa reached a new level as a hard-nosed post presence this winter to complement her three-level scoring game. That led to per-game averages of 20.9 points and 9.3 rebounds, steering the Titans to the No. 3 seed and a Class AA semifinal berth. She's already a 2,000-point scorer.
Fope Ayo, Austin Prep
Class of 2026, 6-5 center
Hometown: Methuen, Mass.
Beyond her Defensive Player of the Year prowess, Ayo averaged 24.5 points per game as a relentless finisher and inside scorer. She tallied 22 double-doubles and four triple-doubles during the winter. Ayo is carrying a swarm of high-major Division 1 interest with offers from Stanford, Duke, Mississippi State, Harvard, TCU and Louisville — just to name a few.
All-Class AA Second Team
Jill Dingler, Darrow
Class of 2026, 5-7 guard
Hometown: Storrs, Conn.
The Swiss Army knife of the Ducks, Dingler scored her team-high 16 points per game on and off the ball. She added 6.5 rebounds and 3.2 steals, and her hustle proved a catalyst to Darrow's breakout first year in Class AA.
Selah Prignano, Wilbraham & Monson
Class of 2026, 5-9 guard
Hometown: Newington, Conn.
Prignano's athleticism made her a weapon guarding the perimeter and handling the ball in the open floor. She averaged 12.7 points and 5.2 rebounds as a key cog on the Titans, surpassing 1,000 points as a junior.
Elliana Scalabrine, Newman
Class of 2025, 5-11 guard/forward
Hometown: Dover, Mass.
NCAA: Bentley
Scalabrine and honorable mention teammate Gabby Middleton formed one of the better duos in the class as a pair of hybrid wings. Scalabrine averaged 14.7 points and 7.9 rebounds, helping Newman make the playoffs as a No. 4 seed in its first year as a girls basketball program.
Ella Getz, Worcester Academy
Class of 2026, 6-1 forward
Hometown: Wayland, Mass.
NCAA: UNH
Getz's versatility in the frontcourt helped round out the Class AA champion Hilltoppers. She posted 11.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game while shooting 49 percent from the floor and 35 percent behind the arc. Getz is one of the earlier college commits in the 2026 class and will be the leader in Worcester Academy's title defense next winter.
Grace Minihane, Northfield Mount Hermon
Class of 2025, 6-0 forward
Hometown: Colorado Springs, Colo.
The former Colorado high school star transferred to NMH and immediately became a Class AA impact player. Minihane actually led NMH in scoring with 14.9 points per game behind her powerful slashing drives. She also added 5.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists.
Honorable Mentions:Â Tiffany Burns (Austin Prep), Maeve Early (Marianapolis), Hannah Grudzien (Wilbraham & Monson), Jayla Hughley (Darrow), Sophia Lee (Storm King), Gabby Middleton (Newman), Zariah Ottley (Northfield Mount Hermon), Saige Youngberg (Worcester Academy)
