The sheer volume of star talent in NEPSAC girls Class AAA made for some phenomenal award races.
Seven of the eight AAA programs ended in our final Top 10 rankings. They're loaded with future college stars and current impact prep schoolers. So how do we only pick two for individual awards and 10 total for All-Class AAA teams?
I had some tough choices. I talked with a handful of coaches to get their perspectives and looked at stats, notable performances and my own observations from the season. This is purely an award based on production and impact from this season. Seniority, career accomplishments and prospect status do not factor in.
Here are our award picks for Class AAA.
Player of the Year: Anna Moser, Hoosac
Class of 2027, 5-8 guard
Hometown: Rutland, Vt.
Moser was the engine of Hoosac's milestone Class AAA championship season in which her team only lost two AAA games all winter. In AAA matchups during the regular season, Moser averaged 20.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.5 steals while canning 43 percent of her 3-point attempts. Then she opened the postseason with a 30-point eruption against Newman and landed on our NEPSAC All-Tournament First Team.
I already had Moser as a frontrunner for this award, but multiple opposing NEPSAC coaches also gave glowing praise that helped push her over the edge in this race. Moser and Tilton guard Bela Cucuta were the two leading candidates, and I'd put Elyse Ngenda (New Hampton) and Corinne Lomax (Tabor) in the conversation as well.
Defensive Player of the Year: Serenity Lancaster, New Hampton
Class of 2026, 6-1 forward
Hometown: New London, Conn.
NCAA: St. John's
Lancaster takes her second consecutive Defensive Player of the Year award by anchoring the Huskies en route to their AAA finals run. She averaged three blocks per game protecting the rim and showed the ability to smother players in the post and on drives. Lancaster also garnered the most widespread general acclaim from opposing coaches.
This was a wide-open race though. I considered Bella Owumi at Tilton for her versatility guarding on the wing. Tess Adams at Tabor garnered some hype for her toughness and charge-drawing mastery. Hoosac was such a balanced defensive unit, but Rhya Wilson drew mention as an underrated impact name.
Coach of the Year: Lydia Caputi, Tabor
In her first year running the show, Caputi took a program that had graduated three high-major seniors and kept the squad as good, if not better, than last season. She oversaw the breakouts of Corinne Lomax and Molly Corcoran as NEPSAC stars.
I thought the Seawolves would be competitive, but I had them sixth-best in AAA preseason. They caught fire starting in the 2026 portion of the calendar, even earning a brief run atop our NEPSAC Top 10, and made the AAA semifinals. Exceeding expectations is a primary consideration in my Coach of the Year thought process and that heavily favored Caputi.
Also in the conversation: Hoosac coach Julie McBride for leading her program to a monumental first AAA title with a roster largely comprised of transfers and NEPSAC unknowns. Jamie Bavaro steered New Hampton to the AAA final and is widely respected among her peers. I'll lastly shout out Katie Kolinski, who guided Newman's move up to AAA and helped the Cardinals be immediately competitive in her first season.
All-Class AAA First Team
Bela Cucuta, Tilton
Class of 2026, 5-10 guard
Hometown: Newington, Conn.
NCAA: George Washington
Cucuta's efficiency was remarkable; she made 108 3-pointers at a 49 percent clip as part of her team-high 18.1 points per game. She also tallied five rebounds and 3.8 assists, leading the Rams to the AAA semifinals. Cucuta finished high school with 2,385 career points, including 1,069 spanning two years at Tilton.
Corinne Lomax, Tabor
Class of 2027, 6-0 wing
Hometown: Watertown, Conn.
Lomax took a massive leap in a leading role at Tabor. The powerful wing averaged a double-double with 15.5 points and 10.4 rebounds while also swiping 2.7 steals per game.
PROSPECT WATCH:Â Why Lomax is among the elite talents in the 2027 class
Anna Moser, Hoosac
Class of 2027, 5-8 guard
Hometown: Rutland, Vt.
Moser, as detailed above, won Class AAA Player of the Year. Some more background: She is also our third-ranked college prospect in the 2027 class and is stacking up serious college interest, with her most recent offers coming from Arizona and Mississippi State.
Elyse Ngenda, New Hampton
Class of 2026, 5-10 guard
Hometown: Bedford, N.H.
NCAA: Stanford
Ngenda's steadfast production propelled New Hampton to the Class AAA final. She averaged 16 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals with a 51 percent effective field goal rate, also capturing NEPSGBCA's AAA Player of the Year honor. Her standout performance was a 36-point effort in a loss against Tilton — Ngenda helped avenge it with 20 points in the AAA semifinal overtime thriller.
Bella Owumi, Tilton
Class of 2027, 6-0 wing
Hometown: Lynn, Mass.
Owumi transferred to Tilton and was immediately one of NEPSAC's elite playmakers. New England's top 2027 prospect collected 15.4 points plus a team-high 8.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.4 steals. Owumi had multiple big games, but her individual highlight was the late-seconds 3 to defeat Hoosac in the regular season finale on Feb. 28.
All-Class AAA Second Team
Molly Corcoran, Tabor
Class of 2026, 5-7 guard
Hometown: Medford, Mass.
NCAA: Colgate
Another one of NEPSAC's elite shooters, Corcoran drilled 71 3s at a 39.9 percent clip as part of her team-high 16.8 points per game. She also averaged 3.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.8 steals.
Ayla Keefe, Newman
Class of 2028, 5-11 guard
Hometown: Cave Creek, Ariz.
Keefe's defensive impact helped her land this spot. She averaged three steals per game and also consistently took on the top opposing matchup for Newman. Keefe also averaged 12.2 points and four rebounds while shooting 47 percent from the floor.
Serenity Lancaster, New Hampton
Class of 2026, 6-1 forward
Hometown: New London, Conn.
NCAA: St. John's
Lancaster's Defensive Player of the Year award was only part of her overall impact. She also averaged 14 points and seven rebounds per game on the Class AAA finalists.
Alannah Morantus, Nobles
Class of 2028, 6-0 guard
Hometown: North Attleboro, Mass.
Morantus quickly took a leading role in her first season at Nobles. The powerful guard averaged 18.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.
Ella Peper, Dexter Southfield
Class of 2028, 6-4 wing
Hometown: Newton, Mass.
Peper missed approximately a month with injuries and that's the only reason she's bumped down to the second team. She was dominant when she played, averaging 25.4 points, seven rebounds, four steals and three blocks per game. Peper is the top college prospect in the region and showed the production to match the hype during her sophomore season.
Honorable Mentions:Â Aliyah Allston-Pujols (Nobles), Chloe Dix (New Hampton), Uliana Doronina (Hoosac), Brooke Golden (Tilton), Izzy Kittredge (Nobles), Gabby Middleton (Newman), Aaralyn Scott (St. Andrew's), Tanavia Turpin (Hoosac)
