Rowan University junior forward Kami Bernardo has been named New Jersey Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Year for the 2003-04 season.

After finishing the 2002-03 season with a 10-15 overall record, Bernardo and the Profs engineered a remarkable turnaround in 2003-04. Rowan finished the regular season 21-4 overall with a conference-best 12-1 league mark. 

Bernardo currently ranks seventh in the NJAC in scoring with an average of 14.2 points per game. She also ranks sixth in the conference in field goal percentage (.508) and 10^th in the league in steals (2.2 per game).  As first-place finishers in the NJAC Gold Division, the Profs received a first round NJAC Tournament bye and will host William Paterson in an NJAC Tournament semifinal game on February 25.

Montclair State freshman center Stephanie Machin was named 2003-04 NJAC Rookie of the Year after leading the Red Hawks in scoring with an average of 14.0 points per game. A six-time NJAC Rookie of the Week selection, Machin currently ranks eighth in the conference in scoring, fourth in the league in rebounding (9.8 per game), fourth in the conference in field goal percentage (.533) and ninth in the NJAC in free throw percentage (.710).

Kean senior forward Shervon James was named NJAC Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. The current NJAC leader in both scoring (18.4 per game) and rebounding (12.1 per game), James also ranks second in the league in blocks (1.92 per game) and sixth in steals (2.46 per game). James and the Cougars earned an 85-70 victory over Montclair State in the first round of the NJAC Tournament. With the win, Kean advances to the semifinals and a trip to face The College of New Jersey on February 25.

William Paterson head coach Erin Monahan was named 2003-04 NJAC Coach of the Year after guiding the Pioneers to a 15-9 overall regular season record. She then led William Paterson to a come-from-behind 59-58 first-round NJAC Tournament victory over Richard Stockton. The Pioneers will now travel to Glassboro for a semifinal match-up with Rowan on February 25. In 12 seasons at the helm of the William Paterson program, Monahan has compiled a career coaching record of 203-88.