The Metropolitan Basketball Writers Associationt has announced College of Staten Island senior women’s basketball star Jenalyse Alarson as its Division II Women’s Basketball Player of the Year. CSI Head Coach Nicole Sarcone was also named the Division II Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year by the MBWA, following a season which saw the player-coach duo make their first appearance in the ECC Championship. Both will be recognized at the 92nd Annual Haggerty Awards Dinner on Thursday, April 24th as they become the first Dolphins to receive each respective accolade.
Alarcon’s recognition as the MBWA Division II Player of the Year is a fitting conclusion to a career that saw her lead the Dolphins to the postseason during each of the three years that they were eligible to qualify. Alarcon also improved her numbers during each season that she returned to the program, and she was arguably at her best during the team’s appearances in the playoffs. Two years ago, she scored 34 points in her playoff debut against UDC. Last year, she scored 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds during an opening-round rematch with the Firebirds. Finally, she scored 23 points in a thrilling Dolphins win during this year’s ECC Championship Semifinal against Mercy. She was then named to the ECC All-Tournament Team and was eventually named to the D2CCA All-East Region First Team. This season, Alarcon was named ECC Defensive Player of the Week and ECC Player of the Week four times before being named the ECC Player of the Year to conclude the season.
A season full of individual player accolades and the highest level of success as a Division II program came under the leadership of Head Coach Nicole Sarcone. The Dolphins posted what was by far their best season of the Division II era in 2024-2025 and won 20 games for the first time since the 2017-2018 season. Sarcone’s seventh season with the program saw the Dolphins reach the postseason for the fourth time in four opportunities during her tenure, including the team’s third-straight berth in the East Coast Conference playoffs this year. Women’s Basketball has also won more postseason games than any other CSI Athletics program and has excelled in the classroom under Sarcone’s leadership.
Both Alarcon and Sarcone will be recognized during the the 92nd Annual Haggerty Awards Dinner on Thursday, April 24th. The event will be live streamed with a link posted below once it becomes available. You can also view the full MBWA release here.
– Story courtesy of CSI Athletics
