St. Lawrence University senior co-captain Katie Edgerton and the Saints' coaching staff earned Liberty League recognition on Thursday, as the conference announced its annual award winners. Edgerton was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year and was one of three to earn All-Conference, while head coach Dan Roiger and his staff earned Coaching Staff of the year honors.

Edgerton enters Saturday's championship game without gaudy statistics, but continues to lead the St. Lawrence defensive effort. Consistently guarding an all-conference player, she reduces the number of touches and forces difficult shots by her opponents. An excellent rebounder for her position, she leads the team in minutes and plays hard for the entire game. Eleventh in the league in scoring, the Shelburne, VT native is eighth in shooting percentage, the first amongst guards in those rankings. She leads the league in free throw percentage and has ended several games in the final minutes by her shooting at the line. Edgerton has earned All-Conference recognition for the third straight year.

In Roiger's third year at the helm of the women's basketball program, he has led his team to its second straight Liberty League regular season title and third straight tournament appearance. The Saints, who set a University record with 18 consecutive victories, posted a perfect 16-0 regular season mark, the first in the conference's history. Ranked fourth in the region, the Saints are currently 21-4 overall and lead the league in four statistical categories.

"Being named Coach of the Year is a reflection of the success of our team," said Roiger. "It is a great credit to our players and how hard they have worked, the leadership we have, and their commitment to success. They have found ways to dig in and persevere throughout the season, and this award is simply a credit to them."

Joining Edgerton on the Liberty League All-Conference squads were sophomore Kelly Legg and senior Iris Santoni. Both were tabbed with Second Team honors. Legg is the top scorer for the Saints and is eighth in the league, averaging 11.5 points per game. Earning All-Conference honors for the second consecutive year, she is second in the league in blocks and 16th in rebounding. The Fairport, NY native earned All-Tournament team honors at the Amherst Tip-off earlier in the season.

Santoni, a veteran point guard, earned All-Conference honors for the first time in her career. She leads the team in assists, is second in steals and is fourth in scoring. The Northampton, MA native is 13th in the league in assists and joined Legg on the All-Tournament team at Amherst.

Meanwhile, first-year point guard Kara McDuffee was one of five selected to the conference's All-Rookie team. Third on the team in field goal percentage, she has recorded double-figures in scoring four times this season, including a career-high 18 points against William Smith on Jan. 14.

The Saints, who boasted a 3.49 GPA in the fall semester, also had seven individuals earn Liberty League recognition as Academic All-Conference. Edgerton and Santoni were joined by their classmates Breezy Dwyer and Casey Capello, as well as sophomores Katie Abramski, Kathleen McCallops and Cassie St. Hilaire in holding a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher.

St. Lawrence will look to punch its ticket to the 2012 NCAA Tournament on Saturday when it hosts Vassar College in the Liberty League Championship game at the Burkman Gymnasium at 3:00pm.