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The Atlantic Coast Conference has named Syracuse center Kamilla Cardoso freshman of the year – the first Syracuse player to win the award – and co-ACC defensive player of the year. She also won All-ACC first-team honors. 

Junior guard Emily Engstler was named the ACC’s co-sixth player of the year, and Tiana Mangakahia and Kiara Lewis earned All-ACC honorable mentions. 

Cardoso led the conference in field goal percentage, shooting 59.8% from the field, as well as blocks per game (2.8). The 6-foot-7 freshman was also second in the conference in offensive rebounding, averaging 3.4 per game. 

The center notched double-digit points in 14 consecutive games this season and is second on the Orange in scoring (14.3 points per game). She had four double-doubles this season, and won the ACC’s freshman of the week award for three consecutive weeks. 

Cardoso split the ACC defensive player of the year with Georgia Tech’s Lorela Cubaj, the first time that the conference has ever split the award. Against Miami, Cardoso played just 13 minutes as Orange burned the Hurricanes in a 99-point outing. She scored 14 points, prompting Miami head coach Katie Meier to compliment the freshman.

“It’s crazy because you really have to do an entire game plan for someone who doesn’t play a ton of minutes, but (Cardoso’s) so impressive in the minutes that she’s in,” Meier said.

Engstler averaged 9.6 points per game and 8.9 rebounds per game in 17 games, none of which she started. She split the sixth-player of the year award with NC State’s Jada Boyd, also the first time the conference has ever split the award. 

“If (Engstler) doesn’t get sixth-person of the year in this conference, they shouldn’t even have the award,” Syracuse head coach Quentin Hillsman said after Engstler’s season-high 18 points against Boston College.

Mangakahia leads the ACC in assists per game (7.5) and was named a top-five finalist for the Nancy Lieberman award, given to the nation’s best point guard. Lewis scored a season-high 29 points in Syracuse’s loss to No. 2 NC State in its final game of the regular season on Sunday. She leads the team in scoring, averaging 14.5 points per game.

Published on March 2, 2021 at 10:53 am

Contact Roshan: rferna04@syr.edu | @Roshan_f16