Carnegie Mellon’s Peel Named to All-UAA First Team; Two Others Honored

(ROCHESTER, N.Y.) – After a career year, both in University Athletic Association (UAA) play and overall, Carnegie Mellon women's basketball junior Emily Peel (Long Valley, N.J./West Morris Central) was honored for her efforts by the Association's coaches on the annual women's basketball All-Association team. Peel took home first-team honors for the Tartans while senior Jennifer Larsen (Exeter, N.H./Exeter) and freshman Gabrielle West (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) were named to the honorable mention team.

Peel finished the year ranked second in the UAA in scoring at 15.4 points a game and rebounding at 9.1 rebounds a game. She topped the UAA in field-goal percentage at 58.4% and blocked shots with 47 total and 1.9 a game. Her field-goal percentage also landed her fourth in the nation and set a single-season record for the Tartans. Twice the 6-foot junior scored more than 30 points, registering a career-high 33 points in a win over Brandeis University at home. She tallied six double-doubles and was held to single-digit scoring in just six games.

Peel registered a number of career-high performances during the 2011-12 season. On January 10, she grabbed 20 rebounds against La Roche College and had a career-best seven blocks in a win over 11th-ranked University of Rochester. Peel also had seven assists in a November win over Kenyon College. With the first-team nod, Peel became the first Tartan to earn the honor since Carissa Sain and Michelle Sodini during the 2002-03 season. This marks the second straight year Peel has been recognized by the UAA coaches as she was honorable mention as a sophomore.

Peel will head into her senior year sitting 10th on the Tartans' career list for points scored with 843 and fifth on the blocks chart with 98.

Larsen started all 25 games for the Tartans this season, averaging 27.8 minutes played. As a forward, she averaged 7.5 points a game and 6.4 rebounds a game while finishing third on the team in assists with 50. This award marks Larsen's second honor as she was also named to the honorable mention team as a sophomore.

West became just the second Carnegie Mellon freshman since 2000 to finish the season averaging double-digits in scoring at 11.6 points a game which was tops for freshman in the UAA and eighth overall. She made 52 three-pointers which ranks her 10th on Carnegie Mellon's career list. She hit 36.9% of her three-point attempts which was second on the team and sixth in the UAA. She led the team in scoring in six games and finished second on the team in steals with 36.

As a team, the Tartans recorded season records of three-point percentage (.348) and free-throw percentage (.713), while nearly taking the top spot in field-goal percentage at .410. The record stands at .414 set in the 1991-92 season. Their three Association wins are the most since the 2002-03 season.