Bolden and Walters Named GNAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Player of the Year

Winthrop, Mass. – Albertus Magnus College seniors Olivia Bolden (South Windsor, Conn.) of the women’s basketball team and Jaqhawn Walters (Hartford, Conn.) of the men’s basketball team was named the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men’s and Women’s Basketball Player of the Year as announced by the league office on Monday afternoon.

This is the fourth time in school history the Falcons produced GNAC Players of the Year in both men’s and women’s basketball. Former Falcons Lianna Carrero and Darius Watson earned the honors back in 2014, while Kendra Walker and Ray Askew were tagged as GNAC Player of the Year in 2010. Natalie Perlaza and Tim Russell were the first Falcon duo to claim the honors in 2005.

Bolden earned end of the league recognition for the fourth season after being tabbed as a two-time First Team All-GNAC selection as a junior and sophomore and also was named GNAC Rookie of the Year in 2015. She ended her senior campaign leading the league in rebounds per game (13.5 rpg) and finished second averaging a career-best 21.6 points a game. She posted a team-high 21 double-doubles while shooting 48.6 percent from the field. Bolden scored 20 or more points 19 times highlighted by three 30-point performances, including a career-high 35 at Rivier on Jan. 11. The senior forward also reached two major milestones as she became the all-time program leader in points with 2,017 and rebounds with 1,127.

Walters enjoyed a banner season for the Falcons, who won the GNAC regular-season title. He was first among GNAC leaders in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 26.5 points and 15.0 boards per game. He was also efficient from the floor, ranking sixth in the league in shooting at 54.8 percent. A native of Hartford, Conn., Walters topped 30 points eight times, including three 40-point performances, and exceeded 20 rebounds five times. He had 24 double-doubles, including a 22-point, 25-rebound performance in the GNAC Championship game, which saw Albertus fall to Johnson & Wales University in an 84-80 thriller. This season in the win over Emmanuel (Mass.), Walters recorded 14 rebounds to become the third player in program history to record 1,000 career rebounds.

The women's basketball team ended the 2017-18 season with an 18-8 overall record and advanced to the GNAC Tournament as the No. 5 seed thanks to an 11-5 mark in league play. The Falcons saw their season come to an end with a setback at Saint Joseph's of Maine in the GNAC Semifinals.

The men’s basketball team ended to the 2017-18 season with an overall record of 21-6 and advanced to its 10th straight GNAC Tournament as the No. 1 seed thanks to a 15-1 mark in league play. The Falcons saw their season come to an end with a setback against Johnson & Wales in the GNAC Championship.