2025 MBWA AWARDS
WOMEN'S DIV. III
National Champ NYU's Bruns & Barber Repeat as Top Player, Coach

NEW YORK (April 14, 2025) – Natalie Bruns, who led New York University to a second consecutive unbeaten (31-0) season and back-to-back NCAA Tournament national championships, was selected the All-Met Division III women’s college basketball Player of the Year for a second straight time as announced Monday by the Met Basketball Writers Association.
 

Meg Barber of New York University was selected Coach of the Year for a fourth consecutive season and fifth time overall.

The rest of the All-Met First Team: Natalie Bruns, NYU; Mia Castillo, Baruch; Alexa Charles, Hunter; Alyssa Craigwell, Montclair State; Tova Gelb, Vassar; Emily Grasseler, USMMA; Belle Pellecchia, NYU. 

The All-Met Second Team: Carolae Barton, USMMA; Danielle Bessler, Yeshiva; Leyla Castro, Stevens; Heaven Figueroa, Lehman; Sierra McDermed, Vassar; Caroline Peper, NYU.

The All-Met Third Team: Vatijah Davis, Centenary; Julia Harvey, Vassar; Brianna Smith, William Paterson; Maddison Vaughn, Kean; Ashley Zeolla, John Jay.

All-Met Honorable Mention: Lucy Alberici, Stevens; Jamie Behar, NYU; Sophie Beneventine and Olivia Vero, Montclair State; Brianna Guglielmo, Mount Saint Mary; Alicia Gumbs, York; Anna Kitch, Brooklyn; Michaela Lattimore, John Jay; Esther Ramos, Manhattanville; Erin Smith, Mount Saint Vincent; Megan Spina, St. Joseph’s-LI.
 
Being named All-Met is unique in that there are 35 colleges and universities and more than 500 players under the MBWA Division III women’s umbrella.
 
The 2024-25 All-Met teams will be honored at the 92nd MBWA Haggerty Awards dinner on Thursday, April 24, at the Sleepy Hollow Hotel & Conference Center in Tarrytown, NY. The Haggerty dinner is the longest running, media-managed college basketball awards program in the United States.
 
A 6-1 graduate forward from St. Louis, MO, Bruns has been a gold miner statistically and in collecting distinctive honors for virtually her entire collegiate career comprising four seasons (the Violets did not compete in her freshman year of 2020-21 due to the coronavirus situation).
 
In addition to her two MBWA Player of the Year awards and in being named to the All-Met First Team for a third consecutive season, Bruns in 2024-25 was selected to the University Athletic Association First Team and as conference player of the year for a third straight time, and also was named a WBCA All-American and the National Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons. Among other accolades, she won the NCAA Elite 90 Award this year presented to the player in the Final Four with the highest grade-point average (3.964 GPA).
 
This past season, Bruns started all 31 undefeated games for NYU (14-0 UAA champs) and led the Violets in scoring with 533 points (UAA No. 1), 17.2 ppg (UAA fourth). 6.5 rebounds, 91 blocks (UAA No. 1, NCAA T2), 2.9 blocks per game (UAA No. 1), 163 assists (UAA No. 1, NCAA No. 3) and 5.3 assists per game. She also had 68 steals while shooting 58.1% from the floor (UAA No. 3, NCAA No. 12), 36.8% from 3-point distance and 79.5% at the free throw line.
 
In 2023-24, Bruns set a program record with 98 blocks in one season and concludes with a school record 328 blocks for her career. In 117 games for the Violets, she registered 1,661 points (No.6 all-time at NYU), 866 rebounds and 399 assists.  
 
In her seventh season at the helm, NYU alum Barber --- who also was named MBWA Coach of the Year in 2020, ’22 and ’23, and the WBCA Division III national coach of the year in 2022 and this season --- led the Violets (31-0, 14-0 UAA) to their fourth straight University Athletic Association title as the program claimed its third NCAA national championship (first in 1997).
 
In posting a fifth straight 20+ wins season and tabbed a No. 1 seed for the NCAAs, the Violets defeated opponents by an average of 39-plus points, which led the nation. The team ranked first in Division III in assists per game and field goal percentage, and was Top Five in the nation in assist/turnover ratio, blocks per game, scoring offense, 3-point percentage and turnover margin. In addition to tutoring Bruns, five NYU players earned All-UAA honors, including WBCA All-American Belle Pellecchia, who claimed her fourth consecutive UAA Defensive Player of the Yer laurel.
 
NYU’s current winning streak of 62 games ranks eighth longest in NCAA history.
 
The Violets back-to-back national titles are the fourth time the feat has been achieved since the NCAA inaugurated the women’s tournament in 1982, which includes four championships in a row for UAA rival Washington of St. Louis (1998-2001). NYU defeated Smith for both its recent titles, winning 51-41 in 2024 and cruising to the crown 77-49 this time around.
 
A 2002 graduate of New York University with a Masters degree in Sports Business from Temple, Barber’s coaching record over six active team seasons (the Violets did not compete in 2020-21 due to the Covid pandemic) is 150-21, an .877 won-loss percentage. Prior to joining NYU as head coach for the 2018-19 season, Barber --- a native of Hoosick Falls, NY --- held coaching positions at Temple and at William & Mary.