Moon Township, Pa. – The Greek duo of Artemis Spanou (2010-14) and Anna Niki Stamolamprou (2013-17) from the Robert Morris University women's basketball program was selected to the Northeast Conference (NEC) All-Decade Team Friday.
A voting panel consisting of NEC coaches, media members, and conference staff trimmed an initial 25-player list to the final team of 10 players. Student-athletes must have competed for at least two years in the NEC during the 2010-19 time frame. Robert Morris was one of three schools with multiple players selected, joining Sacred Heart and Saint Francis U.
"We are very honored for two of our student-athletes to have earned spots on this outstanding list," said current RMU head coach Charlie Buscaglia. "Artemis and Anna Niki were also able to spend a year together as teammates, and to have both of them together was very special. It brings no greater joy than to have all your efforts as a coach to develop student-athletes, not only to bring out the best in their talents, but to help them understand how to influence their teammates in a positive way. They both will always be remembered as amazing teammates on and off the court.
Spanou, a native of Rhodes, Greece, was named NEC Player of the Decade. Arguably the most decorated student-athlete in athletic department history, the four-time All-NEC forward owns the program career records in points (2,124), field goals made (743), free throws made (505), rebounds (1,563), and rebounding average (12.6). She is a two-time NEC Player of the Year, winning the award consecutively in 2013 and 2014, and captured the 2014 NEC Tournament MVP after averaging 25.3 points, 15.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 2.0 blocks in the Colonials' three-game run to the NCAA Tournament.
The 2014 Robert Morris alumna is fifth all-time in NCAA Division I history in double-doubles (85) and eighth in rebounds – both marks being conference records. In her junior season, Spanou was the NCAA rebounding champ with a per-game average of 15.5, and paced the league in scoring at 19.1 points per contest. She topped the circuit on the glass in each of her four seasons and won NEC Rookie of the Year accolades in 2011. At the conclusion of her career, Spanou was one of seven student-athletes in NCAA Division I annals to accumulate career totals of 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 300 assists, and 100 blocks.
A product of Thessaloniki, Greece, Stamolamprou was the catalyst to RMU's most successful run in program history. She played in four NEC Championship Games, winning three of them (2014, 2016, 2017) and advancing to those respective NCAA Tournaments. The combo guard made four All-NEC teams, won a pair of NEC Tournament MVP awards in 2016 and 2017, and captured NEC Player of the Year plaudits in her senior season. Stamolamprou also was named NEC Women's Basketball Scholar-Athlete in 2016 and 2017, and was a nominee for 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year.
Stamolamprou's name is all through the Colonial career record books, ranking in the top three of three-point field goals (283 – 1st), points (1,815 – 2nd), games started (122 – t-2nd), and assists (373 – 3rd). She and Spanou are the only two players in program history to eclipse 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 300 assists, and 100 assists in their careers, and she owns or shares the single-game standards for points scored (39), field goals made (15), and three-point field goal percentage (.875).
Joining Spanou and Stamolamprou on the All-Decade Team were: Hannah Kimmel of Sacred Heart (2011-17), Jessica Kovatch of Saint Francis U (2015-19), Erika Livermore of Fairleigh Dickinson (2011-16), Jasmine Nwajei of Wagner (2013-16), Ashley Palmer of Long Island (2010-12), Breanna Rucker of Bryant (2012-16), Callan Taylor of Sacred Heart (2010-12), and Alli Williams of Saint Francis U (2010-14).
Follow the Colonials: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
