BUFFALO, N.Y. – Senior guard Katie Villarini (Hamburg, N.Y./Hamburg) of the Buffalo State women's basketball team earned top regional honors from D3hoops.com, as she was named as the Region 3 Player of the Year and a First Team All-Region selection on Tuesday (March 15, 2022).
 
Villarini becomes the first player in program history to earn regional Player of the Year and first team All-Region honors, and the third person overall in the 21 years that D3hoops.com has named All-Region teams, joining Liv Lebaron '20 and Jaylen (Bianca) Smiley '14. Villarini will be eligible for the D3hoops.com All-America team, which will be unveiled on Saturday, March 19.
 
Villarini set records in her senior season, averaging 22.4 points per game and making 161 free throws, both program bests. Her 559 points this season were second all-time behind LeBaron's 587 points in the 2019-20 season. She led the league in scoring, assists (4.8 per game), free throw percentage (85.2 percent), assist to turnover ratio (1.98), defensive rebounds (6.6 per game), and minutes played (38.8 per game). She finished fourth in rebounding average (7.5 per game) and fifth in three-pointers made per game (1.8). Nationally, Villarini is fifth among all Division III players in scoring, third in free throws made, fourth in minutes played, 24th in free throw percentage, and 30th in assists.
 
Villarini tallied eight double-doubles this season, and nearly notched a triple double in Buffalo State's victory over Brockport on Dec. 10, an 18-point, 10-assist, nine-rebound performance. She has tallied 30 or more points an impressive six times, including two 36-point performances at Oneonta (Jan. 14) and at Fredonia (Jan. 28), both career-highs. She was named SUNYAC Athlete of the Week twice and was also named to D3Hoops.com's weekly honor roll on two occasions. She also earned her first SUNYAC Player of the Year honor on March 1.
 
Villarini finishes her career second on the all-time scoring list with 1,491 points, second all-time behind only Arlene Eagan '91's 1,699. She also finishes second all-time with 175 3-pointers made, and 13th with 576 rebounds. She is the all-time leader in free throws made (360), shattering a 27-year-old record previously held by Jessie Wellings '95, who tallied 289.
 
Buffalo State finished the season with a 14-11 overall record and a 11-7 mark in SUNYAC contests, earning a second consecutive appearance in the SUNYAC Tournament. The Bengals earned double-digit victories for the 11th time in 12 seasons.