Patterson, Winston Collect NJCAA National Player, Coach of the Year Accolades

CHARLOTTE, N.C.. (Apr. 12, 2019) - On Thursday, Hostos Community College's Skydajah Patterson and DeVernie Winston received the distinct honors of being named the 2019 Spalding/NJCAA Division III Women's Basketball National Player and Coach of the Year, respectively. It marks the second-straight year that the Caimans have been bestowed both awards. Sophomore standout Kayla Wilson and Winston were tabbed as the individual recipients in 2018. Patterson ran the point for the back-to-back national champion Caimans this year. She was honored as the CUNYAC Player of the Year and NJCAA National Tournament Most Valuable Player, in addition to earning NJCAA All-America first-team distinction. Patterson finished the year with averages of 13.7 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.6 steals per contest. Her .418 three-point field-goal percentage (33-for-79) ranked eighth amongst the nation's leaders. Patterson also had 14 double-doubles and scored in double figures in 21 of her 32 games. That included eclipsing 20 or more points in the scoring column five times. "This award means a lot to me because the journey wasn't easy. I came to Hostos and my freshman year I played out of position as a small forward. I was told that in order for me to continue by basketball career I would have to become a guard," Patterson said. "I worked on my game all summer and was able to gain my coach's trust to be a guard. Not only did I become a guard in one year, I was blessed enough to receive this award. I want to thank the coaching staff and my teammates for a phenomenal year." Winston has led Hostos to unprecedented success since his arrival in the Bronx only four years ago. He has accumulated a 99-25 career record in his time with the Caimans and guided his team to a pair of NJCAA Division III national titles in the process. A strong presence all season, Hostos spent 10 consecutive weeks at No. 2 in the NJCAA Division III National Poll. In the final week of the regular season, the Caimans took down then-No. 1 Massasoit Community College to claim the top spot in the final tally. Winston went on to coach Hostos to a 28-5 record in 2018-19.