Parker, McLaughlin highlight multiple All-Ivy accolades for Penn women's basketball

It was a decorated Wednesday for Penn women's basketball. 

Three days before the Ivy League Tournament, the Ivy League announced Penn women's basketball coach Mike McLaughlin as the 2019 Ivy League Coach of the Year. Three of his players — sophomore center Eleah Parker, senior guard Ashley Russell, and senior forward Princess Aghayere — were honored as well. 

For McLaughlin, who is finishing up his 10th year as the coach of the Quakers, the recognition comes after he led the Red and Blue to a share of the Ivy League title despite losing three starters to graduation. This marks the third Coach of the Year award for McLaughlin, who has won four Ivy titles over the last six seasons with Penn. 

Leading the way on the court for the Quakers was Parker, the 2018 unanimous Ivy League Rookie of the Year, who averaged 15.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 3.3 blocks per game this season. She was named the 2019 Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year, the first Penn player to earn the honor since 2017 graduate Sydney Stipanovich. Parker and Princeton's Bella Alarie, the 2019 Ivy League Player of the Year, were unanimous first team All-Ivy selections. 

Rounding out the Red and Blue's accolades were Russell and Aghayere, who were both named second team All-Ivy. Both players averaged more than 10 points and six rebounds per game and were pivotal to the Quakers' success this season. 

Cornell junior guard Laura Bagwell-Katalinich, who transferred from Penn two years ago and sat out last season at Cornell due to NCAA transfer rules, picked up a first team All-Ivy nomination. This year, she averaged 16.4 points per game to lead the Big Red to an Ivy League Tournament berth as the No. 4 seed. 

All of Penn's honorees will be in action this Saturday in New Haven, Conn. when the team takes on No. 3 Harvard in the first Ivy Madness away from the Palestra.