Lenoir-Rhyne’s Charles Leads SAC Women’s Basketball Award Winners
Lenoir-Rhyne junior forward Jazmine Charles has been voted as the 2013-14 SAC Women’s Basketball Player of the Year, leading Wednesday’s announcement of the league’s award winners.
ROCK HILL, S.C. – Lenoir-Rhyne junior forward Jazmine Charles has been voted as the 2013-14 SAC Women's Basketball Player of the Year, leading Wednesday's announcement of the league's award winners.
Charles – who becomes the just second SAC Player of the Year in Lenoir-Rhyne history – finished the regular season ranked fourth in the conference in scoring at 17.5 points per game, third in free-throw shooting at 86.2-percent, sixth in three-pointers with 48, and 10th in rebounding at 6.6 per contest.
Behind Charles, Lenoir-Rhyne went 22-5 overall during the regular season and won a share of the SAC title at 17-5. She scored 20-plus points in 10 games, and recorded four double-doubles.
Charles is joined on the All-SAC First Team by Wingate forward Kayla Harris, Newberry forward Haylee Lepaio, Lincoln Memorial guard Aisjah Roan, Wingate forward Janitsha Williams and Lenoir-Rhyne guard Jenni Gust.
Harris averaged 16.8 points and 9.3 rebounds and Williams averaged 15.6 points and 7.9 rebounds for the Bulldogs, guiding them to a share of the conference title and a 21-5 overall record. Harris' 77 offensive rebounds were second-most in the conference, while Williams was the league's sixth-best foul shooter at 81.7-percent.
Lepaio led the SAC in scoring at 19.2 points per game – aided by 10 outings with at least 20 points - and ranked second in rebounding average at 10.7. Roan, meanwhile, averaged 15.2 points per game and finished second in the conference with 61 steals.
Gust was a 12.4 points-per-game scorer for Lenoir-Rhyne during the regular season, and ranked in the SAC's top 15 in field goal percentage and made free throws.
Earning All-SAC Second Team accolades are Queens forward Shonice Pettaway, Catawba guard Chloe Bully, Coker guard Tanesha Stenson, Mars Hill guard Ansley Ricker, Anderson guard Sierra Simpson and Newberry guard Tasia Holdorf.
The All-SAC Honorable Mention Team is made up of LMU forward MaRanda Boddie, Catawba forward Antoinette McPhail, Brevard guard Katie Williams, Anderson guard Lesley Woods, Tusculum forward Kristen McMillion and Lenoir-Rhyne guard Danielle Bongiorno.
Carson-Newman forward Kaitlyn Cupples was selected as the SAC Freshman of the Year after averaging 8.9 points on 52.6-percent shooting and 5.8 rebounds per game. She is accompanied on the conference's All-Freshman Team by Brevard guard Madison Lenox, Wingate guard Shelby Tricoli, Anderson forward Alexis Dillard and Catawba forward Jada Huntley.
For the fourth time in his career, Lenoir-Rhyne's Todd Starkey was chosen as the SAC Coach of the Year. Starkey led the Bears to their first conference title since 2009-10. L-R was also ranked 24th in the regular season's final WBCA national poll.
2013-14 SAC Women's Basketball Awards
SAC Player of the Year: Jazmine Charles, Lenoir-Rhyne
SAC Freshman of the year: Kaitlyn Cupples, Carson-Newman
SAC Coach of the Year: Todd Starkey, Lenoir-Rhyne
All-SAC First Team
Jazmine Charles, Lenoir-Rhyne
Kayla Harris, Wingate
Haylee Lepaio, Newberry
Aisjah Roan, Lincoln Memorial
Janitsha Williams, Wingate
Jenni Gust, Lenoir-Rhyne
All-SAC Second Team
Shonice Pettaway, Queens
Chloe Bully, Catawba
Tanesha Stenson, Coker
Ansley Ricker, Mars Hill
Sierra Simpson, Anderson
Tasia Holdorf, Newberry
All-SAC Honorable Mention
MaRanda Boddie, Lincoln Memorial
Antoinette McPhail, Catawba
Katie Williams, Brevard
Lesley Woods, Anderson
Kristen McMillion, Tusculum
Danielle Bongiorno, Lenoir-Rhyne
SAC All-Freshman Team
Kaitlyn Cupples, Carson-Newman
Madison Lenox, Brevard
Shelby Tricoli, Wingate
Alexis Dillard, Anderson
Jada Huntley, Catawba