Women's Basketball | 4/6/2015 9:45:00 PM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:  Jack Watford, WBCA Director of Communications, 770-279-8027 ext. 112
 

Select Players of the Year named at Fifth Annual WBCA Award Show

TAMPA BAY, Florida (April 6, 2015) – The Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced the Player of the Year for NCAA DII and DIII, NAIA and Junior/Community College tonight during the Fifth Annual WBCA Awards Show.

Shareta Brown of Wayne State University (Mich.) was named NCAA Division II player of the year, Sydney Moss of Thomas More College was named NCAA Division III player of the year, Hayley Newby of Freed-Hardeman was named NAIA player of the year and Evelyn Akhator of Chipola Junior College was named the Junior/Community College player of the year.

"The WBCA congratulates each of these student-athletes for accomplishing exceptional seasons in their respective division and celebrates their player of the year recognition," said WBCA Executive Director Danielle Donehew. "These young women have demonstrated an elite level of play, inspiring fans and aspiring youth players all season long. The WBCA is proud to honor each student-athlete, as their investment and leadership into their team has elevated our game to a new standard."

Shareta Brown, Wayne State University (Mich.), NCAA Division II
Brown, a senior center for Wayne State University, guided her team to a 23-6 record and to the second round of the Division II NCAA Tournament before ultimately falling to Lewis University. The Pontiac, Mich. native also earned Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year and Daktronics/Division II Conference Commissioners Association Midwest Region Player of the Year and National Player of the Year honors after averaging 22.5 points, 14.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.1 steals per game. Not only did Brown lead her team in numerous statistical categories, but the senior also topped the nation in field goal percentage (.645), rebounds (14.7) and offensive rebounds per game (6.0). She broke the school single-season points (639), free throws made (177) and rebounds (427).

Sydney Moss, Thomas More College, NCAA Division III
A junior guard, Moss has stamped her name all over the record books with a second-straight Division III Player of the Year award. On the year, Moss led the nation in scoring for the second year in a row at 24.4 points per game while shooting at a 52.8 percent clip from the field and 40.6 percent from beyond the arc. The St. Albans, W. Va. native also ranks sixth nationally with a 2.64 assist to turnover ratio. Moss currently ranks second in career scoring at Thomas More College in two seasons, trailing Amy Burk (1995-1999) by just 59 points as the school's all-time leading scorer.

Hayley Newby, Freed-Hardeman University, NAIA
A 6-foot senior forward from Knoxville, Tenn., Newby earned her second-straight American Midwest Conference Player of the Year award after averaging a team-best 18.0 points per game to go with 10.4 rebounds per game while shooting 49.6 percent from the field. The senior forward also helped anchor the team's defense with 1.4 steals per game. Behind Newby's play, Freed-Hardeman advanced to its second consecutive NAIA Final Four and finished the year with a 35-2 record overall.

Evelyn Akhator, Chipola Junior College, Junior/Community College
Akhator, a sophomore forward, earned the WBCA's Junior/Community College Player of the Year Award after averaging 21.8 points per game and 16.9 rebounds per game while shooting 57.9 percent from the field. Her 21.8 points per game rank as the fifth most in the NJCAA, while her 16.9 rebounds per game top the NJCAA ranks. Akhator shattered the record books in her final state tournament appearance as she grabbed a state tournament record 29 rebounds in the championship title matchup and pulled down 64 boards total over the three games. Additionally, the Nigeria native anchored the defense with 3.2 steals per game and 3.0 blocks per game while leading Chipola to its first-ever NJCAA National Championship.

The WBCA Players of the Year are selected by committees composed of WBCA-member coaches within the respective membership divisions.
 
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About the WBCA:
Founded in 1981, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association promotes women's basketball by unifying coaches at all levels to develop a reputable identity for the sport and to foster and promote the development of the game as a sport for women and girls. For more information on the WBCA, please visit wbca.org.
 
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