Sun Conference

2015 Women’s Basketball All-Conference Team Announced

2/26/2015 7:43:24 PM

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – St. Thomas senior Danisha Pierce headlined the list of honorees when The Sun Conference announced the 2015 Women’s Basketball All-Conference team at the conference tournament banquet hosted by St. Thomas on Thursday.  The All-Conference team, which featured seven first team and seven second team selections, was voted on by the league’s head coaches.
 
Pierce, who is in her second season with the Bobcats, garnered Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors, and was named to the All-Conference first team. The New Haven, Conn. product leads league in scoring (20.3 ppg), rebounds (9.4 rpg) and steals (4.7 spg).  An eight-time Sun Conference Player of the Week, Pierce was also tabbed as the NAIA National Player of the Week on two occasions.
 
Southeastern Head Coach Jody Martinez was selected as the Coach of the Year. Martinez, who is in his first season with the Fire, led his team a runner-up finish in the regular season standings at 16-2 and closed out regular season play at 25-5, marking the program’s best overall record in the last five seasons.
 
Newcomer of the Year honors went to Thomas senior Courtney Saunds. A 5-9 transfer from the College of Coastal Georgia, Saunds ranks second in the league in scoring with a 19.3 points-per-game average and is her team’s leader in assists (2.4) and steals (2.3 spg).
 
Embry-Riddle’s Sabrina Whiting was named the Freshman of the Year. A 5-7- guard from Temple Terrace, Fla., Whiting led the Eagles in scoring, averaging 13.2 points per game and scored in double figures in 20 contest and helped the first-year ERAU program to a fourth-place conference regular season finish.
 
Pierce’s St. Thomas teammate, Emma Grimes was the recipient of the Champions of Character award. A freshman from Palm Bay, Fla., Grimes was the Bobcats’ liaison for Team Impact. Through the Team Impact program, STU partnered with a little girl with Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Grimes took the lead on including the little girl in team activities and organizing events specifically geared toward she would like to do. Grimes has also been instrumental in spreading awareness about SMA, getting her team and the STU Athletics Department to participate in a SMAsh challenge.
 
The league also announced the five-person All-Defensive team, which included Pierce, Whiting, Laura Cherranfant of Thomas, Emma Loucks of Southeastern and Abreona Cabell of Florida Memorial.
 
Conference Tournament play will resume at 5 p.m. on Friday when No. 7 Ave Maria takes on No. 3 Webber International, followed by a 7 p.m. tip between No. 1 St. Thomas and No. 5 Thomas.
 
First Team All-Conference
Dannisha Pierce, St. Thomas
Alyssa Ramos, Southeastern
Courtney Saunds, Thomas
Claudia Martin, St. Thomas
La Quandra Brazill, Webber International
Carlie Newman, Southeastern
Mercedes Jorge, Embry-Riddle
 
Second Team All-Conference
Antishia Wright, St. Thomas
Deslyn Applewhite, Webber International
Sabrina Whiting, Embry-Riddle
Taylor Cyphers, Embry-Riddle
Joanne Tran, Johnson & Wales
Annie Artise, Ave Maria
Kristina Bridges, Johnson & Wales
 
All-Defensive Team
Dannisha Pierce, St. Thomas
Laura Cherranfant, Thomas
Shakeria Wilson, Webber International
Emma Loucks, Southeastern
Sabrina Whiting, Embry-Riddle
Abreona Cabell, Florida Memorial
 
Player of the Year
Dannisha Pierce, St. Thomas
 
Newcomer of the Year
Courtney Saunds, Thomas
 
Freshman of the Year
Sabrina Whiting, Embry-Riddle
 
Defensive Player of the Year
Dannisha Pierce, St. Thomas
 
Champions of Character Award
Emma Grimes, St. Thomas
 
Coach of the Year
Jody Martinez, Southeastern

Academic All-Conference