2017-18 Women's Basketball Sun Conference Award Winners Announced
LAKELAND, Fla. – On the eve of The Sun Conference Women’s Basketball Championship Presented by Olympus Insurance, the 2017-18 Sun Conference awards winners were honored for their achievement on the court, in the classroom and in the community.
Southeastern University senior guard Ana Richter was named The Sun Conference Player of the Year. Richter, who led the conference and all of NAIA Division II in scoring with 23.5 points-per-game, was the nation’s only two-time recipient of the NAIA Division II Player of the Week award this season. A native of Oxford, Ohio, Richter also ranked second in NAIA Division II in field goal percentage (.677) en route to recording 22 games this season scoring 20 or more points. Richter, who posted six double-doubles this season, averaged a team-high 7.4 rebounds on the season as well.
Richter was joined on the All-Conference First-Team by her SEU teammate Jaycee Coe. Three Southeastern players – Emma Karamovic, Halee Printz, and Marlena Schmidt - were named to the Second Team.
Junior point guard Samara Auguste of St. Thomas was named Defensive Player of Year. Auguste, who also was named First-Team All-Conference, led the conference and ranked second in NAIA Division II in steals-per-game (3.79) and total steals (106).
Tianna Ayulo of Johnson & Wales was honored as Freshman of the Year. Ayulo, also a First-Team All-Conference selection, led the Wildcats in points (17.0) and rebounds (8.1) while registering six double-doubles this season.
Sarah Miller (Ave Maria), Brianna Gipson (Coastal Georgia), Abreona Cabell (Florida Memorial), Ashley Henry (Florida Memorial), Diamond Williams (Johnson & Wales), and Katie Rienas were also named First-Team All-Conference.
Southeastern Head Coach Tim Hays was named Coach of the Year after leading Southeastern, the number one ranked team in the nation, to a third consecutive Sun Conference regular season championship. Hays led the Fire to a perfect regular season for the second straight year with a 27-0 overall record and an 18-0 conference record in 2017-18.
The Champions of Character Award was presented to Charisa Broadway of Warner. Broadway, a senior guard from Clermont, Fla., won the award for by best exemplifying the NAIA Champions of Character program’s five core values of Integrity, Respect, Responsibility, Sportsmanship and Servant Leadership. A double-major in Psychology and Social Work with a GPA of 3.95, Broadway has been active in the central Florida community as a grief counselor, a social work intern, and a mentor for area high school and middle school students.
Twelve student-athletes earned Academic All-Conference recognition for their work in the classroom. To be eligible, the recipient must be at least a sophomore that has completed two semesters at their institution with a grade point average of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale. Ave Maria, Florida Memorial, Southeastern, and Warner each were represented with two Academic All-Conference honorees.
First-Team All-Conference
Sarah Miller, Ave Maria
Brianna Gipson, Coastal Georgia
Abreona Cabell, Florida Memorial
Ashley Henry, Florida Memorial
Tianna Ayulo, Johnson & Wales
Diamond Williams, Johnson & Wales
Jaycee Coe, Southeastern
Ana Richter, Southeastern
Samara Auguste, St. Thomas
Katie Rienas, St. Thomas
Second-Team All-Conference
Lauren Gillingham, Ave Maria
Solrun Gisladottir, Coastal Georgia
Danielle Bailey, Florida Memorial
Donivan Dyson, Keiser
Midori Long, Keiser
Emma Karamovic, Southeastern
Halee Printz, Southeastern
Marlena Schmidt, Southeastern
Keiana Brooks, St. Thomas
Kriza Allen, Thomas
I’munique Green, Warner
Ashley Perry, Webber Intl.
Player of the Year – Ana Richter, Southeastern
Coach of the Year – Tim Hays, Southeastern
Defensive Player of the Year – Samara Auguste, St. Thomas
Freshman of the Year – Tianna Ayulo, Johnson & Wales
Champions of Character – Charisa Broadway, Warner
Academic All-Conference
Lauren Gillingham, Ave Maria
Sarah Miller, Ave Maria
Lynsey Washington, Coastal Georgia
Danielle Bailey, Florida Memorial
Abreona Cabell, Florida Memorial
Diamond Williams, Johnson & Wales
Caity Riley, Keiser
Ana Richter, Southeastern
Sarah Beth Richter, Southeastern
Keiana Brooks, St. Thomas
Charisa Broadway, Warner
Kashari James, Warner
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