LAKELAND, Fla. (Feb. 21, 2019) – On the eve of The Sun Conference Women’s Basketball Championship Presented by Shula’s Hotel and Golf Club, the 2018-19 Sun Conference awards winners were honored for their achievement on the court, in the classroom and in the community.
St. Thomas guard
Samara Auguste was named The Sun Conference Player of the Year. Auguste, a four-time All-TSC selection, led the Bobcats to the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in this year’s conference tournament. The native of West Palm Beach, Florida, averaged 18.7 points-per-game (No. 3 in the conference and No. 12 in the nation). She reached the 20-point plateau 11 times and scored 30-or-more in a game twice. Auguste also ranked in the Top 5 in the conference in steals and assists. The St. Thomas guard averaged 2.6 steals-per-game (No. 4 in the conference and No. 14 in the nation) and 4.6 assists-per-contest (No. 3 in the conference and No. 18 in the nation).
Webber International’s
Taniya Patrick was named the Sun Conference Freshman of the Year. The 6-foot forward averaged 12.9 points-per-game (No. 18 in the conference) and 8.3 boards-per-contest (No. 7 in the conference and No. 42 in the nation). Patrick is the nation’s leader in blocked shots, averaging 3.1 per game while totaling 10 double-double this past season (fourth-most in the conference).
The Champions of Character Award was presented to
Sarah Miller of Ave Maria. Miller, a junior forward from Canton, Ohio, 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. Majoring in accounting with a GPA of 3.89, Miller has been active in volunteering with the Catholic Youth Organization and assisting with basketball clinics for elementary and high school children. A Gyrene team captain, Miller is the junior class representative of the Student Government Association.
For the second-consecutive season, Southeastern’s
Tim Hays was named the Sun Conference Coach of the Year, leading the Fire to their fourth-straight regular season crown. Ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation this season, Hays led the Fire to another perfect season in conference play as SEU increased its current win streak versus TSC opponent to 60-straight victories.
2018-19 Sun Conference Women’s Basketball Specialty Award Winners
Player of the Year: Samara Auguste (St. Thomas)
Freshman of the Year: Taniya Patrick (Webber International)
Champion of Character: Sarah Miller (Ave Maria)
Coach of the Year: Tim Hays (Southeastern)
Fourteen 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 led the way with three academic all-conference honorees.
2018-19 Sun Conference Women’s Basketball All-Academic Team
| Danielle Domino |
Ave Maria |
So. |
Parkland, Fla. |
| Georgia Slay |
Ave Maria |
So. |
Tallahassee, Fla. |
| Sarah Miller |
Ave Maria |
Jr. |
Canton, Ohio |
| Romny Felts |
Coastal Georgia |
So. |
Shelbyville, Tenn. |
| Lynsey Washington |
Coastal Georgia |
Jr. |
Albany, Ga. |
| Danielle Bailey |
Florida Memorial |
Jr. |
Chicago. Ill. |
| Shawnice King |
Florida Memorial |
Jr. |
Columbia, Md. |
| JoNae Gonzales-Smith |
Johnson & Wales (Fla.) |
Sr. |
Richmond, Calif. |
| Kelly Meade |
Keiser |
Jr. |
Westerville, Ohio |
| Marlena Schmidt |
Southeastern |
Jr. |
Eighty Four, Pa. |
| Keiana Brooks |
St. Thomas |
Jr. |
Winchester, Va. |
| Alisha Clayton |
Thomas |
So. |
Gainesville, Fla. |
| Jewel Montisano |
Thomas |
Jr. |
Daytona Beach, Fla. |
| Mathilde Couppe De K Martin |
Warner |
So. |
Guadeloupe, France |
On Wednesday, the 2018-19 All-Sun Conference Teams were announced. Below are this year’s honorees.
2018-19 Women’s Basketball All-Sun Conference Teams
| First Team |
|
|
|
| Sarah Miller |
Ave Maria |
Jr. |
Canton, Ohio |
| Brianna Gipson |
Coastal Georgia |
Sr. |
Brunswick, Ga. |
| Brianna Battle |
Florida Memorial |
So. |
Pompano Beach, Fla. |
| Kanesha Battle |
Florida Memorial |
Jr. |
Pompano Beach, Fla. |
| Tianna Ayulo |
Johnson & Wales (Fla.) |
So. |
Hollywood, Fla. |
| Donivan Dyson |
Keiser |
Sr. |
Columbus, Ga. |
| Makenzie Cann |
Southeastern |
Sr. |
Lawrenceburg, Ky. |
| Elsa Paulsson-Glantz |
Southeastern |
R-Sr. |
Lulea, Sweden |
| Samara Auguste |
St. Thomas |
Sr. |
West Palm Beach, Fla. |
| Ebony Griffin |
St. Thomas |
Sr. |
Miramar, Fla. |
|
|
|
|
| Second Team |
|
|
|
| Katie Houbolt |
Ave Maria |
Sr. |
Oak Lawn, Ill. |
| Ayshia Baker |
Coastal Georgia |
Sr. |
Lakeland, Fla. |
| Solrun Gisladottir |
Coastal Georgia |
So. |
Hafnarfjordur, Iceland |
| JoNae Gonzales-Smith |
Johnson& Wales (Fla.) |
Sr. |
Richmond, Calif. |
| Midori Long |
Keiser |
Jr. |
Mebane, N.C. |
| Jaycee Coe |
Southeastern |
Sr. |
Gainesboro, Tenn. |
| Halee Printz |
Southeastern |
Sr. |
Tipp City, Ohio |
| Marlena Schmidt |
Southeastern |
Jr. |
Eighty Four, Pa. |
| Micah Garvin |
Thomas |
Sr. |
Longwood, Fla. |
| Taniya Patrick |
Webber International |
Fr. |
Baltimore, Md. |