UNCASVILLE, Conn. - The American Athletic Conference announced its annual women’s basketball awards to cap the 2016-17 season and kick off the American Women’s Basketball Championship in Uncasville, Conn., March 3-6.
UConn junior Gabby Williams earned American Defensive Player of the Year honors while USF junior Maria Jespersen was selected as the American Most Improved Player of the Year. Temple junior Tanaya Atkinson claimed American Sixth Player of the Year accolades while Tulane senior Leslie Vorpahl earned the league’s Sportsmanship Award. Cincinnati junior Shanice Johnson was the unanimous choice for American Newcomer of the Year.
Williams ranks Top 5 in The American in four different defensive categories in league play, including rebounding (8.9 per game), field-goal percentage (.591), steals (2.7 per game) and blocks (1.5 per game). The junior had the conference’s only triple-double this season (16 points, 16 rebounds, 10 assists) in a Jan. 24 win over East Carolina.
Jespersen improved in four different categories this season compared to 2015-16, including upping her points per game average by nearly 10 points. The junior is second on USF in scoring with 15.2 points per game and leads the team in rebounding with 8.8 per game.
Atkinson ranks Top 20 in the conference in scoring (12.6 per game) and Top 10 in rebounding (7.9 per game) off the bench for the Owls. She also leads The American and ranks seventh in the NCAA with 4.0 offensive rebounds per game.
Vorpahl was recognized by the league’s coaches for her sportsmanship, positive demeanor, commitment to player safety and public support of both her teammates and opponents. The guard, who received the conference’s Most Improved Player of the Year award a year ago, averages 11.8 points per game and leads the team while ranking fourth in The American with 5.3 assists per game in league play. Johnson, in her first year with the Bearcats after transferring from Monroe Community College, has 12 double-doubles this season and seven 20+ point performances under her belt.
The All-Conference and All-Freshman teams, which include student-athletes from 10 different schools, were also announced on Thursday. The All-Conference First Team is highlighted by three unanimous selections in Napheesa Collier (UConn), Katie Lou Samuelson (UConn) and Kitija Laksa (USF).
The awards were voted on by the league’s 11 head coaches. Ties were not broken. The American Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year, Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Coach of the Year will be announced at a press conference on Friday, March 3 at Mohegan Sun Arena at 2 p.m. ET. The event will be streamed live at
www.youtube.com/americanathleticconf.
2016-17 American Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Regular Season Awards
American Defensive Player of the Year
Gabby Williams, Jr., F, UConn
American Most Improved Player of the Year
Maria Jespersen, Jr., F, USF
American Sixth Player of the Year
Tanaya Atkinson, Jr., G, Temple
American Sportsmanship Award
Leslie Vorpahl, Sr., G, Tulane
American Newcomer of the Year
Shanice Johnson, Jr., F, Cincinnati *
All-Conference First Team
Aliyah Gregory, Jr., G, UCF
Napheesa Collier, So., F, UConn *
Katie Lou Samuelson, So., G/F, UConn *
Gabby Williams, Jr., F, UConn
Maria Jespersen, Jr., F, USF
Kitija Laksa, So., G/F, USF *
Feyonda Fitzgerald, Sr., G, Temple
All-Conference Second Team
Kia Nurse, Jr., G, UConn
Alicia Froling, Jr., F, SMU
Alliya Butts, Jr., G, Temple
Donnaizha Fountain, Jr., G, Temple
Kolby Morgan, Jr., G, Tulane
All-Conference Third Team
Zykira Lewis, Sr., G, UCF
Shanice Johnson, Jr., F, Cincinnati
Saniya Chong, Sr., G, UConn
Cheyenne Creighton, Jr., F, Memphis
Brea Elmore, Jr., G, Memphis
Leslie Vorpahl, Sr., G, Tulane
All-Freshman Team
Crystal Dangerfield, Fr., G, UConn
Angela Harris, Fr., G, Houston
Jasmyne Harris, Fr., G, Houston
Tamara Henshaw, Fr., F, USF *
Shug Dickson, Fr., G, Tulsa
Kendrian Elliott, Fr., F, Tulsa
[*] denotes unanimous selection
Ties are not broken