FOR RELEASE - After an undefeated regular season and Region XI Championship, the NIACC Trojans dominated the ICCAC Division II Women's Basketball postseason awards.
Headlining the First Team All-Conference team was Trojan sophomore Autam Mendez, the 2019-20 Player of the Year. Mendez was in the top five in the ICCAC in numerous categories including points per game (20.1, 1st), rebounds (9.8, 2nd), and both field goals made (110, 2nd) and three pointers made (50, 1st).
Her season was highlighted by a 48-point performance against Little Priest on Feb. 26. Mendez is the second Trojan to win ICCAC Player of the Year in a row, following Mandy Willems who won last year.
Joining Mendez on First Team was the Defensive Player of the Year, Sierra Morrow. Defensively, Morrow was the leader of a NIACC team known for their full-court pressure. She led the league in blocks with 68 and was fifth in rebounds with 119 in 15 games.
Morrow also averaged 17.1 points, third-most in conference play.
The last of the Trojans to earn a special award was head coach Todd Ciochetto. Ciochetto led NIACC to their second-straight Region XI title, third in the last five seasons, and their seventh straight regional championship appearance. The Trojans head to the National Tournament as the No. 1 team in the country with a record of 32-1.
Rounding out the special awards was Southeastern's Emma Knipe, the Newcomer of the Year. The freshman from Nauvoo, Ill. tied Mendez as the ICCAC scoring champion averaging 20.1 points per night in ICCAC play. Knipe was arguably the most efficient player offensively, leading the league in field goals made (125) and third in field goal percentage (51.7).
Knipe led the Blackhawks to a 9-7 record and the No. 3 seed in the Region XI Tournament.
Seven others were selected to the 10-member First Team All-Conference squad.
Two more NIACC players were voted to First Team, guards Sierra Lynch and Kelcie Hale. Hale, the 2020 Region XI Tournament MVP, was the team's floor general finishing second in the conference in assists (70) to go along with you 9.7 points per game.
Lynch was the Trojans third leading scorer on a team that averaged 90 points per game. She scored 13.1 points per game in 15 conference games. She was also a feisty defender, finishing with 43 steals, third most in the ICCAC.
Kirkwood, the Region XI runner-up, had two players recognized to First Team. The only other team with multiple selections, the Eagles were led by sophomores Paige Bradford and Ju Gaston.
Bradford was the teams' leading scorer at 16.5 points per game, fourth best in the league. Peripherally, she averaged 6.6 rebounds and two assists per game. Bradford led the league in field goal percentage as well at 64.4%.
Gaston played the role of point guard for Kirkwood. Across the board, she averaged 8.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, three assists and just over two steals per game.
DMACC, Iowa Lakes, and Southwestern each placed one player of First Team in 2019-20.
Southwestern's Simone Jordan had a solid season to lead the Spartans. Jordan was the conference's leading rebounder collecting 10.8 rebounds per game. She paired that with being fifth among ICCAC scorers putting in just under 15 points per game, ending as the only player in the ICCAC to average a double-double in conference play.
Breanna Wendland was selected from Iowa Lakes. She led the Lakers in scoring at 12.8 points per game and was top-10 in field goal percentage (49.3, 4th) and free throw percentage (69.8. 9th). The sophomore earned First Team All-Conference last season, joining NIACC's Autam Mendez as the only players to repeat as First Team selections.
Capping off the First Team selections was DMACC's Riley Gatton. Gatton averaged 11.1 points and 3.9 rebounds in conference for the Bears.
The 2019-20 All-Conference teams were selected by the head coaches of the ICCAC. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players.
|
First Team All-Conference |
||||
|
# |
Player |
College |
Pos. |
Class |
|
1 |
Riley Gatton |
DMACC |
G |
Fr. |
|
10 |
Breanna Wendland |
Iowa Lakes |
G |
So. |
|
1 |
Paige Bradford |
Kirkwood |
F/C |
So. |
|
4 |
Ju Gaston |
Kirkwood |
G |
So. |
|
2 |
Sierra Lynch |
NIACC |
G |
Fr. |
|
5 |
Kelcie Hale |
NIACC |
G |
So. |
|
13 |
Autam Mendez |
NIACC |
G |
So. |
|
24 |
Sierra Morrow |
NIACC |
F/C |
Fr. |
|
11 |
Southeastern |
F/C |
So. |
|
|
34 |
Simone Jordan |
Southwestern |
F/C |
So. |
|
Second Team All-Conference |
||||
|
# |
Player |
College |
Pos. |
Class |
|
3 |
Asia Mena |
DMACC |
G |
So. |
|
4 |
Mardaeja Cross |
Iowa Central |
G |
So. |
|
14 |
Shareece Smith |
Iowa Lakes |
G |
So. |
|
40 |
Sassy Coleman |
Iowa Lakes |
F |
So. |
|
2 |
Tatiana Hodges-Johnson |
Kirkwood |
G |
Fr. |
|
5 |
Amara Lipsey |
Kirkwood |
G |
So. |
|
23 |
Kemara Watson |
Kirkwood |
F/C |
Fr. |
|
4 |
Sanaa Smith |
NIACC |
G |
Fr. |
|
3 |
Southeastern |
G |
So. |
|
|
3 |
Brielle Baker |
Southwestern |
G |
Fr. |
|
Third Team All-Conference |
||||
|
# |
Player |
College |
Pos. |
Class |
|
12 |
Jada Powell |
DMACC |
F |
Fr. |
|
20 |
Jordan Engbrecht |
Iowa Central |
G |
Fr. |
|
23 |
Tyler Pacheco |
Iowa Lakes |
G |
So. |
|
22 |
Natalie Tomaszewski |
Kirkwood |
F/C |
So. |
|
3 |
Chainee Hall |
Little Priest |
G |
Fr. |
|
13 |
Kaylee Begay |
Little Priest |
G |
So. |
|
10 |
Miyah Walker |
NIACC |
G |
So. |
|
40 |
Abby Leach |
NIACC |
F |
Fr. |
|
5 |
Southeastern |
G |
Fr. |
|
|
22 |
Southeastern |
G |
Fr. |
|
Player of the Year: Autam Mendez, NIACC
Newcomer of the Year: Emma Knipe, Southeastern
Defensive Player of the Year: Sierra Morrow, NIACC
Coach of the Year: Todd Ciochetto, NIACC
