2016-17 Conference Carolinas Women's Basketball All-Conference and Major Awards Announced

2016-17 Conference Carolinas Women's Basketball All-Conference and Major Awards Announced

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HIGH POINT, N.C.Limestone College guard Jasmine Kearse was voted the 2016-17 Conference Carolinas Women's Basketball Player of the Year, while Southern Wesleyan University center Tatiana Manuel was named the Conference's Defensive Player of the Year. Freshman of the Year honors went to North Greenville forward Karen Donehew. Rounding out the major awards was King University's Josh Thompson being named the Coach of the Year, the Conference announced today.

For a second straight year, Kearse, a senior from St. Augustine, Fla., has been named the Conference Carolinas Player of the Year after guiding the Saints to a sixth straight conference regular season championship. Taking over as the team’s point guard in her final season, Kearse leads the league and ranks in the top 10 nationally in total assists and assists per game. She broke the team’s single-season assists record, and became Limestone’s career leader in points and assists.

Manuel, a senior from Tampa, Fla., started all 26 games for the Warriors and led the team defensively averaging 9.5 rebounds and 4.4 blocks per game, while chipping in 9.2 points per game.

Hailing from Knoxville, Tenn., Donehew becomes the third player to earn the freshman of the year since North Greenville joined the league in 2011. Donehew poured in 450 points in her rookie campaign to lead the Crusaders in scoring (16.4), while also leading the team in rebounds with eight boards per game.

Thompson captures coach of the year recognition for the first time in his six years leading the Tornado. He has guided King to second-place finishes in each of the last three years, including a Conference Carolinas Women's Basketball Championship final game appearance in 2015-16. This season King has won 23 games, their second 20-win season in the last three years. The 23 wins is the most since King became an NCAA Division II member and their most since winning 24 contests in 2003-04. The 19 conference wins are the most since joining Conference Carolinas.

University of Mount Olive led the way with two first team all conference selections, with Daria Simmons and Felecity Havens receiving the honors. In addition to Kearse, Barton College's Kianna Wynn and King University's Whitney Mitchell compiled the rest of the first team.

 

Women's All-Conference Carolinas First Team

Jasmine Kearse, Limestone

Kianna Wynn, Barton

Daria Simmons, Mount Olive

Felecity Havens, Mount Olive

Whitney Mitchell, King

 

Women's All-Conference Carolinas Second Team

Ashley Espinosa, Erskine

Meg Pritchard, Pfeiffer

Karen Donehew, North Greenville

Kiara Jones, Mount Olive

Keidra Smith, Limestone

 

Women's All-Conference Carolinas Third Team

Ni'ya Styles, Mount Olive

Jalan Harper, King

Chrystal Ezechukwu, Belmont Abbey

Brianna James, Converse

Jasmine Richardson, Limestone

 

Player of the Year

Jasmine Kearse, Limestone


Defensive Player of the Year

Tatiana Manuel, Southern Wesleyan


Freshman of the Year

Karen Donehew, North Greenville


Coach of the Year

Josh Thompson, King


Women's Basketball Regular Season Champion

Limestone College

 


Conference Carolinas is a NCAA Division II athleticconference made up of 12 teams from Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. These institutions consist of: Barton College, Belmont Abbey College, Converse College, Emmanuel College, Erskine College, King University, Lees-McRae College, Limestone College, University of Mount OliveNorth Greenville University, Pfeiffer University, and Southern Wesleyan University. Emmanuel College is currently completing the NCAA DII membership process and will be fully competing in league championships in the near future.