Conference Carolinas Releases 2023-24 Women's Basketball All-Conference Honors
GREENVILLE, S.C. - Conference Carolinas released its women's basketball awards on Thursday, March 7, ahead of the start of the 2024 Atlantic Casualty Conference Carolinas Women's Basketball Championship on Friday, March 8 at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.
The 2023-24 all-conference awards were chosen by the league's head coaches.
A senior forward/center from Blythewood, South Carolina, Lauryn Taylor of Francis Marion was selected as both the Conference Carolinas Player and Defensive Player of the Year. Taylor joins Barton legend Shanika Peterkin as the only two to accomplish the impressive feat in women's basketball. Taylor's honor as Player of the Year marks the second consecutive season she has received the honor. Taylor leads all of NCAA Division II with 15.0 rebounds per game. She is the only player in Division II to capture 400 or more rebounds during the regular season. Taylor was also second in Conference Carolinas during the regular season with 17.9 points per game. Taylor was second in all of NCAA Division II during the regular season with 21 double-doubles. Taylor claimed weekly honors from the conference nine times in the 2023-24 season.
A freshman guard/forward from Huntersville, North Carolina, Janiah Shular of Belmont Abbey became the third Crusader to earn Freshman of the Year honors, joining Morgan Midkiff in 2012-13 and Maria Kuhlman in 2017-18. Shular ended the regular season averaging 5.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. She was strong defensively all regular season with 25 steals and 15 blocks. The majority of that came during league play with Shular picking up 14 steals and 12 blocks in conference.
UNC Pembroke head coach John Haskins was chosen by his peers as the Coach of the Year after a regular season in which the Braves claimed sole possession of the East Division title. The Braves enter the Atlantic Casualty Conference Carolinas Women's Basketball Championship with a 21-7 overall record. The Braves earned the top seed in the upcoming championship.
The quarterfinals, semifinals and finals of the Atlantic Casualty Conference Carolinas Women’s Basketball Championship will be held at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. The men’s final will feature a 1 p.m. tipoff on March 10, while the women’s final is scheduled for a 4 p.m. tipoff.
The Atlantic Casualty Conference Carolinas Basketball Championships will also feature the Spirit Championships for the third consecutive year, which includes being held in the main arena of Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium for the second straight year. The Spirit Championships are scheduled for the morning of Saturday, March 9.
Fans can watch every game of the tournament live via the Conference Carolinas Digital Network and Hudl TV at
ConferencecarolinasDN.com. Information regarding the championship schedule, bracket and Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium are available
here.
Tickets are available at
ConferenceCarolinas.com/Tickets.
2023-24 Conference Carolinas Women's Basketball
All-Conference
Player of the Year
Lauryn Taylor, Francis Marion
Defensive Player of the Year
Lauryn Taylor, Francis Marion
Freshman of the Year
Janiah Shular, Belmont Abbey
Coach of the Year
John Haskins, UNC Pembroke
First Team
Lauryn Taylor, Francis Marion
Sydney Wyatt, Emmanuel
Abigail Crain, Belmont Abbey
Kalaya Hall, UNC Pembroke
Tynasia Bunting, Chowan
Second Team
Lauren Walker, Barton
Trinity Adams, Francis Marion
Sydney Wilson, Converse
Laila Anderson, Mount Olive
Crystal Corley, Young Harris
Third Team
Geassy Germano, North Greenville
Zaria Clark, UNC Pembroke
Cate Schieber, Belmont Abbey
Kelci Adams, UNC Pembroke
Amaijah Smith, North Greenville