BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - In exclusive voting by the head coaches of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC), senior guard Maggie Prewitt of Centre College was selected as SCAC Women's Basketball Player-of-the-Year and her head coach Wendie Austin-Robinson was named SCAC Coach-of-the-Year. The coaches also voted on Newcomer and Defensive Players-of-the-Year, and first-year forward Jordan Owens of Southwestern University and sophomore guard Shatoya White of Millsaps College were the respective recipients. Complete Release
Prewitt currently leads the SCAC in assists with 162 (6.75 per game) and is also in the top 10 in the league in scoring (17.9 points per game - second), free throw percentage (86.2 percent - second), three-point field goal percentage (39.8 percent - second), steals (2.3 steals per game – fourth) and field goal percentage (45.8 percent – eighth). One of the more well-rounded offensive players in conference history and a consensus all-America selection a year ago, Prewitt has 1,706 career points (seventh in SCAC history) and is the league's all-time leader in assists with 507. She is one of just three players ranked within the league's top 10 career list for both points and assists and with 514 career rebounds, she is the only player in league history (male or female) with 1,500+ career points, 500+ career assists and 500+ career rebounds. Prewitt is just the fifth women's player to earn back-to-back Player-of-the-Year awards and the first since Liz Bondi of DePauw University won the league's highest honor in 2005-06 and 2006-07.
Prewitt received 11 votes for Player-of-the-Year while Becky Luetjen of Colorado College received the remaining vote.
In her seventh season as the head coach of Centre, Austin-Robinson has led the Colonels to a 21-3 overall record (14-2 in the SCAC) heading into this weekend's conference tournament – marking the first time the program has won 20+ games since the 2000-2001 season. Austin-Robinson has compiled a career record of 92-80 at Centre, including a 75-29 mark the last four seasons (.721). A graduate of Centre College (Class of '94), Austin-Robinson finished her playing career with 1,343 points and a school-record 773 rebounds and was the SCAC's first two-time Player-of-the-Year selection – winning the award in 1992-93 and 1993-94.
Austin-Robinson received seven votes to earn her second career SCAC Coach-of-the-Year honor. Millsaps head coach Chuck Winkelman and Southwestern head coach Kerri Brinkoeter received two votes each, and Oglethorpe University head coach Aaron Nester received the remaining vote.
The top defender on the top scoring defense team in the league (56.1 ppg), Millsaps' White is always assigned to the opponent's best perimeter player. Just a sophomore, White is the team's quarterback and best communicator on defense, and led the Majors in steals with 46 (tied for ninth in the SCAC) while chipping in on the boards with 3.1 rebounds per game.
In the very close vote for Defensive Player-of-the-Year, White garnered four votes, followed by Becky Luetjen of Colorado College and Kayla Sewell of Sewanee-The University of the South with three votes each. Sharwil Bell of Rhodes College received the remaining two votes.
Southwestern's Owens ranked in the top 10 in three SCAC categories during the regular season to earn Newcomer-of-the-Year honors. She was eighth in scoring (14.7 points per game), which was tops among all first-year players, eighth in rebounds per game (7.0) and ninth in field goal percentage (44.3 percent). Owens was also 11th in free throw percentage (74.0) and 14th in blocked shots per game (0.7).
Owens is the second player from Southwestern to be honored as the league's Newcomer-of-the-Year, following teammate Chelsea Leader who won the award last season. She received five votes for NOTY while Christina Kime of Austin College picked up three votes. Hannah Coley of Trinity University, Sarah Johnson of Rhodes, Kayla Sewell of Sewanee and Courtney Tyus of Colorado College all received one vote each in the NOTY balloting.
For the complete release, click here.