SAN ANTONIO, Texas - In exclusive voting by the
head coaches of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC),
sophomore forward/center Anecia Richardson of Trinity University was selected
as SCAC Women's Basketball Player-of-the-Year, while Texas Lutheran University head
coach Mel Dixon was named SCAC Coach-of-the-Year. First-year guard
Holly Tonry of the University of
Dallas was selected as the league's Newcomer-of-the-Year and
senior forward Libby Kruse of Trinity was named the SCAC Defensive
Player-of-the-Year. Complete Release
After earning SCAC Newcomer-of-the-Year and D3hoops.com South
Region Rookie-of-the-Year honors a year ago, Trinity's Richardson
backed up her rookie season with an even more impressive sophomore
campaign – averaging 16.8 points per game (second in the
SCAC) while shooting a league-leading 63.3 percent from the field
entering this weekend's conference tournament. A four-time SCAC
Player-of-the-Week selection during the regular season, she also
averages 5.7 rebounds per game and leads the league in blocks with
55.
Just the second sophomore in conference history to earn
Player-of-the-Year honors, Richardson is the second consecutive
Trinity women's player to earn the award (fourth all-time) –
following teammate Murphy Burns who was recognized as SCAC
Co-Player-of-the-Year last season.
Holly Tonry of the University of Dallas earned SCAC
Newcomer-of-the-Year honors after averaging 7.9 points and 4.1
assists per game (second in the SCAC) during the regular season.
Tonry leads all freshmen in assists (103) and steals (40) and is
second among first-year players in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.2),
third in free-throw percentage (70.6%) and fifth in scoring.
In the school's third year as a member of the conference, Tonry
becomes the first student-athlete from the University of Dallas to
receive one of the league's major post-season awards in the sport
of basketball and just the third student-athlete for any sport.
The league's 2013 SCAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year, Libby
Kruse is the fifth women's player in SCAC history to earn
back-to-back Defensive POTY honors and the first since Katie
Mathews of DePauw University was selected in 2009-10 and 2010-11.
Kruse leads Trinity in both rebounds (228) and assists (95) and
ranks third and fifth in the SCAC, respectively, in those
categories – the only player in the conference that is
currently ranked in the top five for both. A third team All-SCAC
selection this season, she is also ninth in the league in both
steals per game (1.4 spg) and assist to turnover ratio (1.4).
Kruse is the second Trinity women's player to earn Defensive
Player-of-the-Year honors; Jenna Smith was named SCAC Defensive
POTY in both 2003-04 and 2004-05.
In his third season at Texas Lutheran and second as head coach,
Mel Dixon has led the Bulldogs to a 20-5 overall mark, a 12-2
conference record and the No. 1 seed in this weekend's conference
tournament. Picked to finish fifth in the SCAC preseason coaches'
poll, TLU posted just its second 20-win season in school history
(first in the program's DIII era) and is currently riding a
school-record 11-game win streak. The Bulldogs lead the SCAC in
both scoring defense (60.3 ppg allowed) and opponent's field goal
percentage (33.6%) – with the latter statistic bordering on
historically good as only one women's team in SCAC history has held
opponents below 34.0 percent shooting for a season. Prior to his
tenure in Seguin, Dixon, who had a very successful high school
coaching stint in the San Antonio area at Robert E. Lee High School
and at Theodore Roosevelt High School, was named the San
Antonio "City Coach of the Year" three times and coached the Texas
State All-Star Game in 2002.
In the school's inaugural year as a member of the conference,
Dixon joins head football coach Danny Padron and becomes the second
TLU coach to earn SCAC Coach-of-the-Year honors.
2013-14 SCAC PLAYER-OF-THE-YEAR
Anecia Richardson, Trinity University, 5-10, So.,
Forward/Center, Mesquite, Texas
2013-14 SCAC NEWCOMER-OF-THE-YEAR
Holly Tonry, University of Dallas, 5-5, Fy., Guard,
Seattle, Wash.
2013-14 SCAC DEFENSIVE PLAYER-OF-THE-YEAR
Libby Kruse, Trinity University, 5-8, Sr., Forward,
Orono, Minn.
2013-14 SCAC COACH-OF-THE-YEAR
Mel Dixon, Texas Lutheran University, 20-5 Overall,
12-2 SCAC, Top seed in SCAC Tourney
2013-14 ALL-SCAC FIRST TEAM
Anecia Richardson, Trinity, 5-10, So.,
Forward/Center, Mesquite, Texas
Chelsea Leeder, Southwestern, 5-10, Sr., Guard/Forward,
Nacogdoches, Texas
Karisa Cantu, Texas Lutheran, 5-7, Jr., Guard, San Antonio,
Texas
Hannah Coley, Trinity, 5-7, Jr., Guard, Austin, Texas
Lindsey Peterson, Schreiner, 6-1, Jr., Forward, San Antonio,
Texas
2013-14 ALL-SCAC SECOND TEAM
Erin Riley, Austin
College, 5-10, Sr., Guard/Forward, Battle Creek, Mich.
Murphy Burns, Trinity, 5-8, Sr., Guard/Forward, Oklahoma City,
Okla.
Kelsie Jackson, Schreiner, 5-6, So., Guard, Corpus Christi,
Texas
Christy Allen, Dallas, 5-10, Sr., Post, Burton, Mich.
Annie Bourne, Southwestern, 6-0, Jr., Forward, Dallas, Texas
Christina Kime, Austin College, 5-4, Jr., Guard, San Diego,
Calif.
2013-14 ALL-SCAC THIRD TEAM
Taylor Dydalewicz, Texas Lutheran, 5-9, So., Guard,
Dripping Springs, Texas
Jordan Owens, Southwestern, 6-1, Jr., Forward, Richardson,
Texas
Courtney Tyus, Colorado
College, 5-8, Jr., Guard, Thornton, Colo.
Libby Kruse, Trinity, 5-8, Sr., Forward, Orono, Minn.
Marleyna Bustamante, Dallas, 5-5, Jr., Guard, Donna, Texas
HONORABLE MENTION (players receiving votes)
Austin College – Brittany
Stepanski (So., F), Kendall Heitmeir (Fy., F);
Centenary – Briana Edwards (So., F);
Colorado College – Danielle Davis (So., F);
Schreiner – Bailey Harris (Sr., G);
Texas Lutheran – Savannah Hight (Fy., G/F),
Kristen Lye (Fy., G/F)
Note: All-conference rankings were determined based on
coaches' votes with 15 points awarded for first-place votes, 14
points for second-place votes, 13 points for third-place votes,
etc., down to one point for a 15th-place vote. All players not
elected to the First, Second or Third Team, but who received at
least one vote, were named Honorable Mention. Coaches could not
vote for their own players.
For the complete release, click here.