SHREVEPORT, La. -- In exclusive voting by the head coaches and sports information directors of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC), junior forward/center Zoë Tomlinson of Colorado College earned SCAC Women’s Basketball Player-of-the-Year honors, while the staff at Texas Lutheran University, led by head coach Troy Patterson, was named the league’s Coaching Staff-of-the-Year. Complete Release

In that same balloting, Trinty University first-year guard Jamie Ruede was selected the conference First-Year Player-of-the-Year and Colorado College junior guard/forward Healy Bledsoe was named SCAC Defensive Player-of-the-Year.

Colorado College’s Tomlinson enters the SCAC Tournament leading the SCAC in both total points (422) and rebounds (337) and points (17.6) and rebounds (14.0) per game. Her 337 rebounds are already the third-most in a single season in SCAC history and if she maintains her 14.04 rebounds per game, it would be the highest single-season average in league history. Her 22 double-doubles this season not only lead the SCAC but the nation as well. Tomlinson is shooting a league-best 52.8 percent from the field and her 37 blocks also lead the conference. She was a four-time SCAC Player-of-the-Week over the course of the regular season, which was also tops in the conference. The junior has already accumulated 868 career rebounds – good for seventh on the SCAC all-time list – and is on pace to become just the fifth player in league history to amass 1,000+ career rebounds, with the top spot of 1,178 certainly within reach. She surpassed 1,000 career points the final weekend of the regular season, becoming the 16th Tiger to reach that milestone. A two-time all-SCAC First Team selection, Tomlinson’s selection as POTY represents the third time a Colorado College student-athlete has won the award, following Melanie Auguste (2008-09) and McKenzee Gertz (2020-21).

Tomlinson was the clear choice among the coaches and sports information directors, earning 16 votes in the Player-of-the-Year balloting. Junior guard Demauria Miles of Schreiner University and junior guard Kailee Mulkey of Texas Lutheran split the remaining two first place votes.

Ruede of Trinity leads all first-years and ranks fourth in the league in both points (331) and points per game (13.2), She also paced first-year players in steals (48) and steals per game (1.9) – ranking sixth and seventh overall, respectively, in the SCAC in those categories. Ruede was also second in the conference in three-point field goals made (67) and third in three-point field goal percentage (41.1 percent) and led the SCAC in free throw percentage, hitting 50-of-56 attempts during the regular season (89.3 percent). Her 67 three-pointers currently ranks second in all of NCAA Division III among first-year players as does her 41.1 percent shooting percentage from beyond the arc (17th overall). Ruede, the only freshman to earn a spot on the all-SCAC squad with a Second Team nod, becomes the fifth Trinity player in program history to earn SCAC Women’s Basketball First-Year Player-of-the-Year. She joins former Tigers Megan Nugent (1999-00), Anecia Richardson (2012-13), Micah Weaver (2016-17) and Hailey Coleman (2018-19).

Ruede received 12 votes from the league’s head coaches and sports information directors in earning First-Year Player-of-the-Year honors. First-year guard Rose Koehler of Colorado College and first-year guard Lexi Martin of Austin College split the remaining six votes and earned three first-place nods each.

Colorado College’s Bledsoe is the best defender on a squad that held opponents to league-lows of 54.6 points per game and a .338 field goal percentage – with the latter on pace to be the fifth-lowest in league history for a single season. The junior is usually tasked with guarding the opponent’s most dangerous player and her defensive contributions often lead to key momentum swings in a game. Bledsoe is currently second in the SCAC in both steals (56) and steals per game (2.2) and is eighth in both blocks (22) and blocks per game (0.9). She chipped in with 4.1 rebounds per game and her 7.1 points per game are largely derived from steals and layups from her work on the defensive end of the floor. She is also eighth in the conference in assists (66), many of which come from turning turnovers she helped generate into points on the other end. Bledsoe, who was an all-SCAC Third Team selection, is the first Colorado College player to earn SCAC Defensive Player-of-the-Year honors.

Bledsoe received 10 votes in the balloting for the league’s Defensive POTY award, outdistancing four other players who earned votes from the league’s head coaches and sports information directors. Junior guard Demauria Miles of Schreiner received three votes while senior guard Maggie Robbins of Trinity and sophomore forward Tessa Hastings of Dallas received two votes each. Junior guard Kayla Presley of Texas Lutheran picked up the remaining first-place vote.

In her seventh season at Colorado College, Katherine Menendez led the Bulldogs to an 18-7 overall mark during the regular season, a 14-2 conference record, and the No. 2 seed in this weekend’s conference tournament. Since taking over prior to the 2016-17 season, Menendez has led CC on an upward trajectory each season, progressively raising the win total bar each season (excluding the 2020-21 COVID campaign). Over the last four seasons, and heading into this weekend’s conference tournament, Colorado College has a 41-17 mark in league play (.707) and an overall record of 55-34 (.618). Currently slotted fourth in the most recent NCAA Region X rankings, this year’s Tiger squad secured their most wins in SCAC play (14) in program history and their 18 total wins are the most for the program since the 1980-81 team posted a 20-8 mark. The Coach-of-the-Year honor is the first for Menendez and the first for any CC head basketball coach (men’s or women’s) since the Tigers joined the conference prior to the 2007-08 season.

Head coach Troy Patterson and his staff led the Bulldogs to a 20-5 overall mark during the regular season, a 13-3 conference record, and the No. 2 seed in this weekend’s conference tournament. After opening the 2023-24 campaign with 13 wins in its first 16 games to post the best start in program history, TLU finished the regular season with 20 wins – a mark reached for just the fourth time in program history and for the first time since 2016-17. The Bulldogs accomplished all this despite multiple players suffering injuries this season, reflected in the 36 cumulative missed games by rotational players. In this third season at the helm of the program. Patterson has put together a 50-26 career mark (.658), including a 35-13 record (.729) in conference play. The Coaching Staff-of-the-Year honor is the second for Patterson and the fourth for Texas Lutheran overall, as he joins Mel Dixon who won the award following both the 2013-14 and 2018-19 seasons.

2023-24 SCAC PLAYER-OF-THE-YEAR
Zoë Tomlinson, Colorado College, 6-2, Jr., Forward/Center  New York, N.Y.

2023-24 SCAC FIRST-YEAR PLAYER-OF-THE-YEAR
Jamie Ruede, Trinity University, 5-5, Fy., Guard, Pipe Creek, Texas        

2023-24 SCAC DEFENSIVE PLAYER-OF-THE-YEAR
Healy Bledsoe, Colorado College, 5-11, Jr., Guard/Forward, Bend, Ore.

2023-24 SCAC COACHING STAFF-OF-THE-YEAR
Texas Lutheran University (Troy Patterson, Head Coach) / 20-5 Overall / 13-3 SCAC / No. 2 seed in SCAC Tourney

2023-24 ALL-SCAC FIRST TEAM
Zoë Tomlinson, Colorado College, 6-2, Jr., Forward/Center, New York, N.Y.
Josie Napoli, Trinity, 5-6, Jr., Guard, Beaverton, Ore.
Demauria Miles, Schreiner, 5-7, Jr., Guard, Dallas, Texas
Kailee Mulkey, Texas Lutheran, 5-6, Jr., Guard, New Braunfels, Texas
Lauren Sansano, Texas Lutheran, 5-4, So., Guard, San Antonio, Texas

2023-24 ALL-SCAC SECOND TEAM
Maggie Robbins, Trinity, 5-3, Sr., Guard, Plano, Texas
Jamie Ruede, Trinity, 5-5, Fy., Guard, Pipe Creek, Texas
Nariyah Buggs, Schreiner, 5-9, Jr., Guard, Round Rock, Texas
Aniyah Burke, Southwestern, 5-6, So., Guard, Cedar Park, Texas
Kylie Minter, Trinity, 5-5, So., Guard, League City, Texas

2023-24 ALL-SCAC THIRD TEAM
Lauren Traylor, Austin College, 5-10, Sr., Forward, Fort Collins, Colo.
Kayla Presley, Texas Lutheran, 5-6, Jr., Guard, Kyle, Texas
Amiyah Barrow, Centenary, 5-4, So., Guard, Baton Rouge, La.
Healy Bledsoe, Colorado College, 5-11, Jr., Guard/Forward, Bend, Ore.
Tessa Hastings, Dallas, 5-11, So., Forward, Tuscon, Ariz.

HONORABLE MENTION (players receiving votes)
Austin College – Amarys Cuellar (Fy., G), Lexi Martin (Fy., G), Brooklyn Matthews (So., C); Centenary – TaNyjah Plumber (So., G), Kyra Stokes (So., F); Colorado College – Audrey Bayston (Sr., G), Rose Koehler (Fy., G), Kayla Mackel (So., G/F); Dallas – Caroline Croft (So., G), Kat Santos (Fy, F); Schreiner – Brie Sosa (So., G); Southwestern – Trinity Benitez (Fy., F), Ellie Ward (Jr., G); St. Thomas – Ravyn Ellis (Jr., G), Nia McGee (Jr., G), Macie Whitfield (Fy., G); Texas Lutheran – Davi’Yanna Jones (So., G/F), Tanyse Moehrig (Sr., F); Trinity – Bailey Timmons (Jr., G)

Coaches voted for 15 places for All-SCAC 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.

2023-24 ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
Jamie Ruede, Trinity, 5-5, Fy., Guard, Pipe Creek, Texas
Rose Koehler, Colorado College, 5-7, Fy., Guard, Bend, Ore.
Lexi Martin, Austin College, 5-7, Fy., Guard, Sanger, Texas
Kat Santos, Dallas, 6-1, Fy., Forward, San Antonio, Texas
Trinity Benitez, Southwestern, 5-10, Fy., Forward, Lipan, Texas

For the complete release, click here.