March 5, 2008

CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Western Carolina women's basketball senior Chevon Keith was voted Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Year by the league coaches in the first year of the award. Keith along with fellow senior Monique Dawson was named to the Southern Conference Coaches' All-Conference Team and Emily Clarke was placed on the Southern Conference All-Freshman Team.

Keith is averaging 8.8 rebounds per season, which leads the Southern Conference. She went over 1,000 points this season and also has 917 rebounds in her career becoming just he second player in Lady Catamount women's basketball history to score over 1,000 points and pull down over 900 rebounds.

Dawson hit the 1,000-point plateau earlier this season as well. She currently has 1,164 points in her career and ranks 14th in the Lady Cat record books. She is averaging 10.4 points per game this season and is ranked 11th in the Southern Conference. She scored in double figures 16 times and notched 20 points in two games.

Clarke has had a solid freshman campaign. She has scored in double figures eight times including three-times tallying her career-high of 14 points. She has led the team in scoring four times and connected on a career-high three three-pointers against Chattanooga on February 28.

Chattanooga senior forward Alex Anderson was selected by the Southern Conference women's basketball coaches as the league's player of the year for the second consecutive season while her coach Wes Moore was voted Southern Conference Coach of the Year.

Wofford's Mahagony Williams, the league's leading scorer (8.3 points per game) and rebounder (6.6 rebounds per game) among freshmen, was honored as the Freshman of the Year. The 6-0 forward from Little Rock, Ark., ranks as the SoCon's leading shot blocker with 2.03 swats per game.

Western Carolina will open play at the 2008 Southern Conference Women's Basketball Tournament Friday at 10.m. at North Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, S.C. The Lady Catamounts are the No. 2 seed in the tournament and await the winner between No. 7 seed Furman and No. 10 seed Wofford.

 

Coaches' All-Conference Team

Whitney Tossie, Appalachian State

Alex Anderson, Chattanooga

Brooke Hand, Chattanooga

Shanara Hollinquest, Chattanooga

Mercedes Robinson, Davidson

Tierra Bumbrey, Elon

Shawnda Atwood, Georgia Southern

Tiffany Brown, Georgia Southern

Monique Dawson, Western Carolina

Chevon Keith, Western Carolina

 

All-Freshman Team

Sam Ramirez, Appalachian State

Tonia Gerty, College of Charleston

Monique Floyd, UNC Greensboro

Emily Clarke, Western Carolina

Mahagony Williams, Wofford

 

Player of the Year - Alex Anderson, Chattanooga

Defensive Player of the Year - Chevon Keith, Western Carolina

Coach of the Year - Wes Moore, Chattanooga

Freshman of the Year - Mahagony Williams, Wofford

Ann Lashley Inspiration Award - Kitara McMoore, Elon