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3/5/2007 - WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Alysha Clark Repeats as A-Sun Player of the Year
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Full Listing of Award Winners
MACON, Ga. – Belmont’s Alysha Clark lived up to the preseason hype, earning her second straight Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year award as voted by the league’s head coaches. The sophomore sensation led the A-Sun in scoring (17.2), rebounding (12.5) and field goal percentage (.601) while leading the Bruins to their third regular season title in the last four years.
Clark ranks fourth nationally in rebounding despite standing just 5-feer, 11-inches tall, making her easily the shortest player in the NCAA top-10 in rebounding. The Mt. Juliet, Tenn., native already has 1045 career points and 652 career rebounds. She owns two of the A-Sun’s top 11 single season rebounding totals as well. Clark becomes the sixth player to win two Player of the Year awards and the fourth player to win the honor in consecutive seasons.
Gardner-Webb’s Brittany Harmon claimed Defensive Player of the Year honors after averaging a league-best 2.76 blocked shots per game highlighted by a school record nine swats against Stetson this season. Her nine blocks in that game are the 10th most by individual in the NCAA this year. Siarre Evans received A-Sun Freshman of the Year accolades after leading ETSU in both scoring and rebounding during her first season in the mountains. Belmont’s Tony Cross received his first A-Sun Coach of the Year designation after directing Belmont to a league-best 16-2 conference mark and an impressive 22-6 record overall. Their .786 winning percentage is the best by an A-Sun team since FIU went 29-2 (.935) back in 1997-98.
Clark and Evans both landed on the All-Atlantic Sun first team. Jacksonville’s standout duo of Ashley Williams and Virginia Gregoire both received first team recognition. Williams is making her second straight appearance after ranking in the top-10 in eight different individual statistical categories. She becomes JU’s first two-time All-Atlantic Sun award winner. While Williams took care of things in the paint, Gregoire ranked third in the league in scoring while being among the league’s top three-point shooters. Campbell’s Marlena Murphy rounded out the first team honorees and is the first Lady Camel to land on the first team since 2001-02.
Jennifer Baker (Kennesaw State), Michelle DeVault (ETSU), Candyse Kelly (Gardner-Webb), Janene Maclin (Stetson) and Brooke Wilhoit (ETSU) comprised the second team. Rosetta Hollis (Kennesaw State), Shandrea Moore (UNF), Tereva Moore (Belmont), Amber Rockwell (Belmont) and Devin Thompson (ETSU) joined Evans to round out the All-Freshmen squad. The first team was made up of one freshman, two sophomores and two juniors, making it one of the youngest groups honored. ETSU had a league-best four student-athletes honored.
Fourteen of the 17 student-athletes honored by the conference office will participate in the 2007 Atlantic Sun Championship. The tournament opens on Thursday with four games beginning at 1:00pm CT at the Dothan Civic Center.
