ROCK HILL, S.C. - Anderson University senior Ashley Abed has been named to the South Atlantic Conference women's basketball all-league second team as announced by the conference office Friday morning.
"What a great honor for Ashley to be recognized by the South Atlantic Conference coaches for things that I see on a day-to-day basis," said Anderson head coach Jim Brunelli. "Ashley is most deserving of this achievement because of her consistent effort and her dedication to being a team player."
Abed earned the accolade after starting all 27 regular-season games for the Trojans and leading the team and ranking 11th in the league in scoring with 12.3 points per game. The 5-foot-10 guard ranked second on the team in rebounding and field goal percentage, while leading the SAC in free throw accuracy.
The Oakton, Va., native led the Trojans in scoring on 13 occasions; reaching double figures in 18 games, while posting a season-high 21 points in AU's back-to-back wins past Erskine and Winston-Salem State.
Tusculum senior guard Jasmine Gunn, who led the conference in scoring and guided the Pioneers to the conference championship, was named the league Player of the Year. Gunn repeats at Player of the Year. This season, she helped lead the Pioneers to their third conference title in the past four years. She averaged a league-best 19.8 points per game, which ranks 12th nationally. She was fourth in the conference in assists at 3.35 per game and ninth in steals at 1.77 per game. She is the South Atlantic Conference all-time leader in free throws made and attempted.
Carson-Newman College's Shannon Depew was named the Women's Freshman of the Year. In her rookie season, Depew averaged 9.7 points and 7.2 rebounds and led the conference with 2.07 blocked shots per game.
Lenoir-Rhyne University coach Todd Starkey, was named the Women's Coach of the Year for the third year in a row. This season, Starkey guided a very young team to an 11-7 conference record and 14-13 overall, as well as a third-place finish after being picked to finish seventh in the preseason poll.
Joining Gunn on the women's All-Conference First Team are: Mandy Mendenhall , Carson-Newman; Dana Hicks, Catawba; Cameron Sealey, Lenoir-Rhyne; Brittini Young, Mars Hill; Helen McKinney, Newberry; and Kurie Washington, Wingate. The first team has seven players because of a tie for the final spot.
The women's All-Conference Second Team consists of: Abed; Zoriah Williams, Carson-Newman; Milica Ivanovic, Catawba; Taylor Deal, Mars Hill; and Catherine Hintz, Tusculum.
Joining Depew on the women's All-Freshman team are: Whitney Brinkley, Lenoir-Rhyne; Tyler Carlson, Mars Hill; Ellie Gleeson, Newberry; and Janitsha Williams, Wingate.
Mars Hill's Young was named the SAC Scholar-Athlete for women's basketball.
