CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Elon freshman Ali Ford was one of 10 student-athletes named to the North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association's (NCCSIA) University Division All-State Women's Basketball Team released on Tuesday. Ford was the only rookie to earn first team honors.
The honor added to the growing list of accolades for the Morganton, N.C. native, who was also named the Southern Conference Freshman of the Year by the league's 11 head coaches and the Southern Conference Sports Media Association (SCSMA).
An all-freshman team selection, Ford was the only underclassman named to the coaches' All-Southern Conference team and also picked up first team all-league Conference honors by the SCSMA. Ford became the first rookie to be named to the media's all-conference team since Chattanooga's Carlisle Olglesby in 1996-97.
Ford led the league's freshmen in scoring with 16.2 points per game and assists, averaging 3.0 per contest. She ranked first in the SoCon in three-point field goals made, averaging 2.7 per game. Ford was among the overall conference leaders in several other categories. She ranked second in scoring, sixth in assists, fifth in free-throw percentage and seventh in steals.
Ford currently ranks 29th in the nation in three-pointers per game and is 95th in points per game. She is ninth among the nation's freshmen in points per game.
The guard led the Phoenix in scoring in 20 games this season and scored in double-figures in 26 contests, including 18 of the final19. She netted a career-high 27 points against Davidson on January 4. She cemented her name into the Elon record books when she connected on seven treys against St. Andrews, putting her into a tie for fourth on the all-time list.
She finished her freshman campaign ranked in the top-10 in several Elon single-season categories including points, three-point field goals made, three-point field goals attempted, free throws made, free throw percentage and assists.
Founded in 2002, NCCSIA is comprised of sports information professionals from North Carolina's NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA and independent institutions for the purpose of promoting college athletics in the state. Membership is open to anyone affiliated with a college, university or conference located in North Carolina whose responsibilities include sports information.
DAVIDSON, N.C. - For the fifth year in a row, Davidson placed at least one player on the North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association
(NCCSIA) University Division All-State women¹s basketball team as senior Alex Thompson (Asheville, N.C.) and freshman Sophia Aleksandravicius (Pound Ridge, N.Y.) were named second-team as announced today.
The duo join Mercedes Robinson, Katie Hamilton, Tia Washington, Janell Crayton and Jessica Mitchell to be named to either the first or second teams.
Thompson and Aleksandravicius were first and second for the Wildcats in scoring at 12.6 and 12.0 points per game, respectively. They guided Davidson to a 14-15 record overall and a 12-8 mark in Southern Conference play, the seventh year in a row its registered a winning league mark.
Thompson concluded a very successful four-year career with personal bests this year in scoring (366 points), field goal percentage (.464), made free throws (85), rebounds (128) and rebounding average (4.4). The senior also recorded her third straight 100-assist season, getting an even 100 while ranking fifth in the SoCon with a 3.4 average.
Thompson¹s senior season saw her become the 13th Wildcat in program history to eclipse the 1,000-point mark when she dropped in 16 points at Chattanooga, Feb. 15. She finished 12th overall in the record books with 1,045 points. In addition, the senior moved into second-place all-time in the Wildcat record books in both career assists (342) and made-three-pointers (161), while ranking tops on the charts in free throw (.833) and three-point (.411) accuracy.
She closed out her career scoring in double figures 54 times, hitting the 20-point mark nine times and registering three double-doubles in 119 games (86 starts).
Ranked 37th in the nation at her position coming in as a freshman, Aleksandravicius lived up to her high ranking as one of the best freshman in the SoCon. The 6-4 forward paced the Wildcats with an 8.0 rebounding average, good for third-best in the conference.
Aleksandravicius was also a double-double machine during the regular season, finishing with a team-best 11, good for second-most in the SoCon. In her first league game, the freshman went off for a season-best 28 points and hauled in 13 rebounds to lead Davidson over Furman. Two games later in her home debut, Aleksandravicius¹ reached her season-high in boards with a game-best 16 while chipping in 19 points vs. Appalachian State.
The Wildcat forward finished the regular season scoring in double figures 17 times, including reaching the 20-point mark four times. In her final game of the season, Aleksandravicius dropped in 17 points vs. Furman in the SoCon Tournament.
Besides being one of the Wildcats¹ main scoring options, Aleksandravicius was also a force down on the blocks on the defensive side. Her 49 blocks, tied for third-best in the SoCon, were good for fourth-most in Davidson¹s single season record book. The freshman also ranks second in the league in defensive rebounds with 163 of her 229 coming on that end.
Along with Thompson and Aleksandravicius, the second team consisted of Western Carolina¹ Emily Clarke, North Carolina Central¹s Joanna Miller and Charlotte¹s Ashley Spriggs.
The first team featured four players that guided their respective teams to post-season play and another player that garnered league freshman of the year honors.
Founded in 2002, NCCSIA is comprised of sports information professionals from North Carolina¹s NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA and independent institutions for the purpose of promoting college athletics in the state.
Membership is open to anyone affiliated with a college, university or conference located in North Carolina whose responsibilities include sports information.
NCCSIA selects all-state teams in the university (NCAA Division I) and college (Division II, III, NAIA, NCCAA) divisions for women¹s volleyball, men¹s and women¹s basketball, men¹s and women¹s soccer, softball and baseball. Over 500 student-athletes have been recognized on all-state teams since 2003.
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Western Carolina women's basketball player Emily Clarke has been named 2009-10 North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association (NCCSIA) All-State Women's Basketball Second Team. She was also named to the 2010 Coaches All-Southern Conference Team earlier this month.
Clarke had a break-out season, pacing the Catamounts averaging 13.4 points per game, and was ranked eighth in scoring in the Southern Conference. She has also connected on 64 three-pointers in the 2009-10 season tying her for fourth place in the Catamount record books.
The junior guard/forward from Snellville, Georgia led Western Carolina in scoring 14 times and scored in double figures in 20 games. She posted a career-high 27 points in the Catamounts' 66-58 win over Furman on January 2, 2010.
2009-10 NCCSIA All-State Women's Basketball First Team (University Division)
Name Yr. Pos. School Hometown
Ta'Wuana Cook Sr. Guard North Carolina A&T Fayetteville, N.C.
Ali Ford Fr. Guard Elon Morganton, N.C.
Dominique Hudson Jr. Guard Gardner-Webb Rocky Mount, N.C.
Shannon McCallum Jr. Guard Charlotte Whiteville, N.C.
Margaret Roundtree Sr. Forward Gardner-Webb Durham, N.C.
2009-10 NCCSIA All-State Women's Basketball Second Team (University Division)
Name Yr. Pos. School Hometown
Sophia Aleksandravicius Fr. Forward Davidson Pound Ridge, N.Y.
Emily Clarke Jr. Guard Western Carolina Snellville, Ga.
Joanna Miller Fr. Guard North Carolina Central Los Angeles, Calif.
Ashley Spriggs Sr. Forward Charlotte Mitchellville, Md.
Alex Thompson Sr. Guard Davidson Asheville, NC