SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference announced the 2020-21 women's basketball postseason awards Tuesday. Selections include the coaches' all-conference teams and specialty awards in addition to the Southern Conference Sports Media Association all-conference teams and awards.
Samford’s Andrea Cournoyer was tabbed the player of the year by both the coaches and the media, while Furman guard Sydney James was named the freshman of the year by both groups. Samford head coach Carley Kuhns, in her second season as the leader of the Bulldogs, was voted coach of the year by both the coaches and media.
Mercer guard/forward Shannon Titus was named the defensive player of the year by the coaches for the second consecutive season and Wofford’s Jamari McDavid was the winner of the Ann Lashley Inspiration Award.
The 2021 Ingles Southern Conference Women's Basketball Championship presented by General Shale Brick begins Thursday at 12 p.m. at the Harrah’s Cherokee Center Asheville in Asheville, North Carolina. The championship game is scheduled for Sunday at 12 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN+ and select Nexstar affiliates.
Coaches All-Southern Conference Women's Basketball Teams
Player of the Year
Andrea Cournoyer, Jr., G, Samford
Freshman of the Year
Sydney James, G, Furman
Defensive Player of the Year
Shannon Titus, Sr., G/F, Mercer
Coach of the Year
Carley Kuhns, Samford
Ann Lashley Inspiration Award Winner
Jamari McDavid, Sr., F, Wofford
First team
Tierra Hodges, R-Sr., Furman
Jaron Dougherty, Jr., Mercer
Shannon Titus, Sr., Mercer
Natalie Armstrong, Sr., Samford
Andrea Cournoyer, Jr., Samford
Second team
Jada Lewis, R-Sr., Mercer
Annie Ramil, Jr., Samford
Abbey Cornelius, Jr., Chattanooga
Eboni Williams, Jr., Chattanooga
Lilly Hatton, So., Wofford
All-defensive team
Shannon Titus, Sr., Mercer
CeCe Crudup, Sr., UNCG
Andrea Cournoyer, Jr., Samford
Abbey Cornelius, Jr., Chattanooga
Eboni Williams, Jr., Chattanooga
All-freshman team
Carly Hooks, ETSU
Sydney James, Furman
Tate Walters, Furman
Khalis Cain, UNCG
Zanoria Cruz, Western Carolina
SoCon Sports Media Association (SCSMA) All-Southern Conference Women's Basketball Teams
Player of the Year
Andrea Cournoyer, Jr., G, Samford
Freshman of the Year
Sydney James, G, Furman
Coach of the Year
Carley Kuhns, Samford
First team
Tierra Hodges, R-Sr., Furman
Jaron Dougherty, Jr., Mercer
Shannon Titus, Sr., Mercer
Natalie Armstrong, Sr., Samford
Andrea Cournoyer, Jr., Samford
Second team
Amoria Neal-Tysor, Jr., Mercer
Annie Ramil, Jr., Samford
Abbey Cornelius, Jr., Chattanooga
Eboni Williams, Jr., Chattanooga
Lilly Hatton, So., Wofford
Third team
Jada Lewis, R-Sr., Mercer
CeCe Crudup, Sr., UNCG
Bria Dial, Sr., Chattanooga
Nadia Marshall, R-So., Western Carolina
Jamari McDavid, Sr., Wofford
All-freshman team
Jakhyia Davis, ETSU
Carly Hooks, ETSU
Sydney James, Furman
Khalis Cain, UNCG
Zanoria Cruz, Western Carolina
Notes
- Andrea Cournoyer is Samford’s first SoCon Player of the Year since Emily London was the media’s pick in 2010-11, but she’s the first coaches’ pick in program history.
- Sydney James is Furman’s eighth freshman of the year and the first since Holli Wilkins was the pick by the coaches in 2012-13.
- After being the first Mercer player to be named defensive player of the year a season ago, Shannon Titus holds on to the title and becomes the fourth player in the 14 years of the award to be honored in consecutive seasons, joining Sophia Aleksandravicius of Davidson (2011-12 and 2012-13), Alicia Payne of Chattanooga (2014-15 and 2015-16), and most recently Erica Haynes Overton of ETSU, who won the previous two seasons (2017-18 and 2018-19).
- Carley Kuhns was the second Samford coach to be honored as coach of the year a season ago, being tabbed the co- coach of the year by the media. Former Bulldogs coach Mike Morris was honored by both the coaches and the media in 2008-09, making Kuhns just the second Samford coach to be honored by both groups and the first and only since Morris’s recognition in 2008-09.
- Natalie Armstrong and Jaron Doughterty are first-team selections by the coaches for the second straight season.
- Since joining the league in 2014, Mercer has had at least one member on the all-conference first team each year.
- The coaches and media had the same five players on the first team. The groups had four in common on the second team, with the coaches giving the nod to Mercer’s Jada Lewis while the media recognized teammate Amoria Neal-Tysor.
- All eight league teams were represented on either all-conference or all-freshman teams from both the coaches and the media.
-www.SoConSports.com-