SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The 2020-21 Academic All-District® Women’s Basketball Team, selected by CoSIDA, recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom. The CoSIDA Academic All-America® program separately recognizes basketball honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.  Western Carolina's Lauren LaPlant was recognized for District 3, while Mercer's Jada Lewis and Shannon Titus and Wofford's Lilly Hatton were honored for District 4. 

First-team Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced in late May. The CoSIDA Academic All-District® teams include the student-athletes listed on the following pages and are divided into geographic districts across the United States and Canada.

First-team Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second and third-team Academic All-America honorees will be announced in late May.
 
LaPlant, from Asheboro, N.C., is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Health Science with a 4.0 GPA. She graduated on Dec. 14, 2019, Suma Cum Laude with a degree in Chemistry holding a 3.91 GPA. It is the first all-academic honor for LaPlant and the ninth overall for Catamount women’s basketball.
 
She ended her career with 171 made three-pointers ranking fourth in the WCU record books and concluded her career with 834 points. In her final campaign, LaPlant averaged 7.8 points per game and led the team with 40 three-pointers on the season scoring in double figures six times and ends her career having scored in double figures a total of 36 times. She also scored 20 or more points twice on the season.
 
As a redshirt junior, LaPlant broke the program record for most three-pointers in a season with 80.She is a three-time Southern Conference honor roll recipient and thrice was named to the SoCon All-Academic team.

Lewis will graduate with her masters in higher education leadership on May 17 after posting perfect 4.00 grade-point average this year. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Georgia State last spring with a 4.02 GPA and a degree in Journalism with a minor in sociology. Titus is also set to graduate in two weeks as she will earn her bachelor’s degree in finance. She has earned a 3.56 GPA throughout her time at Mercer.
 
Earlier this spring, Lewis and Titus were two of 30 student-athletes to be named candidates for the Senior C.L.A.S.S. Award. Both players were recognized by the Southern Conference for their performances this season as Titus garnered Defensive Player of the Year and All-SoCon First Team honors, while Lewis was named to the All-SoCon Second Team by the coaches and to the all-conference third team by the media.

Titus is the fourth player in SoCon history to earn back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year honors, along with Davidson’s Sophia Aleksandravicius (2011 & ’12), Chattanooga’s Alicia Payne (2014 & ’15) and ETSU’s Erica Haynes-Overton (2018 & ’19). On top of drawing the opponent’s top scoring threat on a nightly basis, Titus continually put up solid numbers on the defensive end of the floor. The Johns Creek, Ga., native’s 73 steals were tops in the SoCon while ranking sixth nationally. She also added 41 blocks while racking up 186 rebounds (7.2 rpg). For her career, Titus is the only active player in Division I women’s hoops with at least 200 steals (223) and at least 125 blocks (151).

Lewis played a vital role in Mercer's championship season this year as she added another dimension to the Bears' offense by not only ran the point but was also one of the team's most reliable deep threats. She also provided an emotional spark with her attitude and work ethic on and off the court. The Powder Springs, Ga., native averaged 14.2 points and 3.5 assists per game to rank fifth and third in the SoCon, respectively. Lewis had one of her most productive collegiate seasons in her first year with the Bears, scoring at the second-highest rate of her career. She also had the second-best long-range shooting season of her career, making 47-of-133 (35.3 pct.) shots from beyond-the-arc. Additionally, her 91 assists set a new single-season personal best, and her 1.90 assist-turnover ratio is by far the best in her career. Lewis posted a team-high 22 games in double figures while going for at least 20 points four times.
 
Titus is the fourth player in SoCon history to earn back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year honors, along with Davidson's Sophia Aleksandravicius (2011 & '12), Chattanooga's Alicia Payne (2014 & '15) and ETSU's Erica Haynes-Overton (2018 & '19). On top of drawing the opponent's top scoring threat on a nightly basis, Titus continually put up solid numbers on the defensive end of the floor. The Johns Creek, Ga., native's 73 steals were tops in the SoCon while ranking sixth nationally. She also added 41 blocks while racking up 186 rebounds (7.2 rpg). For her career, Titus is the only active player in Division I women's hoops with at least 200 steals (223) and at least 125 blocks (151).
 
Titus also produced on the offensive end of the floor, averaging 13.0 points per game to rank sixth in the conference in scoring while shooting 39.3 percent (132-of-336) from the field. She also dished out 73 assists to match her single-season personal best from the 2018-19 campaign. The six-foot swiss army knife has scored in double figures in 17 games this season, including six 20-point performances. She has tallied five double-doubles in her senior campaign while becoming the 27th member of Mercer's 1,000-point club. Titus currently ranks 17th on the program's all-time scoring list with 1,194 career points.
   
Hatton, a sophomore from Georgetown, Indiana, started all 24 games for the Terriers this season and was named second-team All-Southern Conference. She finished the regular season leading the team in points with 253 (10.5 ppg), and in blocks with 26. Hatton shot 48.3% from the floor which was good enough for fifth best in the SoCon, including 40.3% from behind the arc which was second best in the conference. She was named first team All-Southern Conference Tournament as she helped lead the Terriers to their first appearance in the league’s title game.
 
A biology major with a 4.00 grade point average, Hatton was named the SoCon Freshman of the year in the 2019-20 season. She is just the second Wofford women’s basketball player to earn CoSIDA Academic All-District honors and is the first since Jenny Nett (1999 and 2001).
 
To view the full list of Academic All-District Teams, click here.