SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference Sports Media Association selected its 2014 women’s basketball all-conference teams and postseason awards, naming Chattanooga’s Taylor Hall the 2014 Player of the Year and Jackie Carson the Coach of the Year.
Hall, a senior from New Tazwell, Tenn., averaged 14.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.6 steals per game for a Chattanooga squad that went a perfect 18-0 in conference play and currently holds the fourth-longest winning streak in the nation at 22 games.
Carson coached a Furman team picked by the coaches to finish sixth in the SoCon in the preseason to the No. 2 seed in the upcoming SoCon tournament. The Paladins finished with a winning record for the first time since 2004-05 in Carson’s fourth year at the helm.
Samford’s Hannah Nichols was the media selection for Freshman of the Year. Nichols averaged 8.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per game for the Bulldogs, and was a two-time CRONS Freshman of the Week winner.
Along with Hall, Appalachian State’s Maryah Sydnor, Davidson’s Laura Murray and Furman’s Brittany Hodges and Holli Wilkins were named first-team all-conference by the media.
Dakota Dukes and Hannah Early of Davidson, Elon’s Kelsey Harris, Georgia Southern’s Anna Claire Knight and Chattanooga’s Ashlen Dewart were selected for the second team.
The all-freshman team is made up of Elon’s Lauren Brown and Jennifer Rhodes, Furman’s Whitney Bunn, Chattanooga’s Chelsey Shumpert and Nichols.
The 2014 Southern Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament begins Friday, March 7 at 11:00 a.m. at Kimmel Arena in Asheville, N.C. The championship game is scheduled for Monday, March 10 at 5:00 p.m.
2014 SoCon Women’s Basketball Awards
Media All-Conference Team
First Team
Maryah Sydnor, Appalachian State
Laura Murray, Davidson
Brittany Hodges, Furman
Holli Wilkins, Furman
Taylor Hall, Chattanooga
Second Team
Dakota Dukes, Davidson
Hannah Early, Davidson
Kelsey Harris Elon
Anna Claire Knight, Georgia Southern
Ashlen Dewart, Chattanooga
Media All-Freshmen Team
Lauren Brown, Elon
Jennifer Rhodes, Elon
Whitney Bunn, Furman
Hannah Nichols, Samford
Chelsey Shumpert, Chattanooga
Media Player of the Year
Taylor Hall, Chattanooga
Media Freshman of the Year
Hannah Nichols, Samford
Media Coach of the Year
Jackie Carson, Furman