Women's Basketball Preseason All-MAC Team Announced
Oct. 7, 2004
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CLEVELAND - Four members from the 2003-04 Mid-American Conference first-team all-league squad, including Western Michigan's Casey Rost, the MAC's Player of the Year, highlight the women's basketball preseason all-MAC team, announced today by the league office. Members of the MAC News Media Association voted for the team.
For the third consecutive season, a ten-member squad is announced, consisting of five from each division. Because of a tie an additional member was added in the West Division. The preseason all-MAC West Division team consists of Ball State's Kate Endress, Bowling Green's Ali Mann, Eastern Michigan's Ryan Coleman and Nikki Knapp, and Western Michigan's Rost and Carrie Moore. Repeating as preseason selections from a year ago were Coleman and Rost, while Coleman and Endress also copped first-team all-league mentions in 2004.
In the East Division, the members are: Kent State's Lindsay Shearer and Malika Willoughby, Marshall's Sikeetha Shepard-Hall and Miami's Amanda Jackson and Cindi Merrill. Shepard-Hall was a member on last year's preseason all-MAC team, while Shearer captured first-team honors a year ago.
Rost, who has garnered first-team all-conference accolades in each of her past two seasons, missed the final eight-plus games for the Broncos after going down with an injury at Toledo on Feb. 18. Despite missing the final part of the season, the senior guard from St. Johns, Mich., led the league in scoring at 19.8 ppg and became the first WMU player to capture the conference's top honor as Player of the Year. In addition, Rost also averaged 4.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.7 steals per game and was tabbed an honorable mention Kodak/WBCA All-American. Rost also paced the league in scoring for league-only games at 20.8 ppg.
As a junior last season, EMU's Coleman led the Eagle program to its first-ever conference tournament championship, a 65-56 victory over Bowling Green. Coleman was named the Kraft MAC Tournament MVP after averaging 16.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. The Detroit, Mich., native finished the year averaging 13.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.0 steals per game. She finished the conference schedule ranking in the top-15 in both scoring (13.8) and rebounding (6.9).
The league's second-leading scorer in 2003-04, BSU's Endress was the fourth Cardinal to claim first-team all-league mentions. Endress led the team in scoring during the regular season 19 times and posted 16 games of 20 points or more. The senior from Evansville, Ind., also ranked eighth in field goal percentage (.484), tenth in free throw percentage (.787) and 13th in the MAC in rebounds per game (6.9).
After a solid freshman campaign in 2002-03 where she was named to the all-freshman squad, EMU's Knapp was named a second-team all-conference pick after averaging 12.0 points and 6.8 rebounds per game while finishing seventh in the league in field goal percentage (.489). All three of those categories improved in conference play as the junior from Blue Springs, Mo., averaged 13.1 ppg and 7.1 rpg, and shot 51 percent from the floor.
As the MAC's top freshman last season, BGSU's Mann helped guide the Falcons to their first appearance in the league's championship game since 1994. The sophomore forward from Chelsea, Mich., who also earned honorable mention and all-tournament laurels, completed the year ranking sixth in rebounding (7.9) and field goal percentage (.492), and 11th in the MAC in scoring (12.9). She also produced seven double-doubles, tops among first-year players.
The second of three all-freshman team honorees from a year ago to be named to the preseason all-conference team, WMU's Moore finished eighth in the MAC in scoring at 13.7 ppg, which ranked first among MAC freshman. A native of Lathrup Village, Mich., Moore's average climbed to 14.3 ppg in conference contests (seventh in the MAC), while her 6.6 boards per game in MAC play was 18th.
In the East, Miami's Jackson finished her rookie season as the runner-up to Mann for MAC Freshman of the Year honors. The Springfield, Ohio, native was 12th in the league in scoring at 12.6 ppg. The guard also finished fourth in steals per game (2.7) and was sixth in free throw percentage (.824). Ten times last year Jackson led the team with four or more steals in a game. In league-only games, she was tied for eighth in the MAC in scoring at 14.2 ppg while finishing second in free throw accuracy (.853).
Jackson's teammate Merrill increased her scoring output be nearly six points from the previous season, finishing the 2003-04 campaign seventh in the conference in scoring (13.7). A second-team all-MAC performer as a sophomore, Merrill led the RedHawks in scoring 10 times, highlighted by a career-high 29 points against Western Michigan on Feb. 15. A junior forward from Noblesville, Ind., Merrill helped lead the RedHawks to their second straight East Division crown and the school's first conference regular season title since 1990.
The league's fifth-leading scorer as a sophomore and the third leading returning scorer at 13.9 ppg, KSU's Shearer guided the Golden Flashes to a second-place finish in the East Division and a 19-win season. The Minerva, Ohio, native also pulled down 7.7 rebounds per game -- ninth in the MAC -- and was fourth in free throw percentage (.838). Ten times last year Shearer led the team in scoring.
An honorable mention all-MAC pick as a sophomore, The Thundering Herd's Shepard-Hall directed Marshall to a semifinal appearance in last year's Kraft MAC Tournament. The 19th-ranked scorer in the MAC in 2004 at 11.8 ppg, Shepard-Hall led the team in scoring 13 times, including a stretch of seven straight late in the season. In the quarterfinals against Kent State, the Houston, Texas, guard tallied a season-high 26 points in a win over the Golden Flashes.
In her first year with KSU after transferring from Wisconsin-Milwaukee, all Willoughby did was lead the league and was ninth nationally in assists per game (6.7) while also averaging 8.6 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. Her 194 assists were the 14th most in one season in MAC history. Of the team's 29 games, the Milwaukee, Wis., guard paced the team in assists in all but three contests. Four times she notched single game assist totals of 10-plus, including a season high of 12 versus Central Michigan.
The preseason all-MAC team will be available for interviews at the conference's Basketball Media Day, which is slated for Wednesday, Oct. 20 at the Renaissance Hotel Cleveland. The media portion of the event is set to begin at 3:30 p.m.
2004-05 Preseason All-MAC Team
East Division
Name Yr. Pos. Hometown
Amanda Jackson, Miami So. G Springfield, Ohio
Cindi Merrill, Miami Jr. G Noblesville, Ind.
Lindsay Shearer, Kent State Jr. F Minerva, Ohio
Sikeetha Shepard-Hall, Marshall Jr. G Houston, Texas
Malika Willoughby, Kent State Jr. G Milwaukee, Wis.
West Division
Name Yr. Pos. Hometown
Ryan Coleman, Eastern Michigan Sr. G Detroit, Mich.
Kate Endress, Ball State Sr. G Evansville, Ind.
Nikki Knapp, Eastern Michigan Jr. F Blue Springs, Mo.
Ali Mann, Bowling Green So. F Chelsea, Mich.
Carrie Moore, Western Michigan So. G Lathrup Village, Mich.
Casey Rost, Western Michigan Sr. G St. Johns, Mich.
