MAC Announces Women's Basketball Awards
March 7, 2006
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CLEVELAND -- Kent State's Lindsay Shearer (Sr., Minerva, Ohio) and Bowling Green's Curt Miller earned the top honors for the 2005-06 basketball season, the league announced Tuesday evening at the annual Tournament Banquet at the Hyatt Regency at the Arcade.
Shearer was named Player of the Year while Miller captured Coach of the Year honors for the second consecutive season. In addition, Rachel Frederick (Gibsonia, Pa.) of Ohio was tabbed as the league's Freshman of the Year. Two Kent State teammates garnered the remaining awards with Malika Willoughby (Sr., Milwaukee, Wisc.) being named Defensive Player of the Year and La'kia Stewart (Jr., Philadelphia, Pa.) as the Sixth Man of the Year.
Shearer's award marks the fifth time in league history that a Kent State player has won the award. Shearer led Golden Flashes to a 12-4 conference record and topped the league in scoring with 20.6 ppg overall and 21.8 ppg in conference games. Her 38 points vs. Auburn are the most points in a single game by a MAC player this season. As well, Shearer was named MAC East Division Player of the Week five times and last week was honored by ESPN The Magazine as the University Division Academic All-American of the Year for women's basketball.
Miller's honor came after directing the Falcons to a perfect 16-0 record in league games and a 25-2 overall record. The Falcons, No. 24 in this week's Associated Press poll and USA Today/ESPN Coaches' poll, are also the first MAC team to be ranked in the national polls since 1994. The Falcons met every challenge during the regular season and compiled the fifth perfect conference record in MAC women's basketball history. The 25 regular season wins by this year's Falcon squad ties the MAC record set in 1984 by Central Michigan. BG is two wins shy of tying the MAC single season record of 27 wins.
Ohio's Frederick becomes the first Bobcat selection for Freshman of the Year since Caroline Mast in 1983. Frederick topped all league freshmen in scoring (14.0 ppg), rebounding (8.1 rpg), steals (1.75 spg), free throw percentage (77.9), three-point field goals made (87) and three-point field goal percentage (34.5).
Willoughby takes defensive honors for the second consecutive season, which also represents the fifth time in 10 years a KSU player has won the award. Willoughby leads the league in steals with 79, an average of 2.9 steals per game. Willoughby set the tone for the team that in conference games led the league in field goal defense and steals.
Stewart appeared in all 27 games for the Flashes, 22 of those coming off the bench. She finished third on the team in scoring with 8.2 points per game and second in rebounds at 6.1 per game. Stewart added 34 assists and 37 steals while averaging 21.4 minutes per game. Her best game came against Miami with 17 points and 13 rebounds.
The Player of the Year, Coach of the Year and Freshman of the Year were voted on by the league's 12 head coaches and members of the MAC News Media Association. The Defensive Player of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year were voted on by league head coaches.
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