MAC Announces Player, Coach and Freshman of the Year
CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Mid-American Conference announced Tuesday the final regular season awards on the eve of the 2014 MAC Women’s Basketball Tournament moving to Quicken Loans Arena, with unveiling of the 2014 Mid-American Player, Coach and Freshman of the Year, as voted by the head coaches, sports information directors and media members of the Mid-American Conference.
Central Michigan’s Crystal Bradford was named the 2014 MAC Women’s Basketball Player of the Year following a junior campaign in which she set the MAC record with eight Player of the Week nods. Bradford becomes the first player in CMU history to be named the Player of the Year in the Mid-American Conference, and only the third player in MAC history to be named Player and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season (2000: Dawn Zerman, KSU and 2011: Kourtney Brown, UB). Bradford ranked among the top to the MAC in almost every statistical category: fourth in scoring (20.3 ppg), first in rebounding (12.2 rpg), fourth in assists (4.6 apg), second in steals (2.7 spg), third in blocks (1.3 bpg). She is one of only two players in NCAA Division I to lead her team in all five of those categories. Bradford also had set an unprecedented feat in the conference as she became the first player in MAC history to record multiple triple-doubles in a season. Bradford leads the reigning MAC Tournament Champion Chippewas into Cleveland as the second seed in this year’s tournament and will play their first game Friday afternoon.
Regular season MAC Champion head coach, Jennifer Roos was named the 2014 MAC Coach of the Year in her second season at the helm of the Falcons. Rood led the Falcons to a league best 27-3 overall record and 17-1 in the MAC. The Falcons ranked fourth in scoring in the MAC at 70.7 ppg but held opponents to a league best 56.0 ppg, giving BGSU the top scoring margin in the conference. Roos becomes the fourth different head coach of the Falcons to win the award, and it marks the 10th time in MAC history that a BGSU head coach has been honored as Coach of the Year. Like the Chippewas, the Falcons have earned a bye into the Friday semifinals where they await their opponent.
Finally, Eastern Michigan’s Cha Sweeney was named the 2014 MAC Freshman of the Year. Sweeney led the Eagle in scoring at 17.2 ppg, which ranked fourth in the conference. Named All-MAC Second Team and All-Freshman on Monday, Sweeney is the first EMU women's basketball player to earn both an all-conference selection and an all-freshman team nod in the same season. Sweeney became the all-time freshman scoring leader in Eastern Michigan women's basketball history having racked up 489 points in 29 games. Sweeney ranks fourth in the MAC in scoring, averaging a team-best 16.8 points a game, while ranking 11th in steals (1.7), 11th in three-pointers made (1.7) and 13th in assists (2.8). She is one of just 16 freshmen ranked nationally in the NCAA's top 250 scorers, and has reached double figures in points on 26 occasions and has scored 20-or-more in 10 contests. Sweeney has notched at least 10 points in each of the last 19 games.
The MACtion moves to the Q in Cleveland, Ohio beginning Wednesday, March 12th at noon when #5 Ball State faces #9 Northern Illinois, followed by #6 Toledo facing #7 Western Michigan. For complete Tournament information and more click here.
