MAC Announces All-MAC Teams, Defensive Player and Sixth Player of the Year
CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Mid-American Conference announce Monday, prior to the 2015 MAC Tournament first round games, the 2014-15 All-MAC Teams, All-Freshman Team, Defensive Player of the Year and Sixth Player of the Year awards as voted by the 12 head coaches of the Mid-American Conference.
The 2014-15 All-MAC First Team consists five first-time first team selections. Akron’s Sina King, Ball State’s Nathalie Fontaine, Northern Illinois’ Amanda Corral, Ohio’s Kiyanna Black and Toledo’s Inma Zanoguera received the top team recognition. King led the MAC this year, averaging 20.7 points per game and shooting 40.7% from three point field land, and was second in the league with 9.3 rebounds per game. Fontaine, who led the Cardinals to their first MAC West title since 2009, becomes the first Cardinal since Porchia Green that year, to receive first team honors, as Fontaine led the Cardinals in points (16.7 ppg) and rebounds per game (7.6 rpg). For NIU, Corral becomes the first Huskie to be named first team since Stephanie Raymond in 2007. Corral was among MAC leaders in scoring (16.8 ppg), free throw percentage (84.8%), three point percentage (39.2%) and minutes played (37.2 min/game). Black led the Bobcats to a 16-2 MAC record, the 2015 outright MAC regular season title and number one seed in the upcoming MAC Women’s Basketball Tournament. On the year Black averaged 16.2 ppg and 1.6 steals per game in 18 MAC games. Zanoguera led the Rockets with 16.2 points per MAC game, 5.1 assists per game, 1.7 steals per game, and had the best ratio on the first team at 1.9 assist/turnover.
The All-MAC Second Team is highlighted by the 2014 Freshman of the Year from a season ago, Cha Sweeney of Eastern Michigan. Sweeney led the Eagles this year with 15.7 ppg, which helped Sweeney eclipse the 1,000 point total in only her sophomore season. Also on the second team were the Zips’ Anita Brown, Bulls’ Kristen Sharkey, Bronco’s Miracle Woods and 2014 Player of the Year, Crystal Bradford of the Chippewas. Bradford, Sharkey and Woods led their respective teams in scoring, while Brown was second to only first team teammate Sina King on the Zips.
On the third team it was Akron’s Hannah Plybon, Ball State’s Jill Morrison, Buffalo’s Mackenzie Loesing, Kent State’s CiCi Shannon, and Ohio’s Quiera Lampkins. Plybon led the MAC this year with 62 three point field goals made in conference play. Morrison was fourth in the MAC, behind Plybon, with 47 three’s made in conference play. Mackenzie Loesing ranked 11th in the conference in points per game with 14.8 coming off the bench for UB. For the Golden Flashes, Shannon was a dominant force in the paint, topping the MAC in rebounding (10.6 rpg), field goal percentage (56.1%) and ranking second in blocks (1.8 bpg), only behind Christa Baccas. For the Bobcats, Lampkins ranked 13th in the MAC in scoring at 12.2 ppg and 19th in rebounding with 6.2 rpg.
Receiving All-MAC Honorable Mention were Deborah Hoekstra of Bowling Green, Christa Baccas of Buffalo, Da’Jourie Turner of Central Michigan, Mariah Byard of Ohio and Brenar Harris of Toledo.
Rounding out the All-MAC Teams was the 2014-15 All-Freshman Team. Receiving the freshman season honors were Akron’s Kerri McMahan, Ball State’s Moriah Monaco, Miami’s Baleigh Reid, Northern Illinois’ Kelly Smith and Toledo’s Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott.
Buffalo’s Christa Baccas received the nod as the 2014-15 MAC Defensive Player of the Year. Baccas led the MAC this year in blocked shots averaging over two blocks per game. Additionally, Baccas recorded almost two steals per game in MAC play to rank fifth in the conference. For Buffalo, Baccas is the third individual to claim the Defensive Player of the Year award joining Sonia Ortega in 2001, and Kourtney Brown in 2010 and 2011.
Joining Christa Baccas receiving individual honors, was Bulls teammate Mackenzie Loesing, as Loesing was named the 2014-15 MAC Sixth Player of the Year. Loesing becomes the first UB player in program history to be named the Sixth Player of the Year. Coming off the bench, Loesing was second on the team, behind Kristen Sharkey, averaging 14.8 points per game in MAC play.
The 2014-15 Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Coach of the Year will be announced Tuesday.
MAC Tournament first round play opens with Kent State at Eastern Michigan at 5:00 PM ET, Bowling Green at Western Michigan, 5:30 PM ET, Central Michigan at Northern Illinois, 6:30 PM ET/5:30 PM CT, and Miami at Toledo at 7:00 PM ET. Following the first round games, the MACtion will move to the Q in Cleveland, Ohio on Wednesday, March 11th for second round games.
2014-15 All-Mid-American Conference First Team
Sina King, Akron, F
Nathalie Fontaine, Ball State, F
Amanda Corral, Northern Illinois, G
Kiyanna Black, Ohio, G
Inma Zanoguera, Toledo, G
2014-15 All-Mid-American Conference Second Team
Anita Brown, Akron, G
Kristen Sharkey, Buffalo, F
Crystal Bradford, Central Michigan, G/F
Cha Sweeney, Eastern Michigan, G
Miracle Woods, Western Michigan, F/C
2014-15 All-Mid-American Conference Third Team
Hannah Plybon, Akron, G
Jill Morrison, Ball State, G
Mackenzie Loesing, Buffalo, G
CiCi Shannon, Kent State, C
Quiera Lampkins, Ohio, F
2014-15 All-Mid-American Conference Honorable Mention
Deborah Hoekstra, Bowling Green, G
Christa Baccas, Buffalo, C/F
Da’Jourie Turner, Central Michigan, G
Mariah Byard, Ohio, G
Brenae Harris, Toledo, G
2014-15 Mid-American Conference All-Freshman Team
Kerri McMahan, Akron, G
Moriah Monaco, Ball State, G
Baleigh Reid, Miami, G
Kelly Smith, Northern Illinois, F
Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott, Toledo, G
2014-15 Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Year
Christa Baccas, Buffalo, C/F
2014-15 Mid-American Conference Sixth Player of the Year
Mackenzie Loesing, Buffalo, G
