First of all, a special shoutout to Old Dominion star Jennie Simms, who was named an Associated Press honorable mention All-American to break a five-year drought for Virginia's Division I schools. Simms is this state's first D-I All-American since ex-VCU star Courtney Hurt received honorable mention status in 2012.
We were concerned that Old Dominion's failure to secure a postseason bid might work against Simms when it came to receiving national accolades. In this case, it looks as though it didn't. Still, it's interesting to note that of the 38 All-Americans, only Simms played on a team that wasn't invited to either the NCAA Tournament or the WNIT (Northwestern's Nia Coffey also didn't play in a postseason tournament, but that's because the Wildcats declined a WNIT bid). Fair or not, team success typically factors in heavily when handing out these awards.
Simms was also one of two conference players of the year among Virginia performers, along with JMU's Precious Hall.
The following is a school-by-school list of all the conference award winners, both for performance and academics.
Radford
Destinee Walker, 5-11 Soph. G/F, Florence, S.C. - first team All-Big South
- Averaged 14.1 points and 6.2 rebounds and finished among the league's top 10 in five other categories during a breakout campaign. Came in third in Big South Player of the Year balloting.
Jayda Worthy, 6-0 Jr. F, Toledo, Ohio -first team All-Big South
- Averaged 12.0 points on a league-leading 59.3 percent shooting and 7.3 rebounds (4th in the Big South), all while contributing her usual array of intangibles.
Janayla White, 6-2 Jr. F, Virginia Beach - honorable mention All-Big South
- Overcame nagging injuries to finish third in the Big South in rebounding (7.8) and second in blocks (1.5). Also chipped in 8.8 ppg. Has made an all-conference team in each of her three seasons.
Khiana Johnson, 5-7 Fr. G, Chesapeake - Big South All-Freshman
- Former Western Branch High star ranked fourth on the Highlanders and third among all Big South freshmen in scoring (7.5 ppg).
Rachael Ross, 6-2 R-Sr. C, Naperville, Ill. - Big South All-Academic
- A two-time all-academic team selection, Ross already has her bachelor's degree in communication and is carrying a 3.66 GPA while pursuing a graduate degree in corporate and professional communication.
Liberty
Keyen Green, 6-1 Fr. F, Philadelphia - Big South Freshman of the Year, second team Big South
- Liberty's first conference freshman of the year since 2001-02 (Kristal Tharp). Won a conference-record eight freshman of the week awards. Went into the conference tournament leading the Big South in rebounding (8.0), ranking second in field-goal percentage (58.8) and ninth in scoring (12.3).
Iva Ilic, 5-7 Fr. G, Koprivnica, Croatia - Big South All-Freshman
- Led all Big South freshmen with 40 3-pointers. Ranked fourth among conference freshmen in assists (2.0) and fifth in points (7.3).
Ola Makurat, 6-2 Fr, G/F, Sierakowice, Poland - Big South All-Freshman
- Ranked third among Big South freshmen in rebounding (5.1) and fifth in scoring (6.8). Earned the conference's Keyen Green, er, we mean Freshman of the Week award for the final week of the regular season.
Audrey Rettstatt, 6-0 Sr. G/F, Galena, Ohio - Big South All-Academic
- The Lady Flames' lone senior and a three-time Big South Presidential Honor Roll member, Rettstatt owns a 3.88 GPA as an exercise science major and is on track to graduate in May.
Longwood
Micaela Ellis, 5-5 Jr. G, Oak Park, Mich. - Big South All-Academic
- Ellis made the all-academic team for the second straight year and had a breakout season on the court, highlighted by a school-record 15 assist effort in a win over Winthrop. She finished second in the Big South in assists and assist-turnover ratio.
Richmond
Janelle Hubbard, 5-8 Sr. G, Glenn Dale, Md.- third team All-Atlantic 10
- An all-conference pick for the third straight year, Hubbard averaged a team-best 14.1 points per game. She finished her career with 1,717 points, the fifth-most in program history.
Jaide Hinds-Clarke, 6-1 Fr. F, Westwood, N.J. - Atlantic 10 All-Rookie
- A three-time Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week pick, Hinds-Clarke averaged 7.3 points and 4.5 rebounds in just 17 minutes per game. Richmond's first all-rookie team selection since 2011-12 (Liz Brown).
George Mason
Kara Wright, 5-11 Sr. G/F, Louisville - third team All-Atlantic 10
- All Wright did was lead the Patriots in scoring, rebounding, assists, field-goal percentage and 3-point percentage.
Jacy Bolton, 6-0 Fr. guard/forward, Drexel, Mo. - Atlantic 10 All-Rookie
- Ranked third on the Patriots in scoring and rebounding and led the team in steals.
VCU
GG Goodhope, 5-5 R-Sr. G, Norfolk - Atlantic 10 All-Academic
- Goodhope already has a degree in biology and is set to earn a second bachelor's in psychology in May. She currently carries a 3.85 GPA.
Old Dominion
Jennie Simms, 6-0 R-Sr., G, Accokeek, Md. - C-USA Player of the Year, first team All-C-USA
Division I's No. 2 scorer (26.0 ppg) and one of only two players to average at least 20 points, eight rebounds and four assists. A three-time first team All-C-USA pick.
Destinee Young, 6-1 Sr. F, Hoffman Estates, Ill. - second team All-C-USA, C-USA All-Defensive
- The only player in Conference USA to average a double-double (10.9 points, 11.1 rebounds). Led C-USA in rebounding and finished fourth in blocks (1.6).
JMU
Precious Hall, 5-8 R-Sr. G, Tallahassee, Fla. - CAA Player of the Year, first team All-CAA
- A two-time CAA Player of the Year (2015), Hall averaged 23.3 points during the regular season, the fifth-best mark in Division I. After leading her team to the WNIT round of 16, Hall finished her career with 2,347 points, second only to Dawn Evans in JMU history.
Lexie Barrier, 5-10 Fr. G, Ironton, Ohio - CAA All-Rookie
- A two-time CAA Rookie of the Week selection, Barrier's 7.0 points per game averaged ranked third among conference freshmen.
Kamiah Smalls, 5-10 Fr. G, Philadelphia - CAA Rookie of the Year, CAA All-Rookie
- A six-time CAA Rookie of the Week and the unanimous pick as the league's top newcomer, Smalls led CAA freshmen in rebounding and ranked third in assists.
William and Mary
Alexandra Masaquel, 5-10 Sr. F, Honolulu - second team All-CAA, CAA All-Academic
- Led the Tribe in scoring and rebounding in CAA play and ranked among the league's top 10 in rebounding, field-goal percentage, steals and offensive and defensive rebounds. Became the 18th player in school history to reach 1,000 career points. She finished her career with 1,030.
Marlena Tremba, 5-9 Sr. G, Vienna, Va. - second team All-CAA, CAA All-Academic
- Led William and Mary in scoring in each of her four seasons and finishes third in program history for career points with 1,595. Ranked among the league's top 10 in scoring, assists, free-throw percentage, minutes played, steals and 3-pointers made.
Abby Rendle, 6-4 Jr. C, Reston, Va. - CAA All-Defensive
- A two-time All-Defensive team member, Rendle set the school's single-season record for blocks (101) and ranked sixth nationally with 3.26 blocks per game. For the second straight year, she also recorded a triple-double; Rendle has the only two of those in Tribe history.
Jenna Green, 5-9 Jr. G, Clifton, Va. - CAA All-Academic
- Green ranked third in the CAA in assists (4.4 apg). The finance major has also won a pair of provost awards for having a 3.5 GPA or better.
Norfolk State
Kayla Roberts, 6-1 Jr. F, Miami - first team All-MEAC
- The fourth Spartan to receive first-team All-MEAC honors, Roberts led the Spartans in scoring (12.1 ppg) and ranked third in the conference in rebounding (9.0). Roberts has since announced plans to transfer.
Jordan Strode, 5-8 R-Sr. G, Charlotte - second team All-MEAC
- A transfer from St. Joseph's, Strode stepped right into the NSU starting lineup and delivered 11.9 points per game, second among Spartans, in her final season of eligibility.
Hampton
Kaylah Lupoe, 6-2 Jr. F, Phoenix - second team All-MEAC
- A third-team all-conference pick as a sophomore, Lupoe followed up by averaging 8.0 points and 5.9 rebounds while rejecting 66 shots, the fourth-highest single-season total in program history.
Ashley Bates, 5-7 Fr. G, Hopkins, Minn. - MEAC All-Rookie
- Bates' finished with modest averages - 5.8 points and 3.2 rebounds - but delivered 13 points and six boards a night during one five-game stretch before her season was cut short by injury.
Virginia
Jocelyn Willoughby, 6-0 Fr. G, East Orange, N.J. - ACC All-Freshman; ACC All-Academic
- Willoughby led the Cavaliers and ranked second among all ACC freshmen in rebounding. She is the first freshman to lead Virginia in rebounding since 2002 (Brandi Teamer). Also led all conference rookies in steals per game (1.7 spg).
Dominique Toussaint, 5-9 Fr. G, Staten Island, N.Y. - ACC All-Freshman
- Toussaint finished third among ACC rookies in scoring (9.5 ppg) and had several clutch performances, including drilling a 3-pointer to force overtime against Syracuse, dropping 12 of her career-high 19 points in overtime in a win over Wake Forest and scoring a team-high 14 points in the Cavaliers' upset of then-4th-ranked Florida State.
Breyana Mason, 5-8 Sr. G, Woodbridge, Va. - ACC All-Academic team
- A three-time all-academic team honoree, Mason is one of only three Virginia athletes in any sport to receive a 2017 ACC Weaver-James-Corrigan postgraduate scholarship for performing with distinction in the classroom and the playing field while displaying exemplary conduct in the community. Oh, and she also finished her career with 1,080 points.
Lauren Moses, 6-2 Jr. F, Mount Holly, N.J. - ACC All-Academic
- A debut all-academic team member, Moses contributed another solid season on the court as she ranked second among Cavaliers in rebounding (5.7 rpg) and third in scoring (9.5 ppg). She also notched her career high in scoring by delivering 27 points at Richmond.
Virginia Tech
Vanessa Panousis, 5-7 Sr. G, Sydney, Australia - ACC All-Academic
- The most prolific 3-point shooter in Virginia Tech history, Panousis connected on a program-record 269 triples in her career. This is also the third straight year Panousis has made the all-academic team.
Samantha Hill, 5-10 Sr. G, Toronto, Canada - ACC All-Academic
- Rewarded with increased playing time, Hill flourished in her final season as she averaged 10.4 points - more than four times greater than the 2.5 ppg she produced as a junior.
Regan Magarity, 6-3 R-Soph, F, Norrkoping, Sweden - ACC All-Academic
- Set a program record by recording a double-double in seven straight games. Also averaged a double-double in ACC play (13.8 ppg, 10.3 apg).
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