Tusculum’s Jasmine Gunn Named To WBCA All-America Team

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- Tusculum College junior Jasmine Gunn garnered WBCA All-America honors for the second straight season on Monday night at the Banquet of Champions at the NCAA Division II Elite Eight, becoming the first player in program history to be named to the WBCA State Farm Coaches' All-America Team.

This marks the second straight season Gunn has garnered All-America honors, and is the first time in program history a player has been named a WBCA All-American twice. It is also the first time in program history that a player has garnered WBCA All-American honors in back-to-back seasons.

Franklin Pierce University senior Johannah Leedham was named the State Farm/WBCA Player of the Year for the second time in her career, as the 5-11 guard enters the Elite Eight as the national scoring leader (27.1) and is the only player in NCAA Division II history to score over 3,000 points in her career, placing her first on the NCAA II all-time scoring list.

Gunn has led the Pioneers to a 23-9 record this season, guiding Tusculum to the program's first-ever NCAA Division II Southeast Region Championship and a trip to the Elite Eight. The Pioneers have won nine straight and 14 of their last 16 with Gunn leading the charge, posting their third straight 20-win season and punching a ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive year after capturing the program's first-ever Food Lion SAC Tournament title.

A native of Nashville, Tenn., Gunn has posted a tremendous season for Tusculum, leading the Pioneers. The two-time WBCA All-American is one of two players in the NCAA to rank in the top 35 in scoring, assists and steals in her respective division, entering the Elite Eight ranked seventh in the nation in scoring (21.8), 23rd in steals (2.9), and 32nd in assists (4.9).

Gunn has been one of the nation's most prolific scorers over the last 10 games, averaging 29.5 points per contest while moving into fourth on the program's single-season scoring list with 696 markers through 32 games. The 2010 Daktronics Southeast Region Player of the Year turned in one of the most impressive performances of her career on Mar. 13 against No. 20 Francis Marion, pouring in a South Atlantic Conference-record 45 points on 11-of-15 shooting while setting a pair of NCAA Tournament marks with 23 free throws made and 29 attempts at the charity stripe.

The Antioch HS graduate has scored 20 points or more on 19 occasions this season, recording five 30-point performances and one 40-marker night, while notching four double-doubles and the program's first triple-double in recorded history. Gunn has also established a program- and SAC-record with 216 free throws made this season, going a perfect 8-for-8 at the charity stripe in the Southeast Region Championship game against Lander to eclipse the previous conference mark.

The 2010 SAC Player of the Year has jumped nine spots on the program's all-time scoring list this season, currently sitting fifth in school history with 1,602 career points through 94 games. The three-time All-SAC performer has also dished out 151 assists this season to climb into third in program history, and sixth on the SAC's all-time list with 527 career helpers. Gunn is currently ranked in the top 10 in nine categories in the program record book, including assists per game (1st/5.6), free throws made (3rd/485), free throws attempted (3rd/617), and steals (3rd/219).

Tusculum continues its magical NCAA Tournament run on Tuesday when the Pioneers square off against No. 1 Gannon University (36-0) in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET at the St. Joseph Civic Arena in St. Joseph, Mo.

Anita Bulcher

The Women's Basketball Coaches Association and State Farm have announced the 2010 NCAA Division II State Farm Coaches' All-America Team. Newberry's Anita Bulcher was named an Honorable Mention after her remarkable senior season for the scarlet and gray.

"This is a great credit to Anita's ability and a testament to her hard work," said head coach Sean Page. "She dedicated herself over the summer and fall to preparing herself physically and improving upon her skill set."

Bulcher (Russia, Ohio) played a pivotal role in the success of the Newberry College women's basketball team over the 2009-10 season. She ended the season as Newberry's leader in points, rebounds, blocks and field-goal percentage.

She was the nation's sixth best rebounder with 11.7 rebounds per game after spending several weeks as number one. Her 16.3 points per game ranked her as the sixth best scorer in the South Atlantic Conference and she had the second best field-goal percentage in the SAC at .556 (174-313). Bulcher also saw success at the free-throw line with a .741 percentage.

Bulcher also excelled defensively with 31 blocks and 20 steals on the year while limiting herself to just 2.4 fouls per game.

Bulcher recorded 22 double-doubles on the year and 11 in as many games during one stretch. Her season total ranks her in fifth place in Division II history while her eleven consecutive games with a double-double ranks sixth in Division II history.

Bulcher adds the Division II State Farm Coaches' All-America Team Honorable Mention status to her already impressive list of regional and national accolades. Bulcher was also named a DAKTRONICS All-Southeast Region first teamer. Her performances were well recognized across the conference as she was honored as the SAC Player of the Week three times and ultimately named first team all-SAC.

Anita also excelled off the court and in the classroom and was named the SAC Scholar Athlete was well a CoSIDA / ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American first teamer.

The 10-member team and honorable mentions were selected by a vote of the selection committee. The committee is comprised of one representative from each of the eight geographical regions and a chairperson.

Founded in 1981, the WBCA promotes women's basketball by unifying coaches at all levels to develop a reputable identity for the sport and to foster and promote the development of the game as a sport for women and girls. For additional information about the WBCA, please visit wbca.org.

"I commend the committee for a job well done selecting this group of players from hundreds as the best in Division II," said WBCA CEO Beth Bass. "We would like to honor these student-athletes for their hard work."

"Anita never stopped working to make herself a better basketball player," said Page. "Her reward has been one of the best seasons in the program's history as well inclusion on the Coaches' All-America Team."

Shari Buford

Carson-Newman senior forward Shari Buford (Hampton, Ga.) has been Honorable Mention All-American by the WBCA.

Buford, a 2009-10 All-South Atlantic Conference first team honoree, was ealier chosen as one of the top five players in the Southeast Region by the WBCA.

She was also picked to the Daktronics All-Southeast Region First Team, which is selected on by the sports information directors of the southeast region with voting powered by ATHLETICSITE.COM.

Buford, who is averaging a double-double on the season (12.7 points and 10.4 rebounds), is also sixth in the country with 3.1 blocks per contest and has posted 17 double-doubles on the year.

She is just the third player to eclipse 1000 points and 1000 rebounds at Carson-Newman and is the only player to have 1000 points, 1000 rebounds and 200 blocks. Buford's career totals currently sit at 1467 points, 1026 rebounds and 207 blocks.

2009-10 NCAA Division II State Farm Coaches' All-America Team
Lauren Beckley, Shippensburg
Jheri Booker, Minnesota-Duluth
Cassondra Boston, Emporia State
Chelsea Carlisle, California-San Diego
Kristina Freemna, Gannon
Jasmine Gunn, Tusculum
Johannah Leedham, Franklin Pierce
Jenny Vining, Arkansas Tech
Brooque Williams, California (Pa.)
Katie Wysocky, Michigan Tech

The following have been recognized as State Farm Coaches' All-America Team Honorable Mentions for NCAA Division II:

Name Institution Year Pos. Hgt.
Ashley Arlen Wayne State College Soph. F 6'2
Lindsay Ballweg Drury University Sr. G 5'10
Kim Brennan Bentley University Jr. G 5'8
Shari Buford Carson Newman College Sr. F 5'11
Anita Bulcher Newberry College Sr. C 6'2
Vera Jo Bustos Adams State College Jr. G 5'8
Jessica Canary University of Indianapolis Sr. G 6'0
Catherine Carr Holy Family University Jr. F 6'0
Reyana Colson Cal. State Poly Univ., Pomona Jr. G 5'6
Sarita Bug Cooper Delta State University Jr. G 5'6
Amanda Dunbar Western Washington University Jr. G 5'9
Mariesa Greene Barry University Sr. F 6'0
Daesha Henderson Seattle Pacific University Sr. G 5'8
Shannon McKever Lander University Jr. C 6'0
Samantha Meissel University of Indianapolis Jr. F 6'2
Jamie Meyer Abilene Christian University Sr. F 6'0
Jodi Ostergren Northwood University Sr. F 5'10
Takesha Riggs Fort Valley State University Sr. G 5'7
Dayna Rodriguez Washburn University Sr. F 6'2
Allison Rosel Fort Lewis College Sr. F 5'11
Amelia Simmons Wilmington College Sr. F 5'11
Jamie Simmons West Texas A&M University Soph. F 6'0
Kelsey Simonds Stonehill College Sr. C 6'3
Shannon Singleton-Bates Francis Marion University Jr. G 5'10
Kayla Smith California Univ. of Pennsylvania Jr. F/C 5'11
Jessica Summers Western Washington University Sr. G 6'1
Brittany Tabron Gannon University Sr. F 6'2
Joni Unruh West Texas A&M University Jr. G 5'10
Veronica Walker Delta State University Soph. C 6'1
Jineen Williams Concordia University (Minn.) Jr. G 5'9