SAC Announces Women’s Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team
Eight of the SAC’s 10 member institutions are represented on the 2012-13 women’s basketball preseason All-Conference Team, with a league-high three student-athletes from Anderson earning spots, the conference office announced Thursday.
ROCK HILL, S.C. – Eight of the SAC's 10 member institutions are represented on the 2012-13 women's basketball preseason All-Conference Team, with a league-high three student-athletes from Anderson earning spots, the conference office announced Thursday.
Despite being ranked No. 8 in the SAC preseason coaches' poll, Anderson had three players selected to the preseason All-SAC Team, including first-team guard Alissa Diaz.
Diaz was a member of the All-SAC Second Team last season after averaging 14.6 points and 2.67 assists per game.
Newberry, which was voted No. 3 in the preseason coaches' poll, is the only team to place multiple players on preseason All-SAC First Team. 2011-12 SAC Freshman of the Year Haylee Lepaio -- who finished fourth in scoring and third in rebounding in the conference last year -- is a first-team pick, as is senior guard Neicey Lewis.
Joining the Newberry duo on the preseason First Team are 2011-12 All-Conference Second Team selections Kendal Baxter of Tusculum and Whitley Culler of Lenoir-Rhyne.
[RELATED: Wingate No. 1 in SAC preseason women's basketball coaches' poll]
Baxter averaged 13.7 points per game last year and set a SAC single-season record by shooting 91.5-percent from the foul line, while Culler averaged 13.8 points and eight rebounds.
Catawba sophomore forward Chloe Bully, a member of the 2011-12 SAC All-Freshman Team, rounded out the preseason All-Conference First Team. Bully averaged 13.5 points per game and led the conference by shooting 38.2-percent on three-pointers last season.
Two Anderson players – guard Sierra Simpson and forward Breonda Shannon – were named to the preseason All-SAC Second Team. They are joined by Wingate's Janitsha Williams, Tusculum's April McCann, Mars Hill's Armeka Booker and Brevard's Micheala Watkins.
The preseason All-SAC Team is voted on by the conference's media relations directors.
2012-13 SAC Women's Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team
First Team
Kendal Baxter, Tusculum*
Whitley Culler, Lenoir-Rhyne*
Alissa Diaz, Anderson*
Haylee Lepaio, Newberry*^
Chloe Bully, Catawba^
Neicey Lewis, Newberry
Second Team
Breonda Shannon, Anderson
Armeka Booker, Mars Hill^
Janitsha Williams, Wingate
April McCann, Tusculum
Micheala Watkins, Brevard
Sierra Simpson, Anderson^
* 2011-12 All-SAC Second Team
^ 2011-12 SAC All-Freshman Team