March 1, 2012

Carson-Newman’s Williams Named First Team All-SAC

ROCK HILL, S.C. – Carson-Newman senior forward Zoriah Williams (Calera, Ala.) has been named to the 2012 All-South Atlantic Conference Women’s Basketball First Team, the league announced on Thursday.

ROCK HILL, S.C. – Carson-Newman senior forward Zoriah Williams (Calera, Ala.) has been named to the 2012 All-South Atlantic Conference Women's Basketball First Team, the league announced on Thursday.

Williams has led the Lady Eagles to 17-10 record this season and a berth in the SAC Tournament semifinals on Saturday in Hickory, N.C.

This season, Williams had 11 double-doubles to power C-N to a fifth-place finish in the SAC race. She scored in double figures in all but one game this season.

Williams season highlight came in a 68-62 win at home over Lincoln Memorial in late February when she grabbed a career high 18 rebounds and scored 22 points, one shy of her career high, to rally the Lady Eagles.

The senior forward leaves Carson-Newman as one of top scorers in school history. She has 1,146 points for her career which places her ninth all-time at C-N. She passed Data Caldwell and former teammate Ashley Kyle to move into the Top 10 in school history during her 21-point, eight-rebound effort in C-N's win on Wednesday night.

The Lady Eagles beat Lenoir-Rhyne in overtime to advance in the SAC Tournament. Williams had nine points in the extra period to lead the Lady Eagles in the closing minutes.

C-N faces Wingate University on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. at Catawba Valley Community College.

After averaging a double-double and leading her team to a runner-up finish in the SAC regular season standings, Catawba's Dana Hicks has been selected as the league's Women's Basketball Player of the Year.

Hicks, who was a first team All-Conference selection the previous two seasons as well, led the SAC in rebounding at 11.9 per-game and was the conference's ninth-leading scorer at 14.1 points-per-game. The senior also played an impressive 34.2 minutes-per-game, helping Catawba finish 17-9 overall and 12-6 in league play.

Hicks' teammate, guard Nisha Long, also earned All-Conference First Team accolades after finishing second in the conference in scoring at 16.8 points-per-game and second in assists average at 3.88.

Joining the Catawba duo on the All-Conference First Team was Nikki Burton of the regular season SAC champion Wingate Bulldogs. Burton finished seventh in the SAC in scoring and second in steals.

Lincoln Memorial's Dayshalee Salaman, the SAC's leading scorer at 20.7 points-per-game, also earned All-Conference First Team accolades.

Rounding out the All-SAC First Team was Lenoir-Rhyne's Cameron Sealey, who finished No. 4 in the league in scoring. This marks the third-consecutive season the senior has earned All-Conference honors.

Newberry's Haylee Lepaio, who was second in the SAC in rebounding third in scoring in the regular season, was named the conference's Freshman of the Year, and also earned a spot on the All-Conference Second Team.

She was joined on the All-SAC Second Team by Tusculum's Kendal Baxter and Staci Hicks, Anderson's Alissa Diaz, Lenoir-Rhyne's Whitley Culler and Lincoln Memorial's Lauren Cochran.

The SAC All-Freshman Team was made up of Catawba's Chloe Bully, L-R's Jazmine Charles, Mars Hill's Armeka Booker and Anderson's Sierra Simpson, in addition to Lepaio.

After leading her team to its best SAC finish since 2006-07, Catawba's Angie Morton was selected as the league's Coach of the Year. Morton is in her ninth season leading the Catawba program.

SAC Player of the Year: Dana Hicks, Catawba

SAC Freshman of the Year: Haylee Lepaio, Newberry

SAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Kristen Metcalf, Mars Hill

SAC Coach of the Year: Angie Morton, Catawba

All-SAC First Team

Nikki Burton, Wingate

Dana Hicks, Catawba

Nisha Long, Catawba

Dayshalee Salaman, LMU

Cameron Sealey, Lenoir-Rhyne

Zoriah Williams, Carson-Newman

All-SAC Second Team