Smith named All-Big Ten first teamer again
CHAMPAIGN -- Illinois senior Jenna Smith today was named to the All-Big Ten first team for the third time in her career, becoming only the second Illini to earn that distinction.
Ashley Berggren, whose career scoring record Smith is chasing, was a first teamer in 1996, '97, and '98 by the media.
Smith was joined on the media's first team by Ohio State's Jantel Lavender and Samantha Prahalis, Penn State's Tyra Grant and Northwestern's Amy Jaeschke. The coaches' first team was Smith, Lavender, Prahalis, Grant and Iowa's Kachine Alexander. Lavender was named Player of the Year by both groups.
Illinois senior Lacey Simpson was named to the media's third team. She also was named to the coaches' five-player All-Defensive Team. The coaches chose Michigan State's Allyssa DeHaan, the NCAA's career shot blocks leader, as its Defensive Player of the Year. (The media doesn't vote on Defensive Player of the Year or the All-Defensive team.)
Illinois' Karisma Penn was named to the coaches' five-player All-Freshman team. Iowa's Jaime Printy was named Freshman of the Year by both groups. (The media doesn't have an All-Freshman team.)
Iowa's Lisa Bluder was named the media's Coach of the Year, while Wisconsin's Lisa Stone won the coaches' voting in that category.
The complete list of awards:
COACHES
First team: Jenna Smith, Illinois; Kachine Alexander, Iowa; Jantel Lavender, Ohio State; Samantha Prahalis, Ohio State; Tyra Grant, Penn State
Second team: Jori Davis, Indiana; Allyssa DeHaan, Michigan State; Amy Jaeschke, Northwestern; Brittany Rayburn, Purdue; Alyssa Karel, Wisconsin
Third team: Jaime Printy, Iowa; Kamille Wahlin, Iowa; Lydendra Johnson, Michigan State; Kalisha Keane, Michigan State; Alex Bentley, Penn State
Honorable mention: Lacey Simpson, Illinois; Jamie Braun, Indiana; Veronica Hicks, Michigan; Carmen Reynolds, Michigan; Brittney Thomas, Michigan State; Brittany McCoy, Minnesota; Rae Lin D'Alie, Wisconsin
All-Defensive Team: Simpson; Alexander; DeHaan; Shavelle Little, Ohio State; FahKara Malone, Purdue
All-Freshman Team: Karisma Penn, Illinois; Printy; Dayeesha Hollins, Michigan; Kendall Hackney, Northwestern; Bentley
Player of the Year: Lavender
Defensive Player of the Year: DeHaan
Freshman of the Year: Printy
Sixth Player of the Year: Keane
Coach of the Year: Lisa Stone, Wisconsin
MEDIA
First team: Smith; Jaeschke; Lavender; Prahalis; Grant
Second team: Davis; Alexander; Printy; DeHaan; Karel
Third team: Simpson; Braun; Wahlin; Rayburn; D'Alie
Honorable mention: Hicks; Reynolds; Keane; L. Johnson; Thomas; Kiara Buford, Minnesota; McCoy; Brittany Johnson, Ohio State; Bentley
Player of the Year: Lavender
Freshman of the Year: Printy
Coach of the Year: Lisa Bluder, Iowa
Lacey got the shaft AGAIN!!! True, DeHaan is one of the best shot blockers in the NCAA (#6 this year) but Lacey is clearly the better defensive player. DeHaan averaged 3.3 blocks per game. A good ave., but that's the only defensive category she excelled in. Lacey averaged 3.6 steals per game PLUS 1.4 blocks. With those same stats, if she played for OSU or MS, I'm sure she would have received the award. Great job, Lacey!!!
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