INDIANAPOLIS – IUPUI’s Macee Williams has been named the Horizon League Women’s Basketball Player of the Year for the second straight season while Austin Parkinson has been voted Coach of the Year following the Jags’ first outright regular season title. Cleveland State’s Mariah White earned Defensive Player of the Year honors while Wright State’s Shamarre Hale has been named Freshman of the Year and Oakland’s Kahlaijah Dean earned Sixth Player of the Year. All awards were voted on by the League’s ten head coaches.
Williams is the first back-to-back Player of the Year since Milwaukee’s Traci Edwards won outright in 2007-08 and was Co-Player of the Year in 08-09. The junior center averaged 19.7 points and 8.5 rebounds in 18 League contests this season, first among #HLWBB players in scoring and third in rebounding. Williams is shooting better than 63 percent from the floor and earned her first career All-Defensive Team nod this season along with Player of the Year and All-League First Team recognition.
Cleveland State’s Mariah White is the Defensive Player of the Year this season, earning her second straight All-Defensive Team honor. The junior led the League with 2.4 steals per game in League games this season, swiping 89 in all games in 2019-20. White also earned All-League Second Team honors, posting 15.1 points and shooting 46.1 percent from the field in League play.
Dean is the Horizon League Sixth Player of the Year and an All-League Third Team honoree this season. The sophomore averaged 12.8 points and 3.2 assists per game in #HLWBB games this season, while starting in just four games this season for the Golden Grizzlies.
Freshman of the Year Hale ranked fourth in the League in rebounding (8.3) in her first League season for the Raiders, adding 8.9 points per game in those contests. The rookie also ranked seventh with 16 blocks in League play.
Parkinson was chosen the Horizon League Coach of Year, leading the Jaguars to their first outright regular season title in program history and a 15-3 League record, along with a 21-8 overall record so far this season. This is Parkinson’s second Horizon League Coach of the Year honor, also taking the title after the 2017-18 season.
Joining Williams on the All-League First Team are Cleveland State’s Mariah Miller, Green Bay’s Frankie Wurtz, Wright State’s Angel Baker and Youngstown State’s Chelsea Olson. Miller ranked fifth among #HLWBB players in scoring, totaling 14.2 points per game in League competition this season to earn First Team honors for the second consecutive season. Wurtz was third in scoring in League play, averaging 15.2 points for
the Phoenix. Baker scored 16.7 points per League game this season, ranking second. Olson led the Penguins with 12.8 points in League play, moving to the First Team after Second Team honors in 2018-19.
Along with White, IUPUI’s Holly Hoopingarner, Northern Kentucky’s Molly Glick and Ally Niece and Wright State’s Michal Miller compose the All-League Second Team. Hoopingarner totaled 4.5 assists in League play this season, best among #HLWBB players. Glick (9.7 points) and Niece (12.6 points and 3.9 assists) led the Norse in scoring in League play this season as NKU went 12-6. Miller scored 12.0 points per League game for the Raiders.
The inaugural All-League Third Team contains student-athletes from five institutions. Along with Oakland’s Dean, Cleveland State’s Savanna Crockett (13.7 points and 9.2 rebounds), Green Bay’s Caitlyn Hibner (9.6 points and 7.4 rebounds), IUPUI’s Rachel McLimore (11.9 points) and Milwaukee’s Brandi Bisping (9.6 points) earned Third Team honors.
Detroit Mercy guard Sylare Starks (10.3 points), Northern Kentucky guard Ivy Turner (8.0 points and 2.1 assists), Oakland guard Alona Blackwell (8.8 points), and Wright State guard Jada Roberson (8.3 points) earned All-Freshman recognition this season along with Hale.
UIC junior Jada Nneji earned her second straight All-Defensive Team honor this season, averaging 1.8 blocks in League play while Green Bay senior Frankie Wurtz (1.8 steals) and Wright State junior Tyler Frierson (1.3 blocks) were also voted to the All-Defensive Team by the League’s head coaches, alongside White and Williams.
The 2020 Horizon League Basketball Championships will begin March 3 and 5 at campus sites and eight teams – four men and four women – will look to advance to Indianapolis and #REACHtheHORIZON on March 9-10 at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum.
Every game of the tournament will be carried on ESPN networks with the first three rounds of the women’s championship streamed on ESPN+ and the championship game broadcast on ESPNU.
Tuesday, March 3 begins first-round action with three games at 7 p.m. ET as No. 3 seed Wright State hosts No. 10 seed UIC at the Nutter Center, No. 4 seed NKU takes on No. 9 seed Detroit Mercy at BB&T Arena and No. 6 seed Cleveland State welcomes No. 7 seed YSU to the Wolstein Center. No. 8 seed Oakland travels to No. 5 seed Milwaukee at 8 p.m. ET in the Klotsche Center to close out the night.
On Thursday, March 5, the highest-remaining seeds from Tuesday’s first round will host the lowest-remaining seeds for a chance to join top seeds IUPUI and Green Bay in Indianapolis for the semifinals.
Tickets for the semifinals and championship games in Indianapolis are on sale now at HorizonLeague.com, the Indiana Farmers Coliseum Box Office, or by calling 317-927-7601. Each host school will separately announce their ticket plans for the first round and quarterfinals.
For complete information on the 2020 Horizon League Women’s Basketball Championships, please go to HorizonLeague.com/Indy.
Player of the Year: Macee Williams, IUPUI
Coach of the Year: Austin Parkinson, IUPUI
Freshman of the Year: Shamarre Hale, Wright State
Defensive Player of the Year: Mariah White, Cleveland State
Sixth Player of the Year: Kahlaijah Dean, Oakland
All-League First Team (alphabetical by school)
Mariah Miller, Cleveland State, Senior, Guard
Frankie Wurtz, Green Bay, Senior, Guard
Macee Williams, IUPUI, Junior, Center
Angel Baker, Wright State, Sophomore, Point Guard
Chelsea Olson, Youngstown State, Junior, Guard
All-League Second Team (alphabetical by school)
Mariah White, Cleveland State, Junior, Guard
Holly Hoopingarner, IUPUI, Senior, Point Guard
Molly Glick, Northern Kentucky, Senior, Guard/Forward
Ally Niece, Northern Kentucky, Sophomore, Guard
Michal Miller, Wright State, Senior, Guard
All-League Third Team (alphabetical by school)
Savanna Crockett, Cleveland State, Sophomore, Forward
Caitlyn Hibner, Green Bay, Junior, Guard
Rachel McLimore, IUPUI, Sophomore, Guard
Brandi Bisping, Milwaukee, Junior, Forward
Kahlaijah Dean, Oakland, Sophomore, Guard
All-Freshman Team (alphabetical by school)
Sylare Starks, Detroit Mercy, Guard
Ivy Turner, Northern Kentucky, Guard
Alona Blackwell, Oakland, Guard
Shamarre Hale, Wright State, Center
Jada Roberson, Wright State, Guard
All-Defensive Team (alphabetical by school)
Mariah White, Cleveland State, Junior, Guard
Frankie Wurtz, Green Bay, Senior, Guard
Macee Williams, IUPUI, Junior, Center
Jada Nneji, UIC, Junior, Center
Tyler Frierson, Wright State, Junior, Center
