Southern Utah University’s inaugural season in the Western Athletic Conference ended on March 3, and with it came the announcements of the WAC regular season honors. Both the men’s and women’s teams received their fair share of accolades.
Women’s awards
The women’s team received four All-Conference honors, the first going to head coach Tracy Sanders, who took home the Coach of the Year Award for guiding the Thunderbirds to a 20-9 record and a WAC regular season title.
Redshirt junior center Lizzy Williamson, who took home several awards and honors, those being:
— WAC Defensive Player of the Year
— All-WAC Second Team
— WAC All-Defensive Team
Williamson averaged a double-double, scoring 10 points and pulling down 10.2 rebounds per night. Williamson was also a huge presence on the defensive end, averaging a staggering 2.3 blocks a game and claiming her spot as second all-time for blocks in a season with 68.
Senior guard Tomekia Whitman also claimed several honors on the season, and those are:
— Sixth Woman of the Year
— All-WAC Second Team
— WAC All-Newcomer Team
Whitman had a stellar first season with the Thunderbirds, averaging 11.7 points and 4.5 rebounds off the bench.
Graduate guard Cherita Daugherty was voted onto the all-WAC first team. Daugherty averaged a team-high 15 points and 1.1 steals for the Thunderbirds while also dishing out 3.6 assists per game, providing a spark for the team on both offense and defense.
Men’s awards
Four Thunderbirds earned all-conference honors on the men’s team.
Sophomore guard Drake Allen was named to the WAC All-Newcomer Team. Transferring from Snow College and playing his first year for SUU, Allen found great success on the court, leading the team in steals and assists with 1.4 and 3.5, respectively, while tacking on 11.2 points on 52.7% shooting.
Senior guard Dee Barnes came away with Sixth Man of the Year honors. Barnes, who averaged 5.8 points and 2.5 rebounds while only playing 14.3 minutes off of the bench, provided intensity when the team needed, including a season-high 20 points in a win against UTA.
Fifth-year senior forward Maizen Fausett earned all-WAC second team honors averaging 12.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, he ended the regular season with 1,507 points on his SUU career, which is good for third in school history and allows him to claim the record for rebounds in a career with 921.
Senior guard Tevian Jones claimed All-WAC First Team honors on the season. Jones, who was third in the conference in scoring with 17.8 points per game, also claimed his spot in the top ten of all-time points scored with 1,350.
Congratulations to all of these incredible student-athletes.
Story by: Aidan Mortensen
Photos by: SUU Athletics
