Shumate, Blackford make MAC all-freshman team; Thall is all-defensive

From left are Megan Carter (honorable mention all-MAC), Lindsey Thall (all-defensive team), Nila Blackford (all-freshman team) and Katie Shumate (all-freshman and honorable mention all-MAC). (Illustration from KSU website.)

Kent State’s Nila Blackford and Katie Shumate made the Mid-American Conference all-freshman, and sophomore Lindsey Thall was named to the all-defensive team.

Shumate and senior Megan Carter received honorable mention all-MAC.

Central Michigan’s Micaela Kelly was MAC player of the year, CMU’s Heather Oesterle coach of the year and Buffalo’s Dyaisha Fair freshman of the year.

The selection of Blackford and Shumate means Kent State put two players on the all-freshman team for the second year in a row. Asiah Dingle and Thall were all-freshman last season.

First-team all-MAC members were Kelly, Ohio’s Cece Hooks and Erica Johnson, Ball State’s Oshlynn Brown and Northern Illinois’ Courtney Woods.

The results were released today by the MAC. Media members vote on coach of the year, player of the year and freshmen of the year; league head coaches on the rest of the awards.

Shumate currently is   a game. She scored more than 20 three times, more than 15 12 times and had a high of 27 against Bowling Green Feb. 29. Other stats:

• First on the team and fifth in the MAC in minutes played (34.4 per game).
• Second on the team and 14th in MAC in rebounds (6.4).
• Second on the team and sixth in MAC in blocked shots (0.9).
• Second on the team and eight in MAC in 3-point percentage (37.4).
• Third on the team in field-goal percentage (42.7).
• Third on the team in assists (1.5) and steals (1.2).
• Her 13 made free throws against Bowling Green ties for most in the MAC this season. So does her 15 attempts that day.
• Had three double-doubles.

Statistics are for all games; rankings are for player averaging more than 10 minutes per game.

Blackford leads the team in rebounds at 7.8 per game, which is sixth in the MAC. She had 15 rebounds against Akron Feb. 26,  and had three double-doubles.

She led Kent State in scoring most of the season, but her output has dropped since she suffered a concussion against Akron Feb. 12. Blackford missed three games and has averaged just over six points a game since. She has averaged nine rebounds since coming back from her injury.

Blackford was third on team in scoring at 12.2 points per game. She had 31 points against Robert Morris and scored 20 or more four times.

Thall led the MAC in blocked shots at 2.2 (2.7 in conference games). She blocked four or more shots seven times this season with a high of seven blocks against Eastern Michigan. Her 63 total blocks rank 29th in the country and seventh in KSU history. Thall also led the MAC in blocks last season at 1.6 per game.

Carter fought injuries and illness through most of the season but still averaged 12.2 points a game and scored more than 20 five times. She reached 1,000 points in her career against St. Bonaventure won Dec. 3 and ranks 18th in scoring in Kent State history at 1,234 points.

The full all-MAC awards:

Player of the Year

• Micaela Kelly, Central Michigan

Coach of the Year

• Heather Oesterle, Central Michigan

Freshman of the Year

• Dyaisha Fair, Buffalo

Defensive Player of the Year

• Cece Hooks, Ohio

Sixth Player of the Year

• Gabrielle Bird, Central Michigan

All-MAC First Team

• Oshlynn Brown, Ball State
• Micaela Kelly, Central Michigan
• Courtney Woods, Northern Illinois
• Cece Hooks, Ohio
• Erica Johnson, Ohio

All-MAC Second Team

• Dyaisha Fair, Buffalo
• Molly Davis, Central Michigan
• Areanna Combs, Eastern Michigan
• Lauren Dickerson, Miami
• Breanna Mobley, Western Michigan

All-MAC Third Team

• Haliegh Reinoehl, Akron
• Theresa Onwuka, Buffalo
• Kyra Bussell, Central Michigan
• Savannah Kluesner, Miami
• Jordan Walker, Western Michigan

All-MAC Honorable Mention

• Jordyn Dawson, Akron
• Angela Perry, Bowling Green
• Megan Carter, Kent State
• Katie Shumate,Kent State
• Amani Burke, Ohio

All-Defensive Team 

• Theresa Onwuka, Buffalo
• Micaela Kelly, Central Michigan
• Areanna Combs, Eastern Michigan
• Lindsey Thall, Kent State
• Cece Hooks, Ohio

All-Freshman Team 

• Sydney Freeman, Ball State
• Dyaisha Fair, Buffalo
• Molly Davis, Central Michigan
• Nila Blackford, Kent State
• Katie Shumate, Kent State
• Peyton Scott, Miami

All-freshman team has six members because of a tie in the voting.