For the first time in seven years, Kent State was shut out of postseason Mid-American Conference awards.
Here’s the list, announced by the MAC office Monday. Awards are voted on by league coaches. Thoughts on Kent State’s non-selections are below that.
Player of the year
- Jordyn Dawson, Akron redshirt senior forward. She was second in the league in scoring at 22.4 points per game and finished in the top five in the MAC in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals.
Coach of the year
- Tricia Cullop, Toledo. Her team was picked to finish eighth in the MAC but went 19-1 in the MAC and 25-4 overall.
Freshman of the year
- Georgia Woolley, Buffalo guard. She averaged averaging 14.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game.
Sixth player of the year
- Hannah Noveroske, Toledo junior center.
Co-defensive players of the year
- Jordyn Dawson, Akron, redshirt senior forward.
- Cierra Hooks, Ohio senior guard.
All-MAC First Team
- Jordyn Dawson, Akron redshirt senior forward.
- Dyaisha Fair, Buffalo junior guard.
- A’Jah Davis, Northern Illinois junior forward.
- Cierra Hooks, Ohio senior guard.
- Quinesha Lockett, Toledo junior wing.
All-MAC Second Team
- Summer Hemphill, Buffalo graduate student forward.
- Molly Davis, Central Michigan junior guard.
- Areanna Combs, Eastern Michigan redshirt senior guard.
- Peyton Scott, Miami junior guard.
- Sophia Wiard, Toledo junior guard.
All-MAC third team
- Ally Becki, Ball State freshman guard.
- Kadie Hempfling, Bowling Green senior forward.
- Georgia Woolley, Buffalo freshman guard.
- Erica Johnson, Ohio redshirt junior guard.
- Lauren Ross, Western Michigan redshirt freshman guard.
All-MAC honorable mention
- Reagan Bass, Akron freshman forward.
- Thelma Dis Agustsdottir, Ball State senior guard.
- Chelby Koker, Northern Illinois junior guard.
- Janae Poisson, Northern Illinois redshirt senior guard.
- Gabby Burris, Ohio senior forward.
All-Defensive Team
- Jordyn Dawson, Akron redshirt senior forward.
- Nyla Hampton, Bowling Green sophomore guard.
- Summer Hemphill, Buffalo grad student forward.
- Cierra Hooks, Ohio senior guard.
- Khera Goss, Toledo sophomore guard.
All-Freshman Team (6 Players due to ties)
- Reagan Bass, Akron forward.
- Ally Becki, Ball State guard.
- Amy Velasco, Bowling Green guard.
- Georgia Woolley, Buffalo guard.
- Jessica Cook, Toledo forward.
- Lauren Ross, Western Michigan guard.
What happened to Kent State?
Kent State was 10-10 in the MAC and 18-11 overall. That’s not great but hardly awful. So how did no one from the Flashes win anything?
The Flashes had no real star player this season. Its leading scorer was junior guard Katie Shumate, who averaged 12.1 points per game. Four other KSU players averaged between 11.3 and 9.4 points.
In MAC statistical rankings, here’s the best Kent State did:
Rebounding: Junior forward Nila Blackford sixth at 9.0 per game.
Shooting percentage: Blackfod fifth at .467.
Three-point percentage: Lindsey Thall sixth at 39.2%, sophomore Casey Santoro seventh at 38.8% and freshman Bridget Dunn eighth at 38.5%.
Assist/turnover ration: Santoro fourth at 1.8 assists to every turnover.
Thall had made the all-defensive team the last two seasons, and I thought she might have a shot at the all-defensive team again. But her blocked shot total was down this season. Dunn was clearly one of the top seven or eight freshmen in the conference, but her stats were a little below the ones who made the team. I think she’ll be all-MAC before she graduates.
Blackford averaged five pointer and 1.5 rebounds less than she did when she made second-team all-MAC last season. Shumate was 19th in the MAC in scoring. Santoro averaged 10 points as sixth player, but Toledo’s Noveroske had a bigger impact on a championship team.
The last time KSU had no player honored was 2014, which was the third straight year under former coach Danny O’Bannion where no Kent player got an award.