2015-16 G-MAC All-Conference Women's Basketball Team
GREENWOOD, Ind. – The Great Midwest Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball All-Conference Team was officially revealed in advance of the G-MAC Championship starting on Thursday.
A total of 14 different G-MAC student-athletes were recognized to either the first, second or all-freshman conference teams.
Voting for the 2015-16 G-MAC Women’s Basketball All-Conference Team was completed by the league’s head coaches.
The G-MAC will recognize individual award winners and the all-conference performers participating prior to tip-off Thursday’s quarterfinals and Friday’s semifinals in Pepper Pike, Ohio.
Co-regular season champion, top seed and tournament host Ursuline, swept the individual awards while three first-team all-conference selections currently have 1,000 points or more in their distinguished careers.
The Arrows had all five starters and six total players selected to the G-MAC Women’s Basketball All-Conference Team to lead all programs.
Laney Lewis of Ursuline was voted as the G-MAC Player of the Year, Brigan Wymer of Ursuline was named the G-MAC Freshman of the Year and Ursuline’s Shannon Sword was honored as the G-MAC Coach of the Year.
G-MAC Player of the Year
Laney Lewis – Ursuline – F
As the year has progressed, so has Lewis with monster rebounding numbers and seemingly effortless double-doubles put up on a routine basis. At 6-0, she poses a matchup nightmare with her midrange game and ability to shoot from the outside.
The redshirt sophomore averaged a double-double with 13 points and 11.1 rebounds per contest.
On a team loaded with double-digit scorers, Lewis was a two-time G-MAC Athlete of the Week as the Arrows eventually solved Cedarville on the road.
She finished the regular season as the G-MAC league leader in rebounding (278, 11.1 rpg) and flew under the radar as the conference’s top shot swatter (2.1 bpg).
Lewis also ranked second in field goal percentage (.540), sixth in assists (3.4 apg), fifth in free throw percentage (.782), 10th in steals (1.6 spg) and fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio.
She racked up 13 double-doubles, including six in her last seven games to head into the postseason. One of her top performances was a 19 point, 19-rebound performance against Ohio Valley.
G-MAC Freshman of the Year
Brigan Wymer – Ursuline - G
Wymer transitioned into the college game seamlessly and was a no-doubt impact performer out of Delta High School.
Along with several other key first-year performers on the Arrows like Christiana Jefferson and Natalie Koenig, Ursuline’s success has the freshman class’ fingerprints all over it.
Wymer erupted for a pair of 30-point games vs. Bluefield State and Trevecca Nazarene and grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds vs. Wilberforce.
Wymer finished her rookie season fourth in scoring (0.1 ppg away from third) with 14.5 points per contest, sixth in field goal percentage (.476), fourth in free throw percentage (.783), ninth in steals (1.7 spg) and fifth in three point field percentage (.377).
She also made 49 baskets from long range (average of two per game) and ranked in the top 10 in the league.
G-MAC Coach of the Year
Shannon Sword - Ursuline
Ursuline entered 2015-16 with quite a few question marks from outside observers, but Sword has quieted any doubters and then some with her team’s run this season.
The Arrows are 23-3 and have received a handful of votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
Despite its gaudy record that includes quality regional wins against opponents from the GLIAC, MEC and PSAC, the Arrows have been omitted from the regional rankings thus far.
After being picked just fifth in the G-MAC Preseason Coaches Poll, Sword has integrated freshmen and progressive leaps by some young underclassmen to emerge with the co-regular season conference title.
Ursuline’s offense was a juggernaut and averaged a league-leading 84.3 points per game while the Arrows outscored their opponents by nearly 23 points per contest.
Sword’s program also led the G-MAC in field goal percentage (.444) and three-point shooting (.359) -- all of this happening as Ursuline lost the 2014-15 conference freshman of the year and graduated senior Emma Ricketts and another all-conference freshman team performer.