DONALDSON – Sophomore forward Shalana Murray (South Bend, IN/ Washington HS) headlined a list of Ancilla College women’s basketball players receiving postseason honors, the College announced on Wednesday.
Murray was named to the All-Region team for NJCAA Region 12 and also collected MCCAA All-State and MCCAA All-Western Conference honors after averaging 10 points and nearly 14 rebounds per contest for the Lady Chargers during the 2010-2011 season.
She became just the fourth player in team history to earn All-Region honors and finished seventh in the nation in rebounding for NJCAA Division II.
She was joined by MCCAA Honorable Mention All-Western Conference selections Allison Worden and Meghan Brown as those earning recognition from the conference.
Worden (Peru, IN/ North Miami HS), a sophomore forward, averaged seven points and six rebounds per contest and shared team MVP honors with Murray.
“Both players had a huge impact on our team this year,” said Ancilla women’s basketball coach Dave Liverance. “Shalana is one of the best rebounders I have ever coached and Allison was our sparkplug. She did all the little things to help our team.”
Brown (New Castle, IN/ New Castle HS), a sophomore guard, averaged nearly 11 points per game and was a consistent threat from beyond the arc for Ancilla.
Two players shared “Most Improved” honors on the team – freshman forward Pattie Olsen and sophomore guard Naomi McNeal.
Olsen (Knox, IN/ Knox HS) averaged three points and three rebounds as her role continued to grow throughout the season. Â McNeal (Chicago, IL/ Percy L. Julian HS) averaged nearly eight points per game.
“Pattie really came on at the end of the season and made great strides in developing a complete game,” said Liverance. “Naomi made strides over the last year at running our point. She developed a mind for the game and started to understand the role of a point guard.”
The “Coaches Award”, given to the players who most exemplify what a coach wants done on and off the floor, were shared by Worden and sophomore forward Sabrina Hatfield (Shirley, IN/ Knightstown HS).
