VALDOSTA, Ga. – The incredible efforts of the 2016-17 Valdosta State women's basketball team in its most recent season continued to be recognized this week, as forward
Madi Mitchell was named 2017 Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) honorable mention in an announcement on Tuesday.
Mitchell, a junior out of Warwick, Ga., performed as one of the top players in the Gulf South Conference throughout the year and finished as one of the league's top five scorers with an average of 16.6 points scored per game. In addition, she ranked eighth in the conference in rebounding with an average of 8.5 per game, which led to 13 double-doubles on the year.
Additional honors for Mitchell in 2017 included First Team All-GSC and First Team All-South Region recognition, and she was pegged as the Gulf South Conference Tournament MVP after leading the Lady Blazers to their third-ever GSC title and their first since 1984.
Mitchell joined West Florida's Alex Coyne and North Alabama's Ivy Wallen to make up the three representatives of the GSC in the release. Each were listed among the list of honorable mention honorees.
The WBCA presents the Player of the Year award, the 10-member Coaches' All-America team, and the All-America honorable mention honorees in each division are selected by a committee of WBCA member coaches in that division.
Founded in 1981, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association is the professional association for coaches of women's and girls' basketball at all levels of competition. The WBCA offers educational resources that coaches need to help make themselves better leaders, teachers and mentors to their players; provides opportunities for coaches to connect with peers in the profession; serves as the unifying voice of a diverse community of coaches to the organizations that control the game; and celebrates those coaches, players and other individuals who excel each year and contribute to the advancement of the sport. Visit
www.WBCA.org for more details about the Association.
2017 WBCA NCAA Division II Coaches' All-Americans:
| Name |
Institution |
Year |
Position |
| Mikaela Burgess |
Pittsburg State University |
Junior |
Guard |
| Sierra Clark |
Adelphi University |
Senior |
Forward |
| Andrea Daugherty |
Ashland University |
Junior |
Forward |
| Jennifer Gemma |
Bentley University |
Senior |
Forward |
| Miki Glenn |
California University of Pennsylvania |
Senior |
Guard |
| Cassidy Mihalko |
California Baptist University |
Senior |
Guard |
| Kelly Moten |
Emporia State University |
Senior |
Guard |
| Taylor Peacocke |
Western Washington University |
Senior |
Guard |
| Laina Snyder |
Ashland University |
Junior |
Forward |
| Autummn Williams |
University of Alaska-Anchorage |
Senior |
Forward |
2017 WBCA NCAA Division II Coaches' All-America honorable mention:
| Name |
Institution |
Year |
Position |
| Ashley Asouzu |
Columbus State University |
Senior |
Forward |
| Shakera Barnes |
St. Edward's University |
Junior |
Guard |
| Seairra Barrett |
California University of Pennsylvania |
Junior |
Forward |
| Tess Bruffey |
Lubbock Christian University |
Junior |
Forward |
| Alexis Carter |
Columbus State University |
Junior |
Center |
| Alex Coyne |
University of West Florida |
Senior |
Guard |
| Kristen Drogsler |
Caldwell University |
Junior |
Guard |
| Kiara Etheridge |
Saint Mary's University |
Senior |
Forward |
| Katie Fischer |
Edinboro University |
Senior |
Guard |
| Sarah Galvin |
Bellarmine University |
Senior |
Forward |
| Camille Giardina |
Florida Southern College |
Sophomore |
Guard |
| Angela Heintz |
Mercyhurst University |
Senior |
Guard |
| Brittany Hernandez |
University of Colorado-Colorado Springs |
Senior |
Forward |
| Kelsey Hutchins |
University of North Georgia |
Senior |
Forward |
| BreShay Johnson |
Lander University |
Junior |
Forward |
| Jamie Johnson |
Lewis University |
Graduate Student |
Guard |
| Jasmine Kearse |
Limestone College |
Senior |
Guard |
| Jessica Kelliher |
Lewis University |
Sophomore |
Center |
| Ellen Kett |
Simon Fraser University (BC) |
Senior |
Guard |
| Stephanie Knauer |
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania |
Graduate Student |
Center |
| Sam Knecht |
University of Sioux Falls |
Senior |
Center |
| Madi Mitchell |
Valdosta State University |
Junior |
Forward |
| Paige Redmond |
University of Central Missouri |
Sophomore |
Guard |
| Madison Rowland |
Queens College |
Senior |
Guard, Forward |
| Drew Sannes |
Minnesota State University-Moorhead |
Senior |
Forward |
| Victoria Vine |
Eckerd College |
Senior |
Guard |
| Ivy Wallen |
University of North Alabama |
Freshman |
Guard |
| Sasha Watson |
West Texas A&M University |
Senior |
Guard |
| Dana Watts |
American International College |
Sophomore |
Center |
| Meg Wilson |
Simon Fraser University (BC) |
Senior |
Forward |
