IRVING, Texas - In exclusive voting by the head coaches of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC), junior guard Taylor Dydalewicz of Texas Lutheran University was selected as SCAC Women's Basketball Player-of-the-Year, while Southwestern University head coach Kerri Brinkoeter was named SCAC Coach-of-the-Year. First-year forward Michelle DeCoud of the University of Dallas was selected as the league's Newcomer-of-the-Year and senior forward Annie Bourne of Southwestern was named the SCAC Defensive Player-of-the-Year. Complete Release
A three-time SCAC Player-of-the-Week selection during the regular season, Dydalewicz leads the league in scoring heading into this weekend's conference tournament, averaging 17.9 points per game, and also averages 4.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals per contest. She set Texas Lutheran's Division III single-game scoring record with 36 points at Mary Hardin-Baylor on Nov. 22. Not only a prolific scorer, the junior has been equally efficient – and from every area of the floor. Dydalewicz is currently ranked seventh in the league in field goal percentage (44.6 percent), second in three-point field goal percentage (40.6 percent) and fourth in free throw percentage (79.9 percent).
In just the program's second year in the conference, Dydalewicz will go down as the first TLU women's basketball player to earn SCAC Player-of-the-Year honors. Senior guard Courtney Tyus of Colorado College and senior forward Jordan Owens of Southwestern each received one first-place vote.
Michelle DeCoud earned SCAC Newcomer-of-the-Year honors – the second consecutive year that a University of Dallas student-athlete has received the award after her teammate Holly Tonry won the award in 2013-14. DeCoud, a second team All-SCAC selection in this year's balloting, currently leads all first-year players in scoring (11.0 ppg – 13th overall in the SCAC), rebounding (7.9 rpg – third overall) and field goal percentage (46.7 percent – fifth overall), and has also chipped in with 18 blocks (eighth in the SCAC).
DeCoud was the coaches' overwhelming choice for Newcomer-of-the-Year as she received seven of eight first-place votes. Sophomore guard Monica Holguin of Trinity University received the remaining first-place vote.
Annie Bourne is the second student-athlete from Southwestern in the last three years to earn SCAC Defensive Player-of-the-Year honors as former teammate Chelsea Leader won a share of the award in 2012-13. Bourne will finish her career as the SCAC's all-time leading rebounder as she has 1,135 caroms entering this weekend's conference tournament. Her current season average of 12.5 rebounds per game leads the conference and ranks 16th in all of Division III and her 313 total rebounds are the third-most in a single-season in league history. She is also sixth in the conference in blocks with 19. Bourne's inside presence helped the Pirates lead the league in rebounding margin (+3.2), including an amazing +7.1 differential in conference games. A player has grabbed 21+ rebounds 22 different times in the history of SCAC women's basketball and Bourne has four of those performances.
Bourne prevailed in a very tight vote for SCAC Defensive POTY as she received three first-place votes. Senior forward Jenna Longo of Austin College and senior post Chelsey Stolle of Texas Lutheran each received two votes and junior forward Bryony Harris of Trinity received the remaining first-place vote.
In her eighth season at Southwestern and fifth after returning from a short hiatus from the collegiate coaching ranks, Brinkoeter has guided the Pirates to an 11-3 conference mark (13-12 overall), a share of the SCAC regular season title and the top seed at this year's conference tournament. She has a career mark of 117-93 (.557) at SU and her 73 conference victories are the most by any active women's coach and the fourth-most all time. This year's squad is the first to earn the overall top seed in the SCAC tournament (the 2011-12 team was the West Division top seed) and the first to earn a share of the conference regular season title since the 1997-98 Pirates' squad.
The Coach-of-the-Year honor is the first for Brinkoeter and just the second for the Southwestern program as Ronda Seagraves was awarded the honor after guiding the aforementioned 1997-98 team to the SCAC title.
Brinkoeter received four votes from her peers in the COTY balloting, while Mel Dixon of Texas Lutheran earned two first-place votes. Temaine Wright of Schreiner University and Cameron Hill of Trinity both received one vote each.
2014-15 SCAC PLAYER-OF-THE-YEAR
Taylor Dydalewicz, Texas Lutheran University, 5-9, Jr., Guard, Dripping Springs, Texas
2014-15 SCAC NEWCOMER-OF-THE-YEAR
Michelle DeCoud, University of Dallas, 5-11, Fy., Forward, Monument, Colo.
2014-15 SCAC DEFENSIVE PLAYER-OF-THE-YEAR
Annie Bourne, Southwestern University, 6-0, Sr., Forward, Dallas, Texas
2014-15 SCAC COACH-OF-THE-YEAR
Kerri Brinkoeter, Southwestern University / 13-12 Overall / 11-3 SCAC / Top seed in SCAC Tourney
2014-15 ALL-SCAC FIRST TEAM
Taylor Dydalewicz, Texas Lutheran, 5-9, Jr., Guard, Dripping Springs, Texas
Jordan Owens, Southwestern, 6-1, Sr., Forward, Richardson, Texas
Annie Bourne, Southwestern, 6-0, Sr., Forward, Dallas, Texas
Anecia Richardson, Trinity, 5-10, Jr., Forward/Center, Mesquite, Texas
Hannah Coley, Trinity, 5-7, Sr., Guard, Austin, Texas
2014-15 ALL-SCAC SECOND TEAM
Kelsie Jackson, Schreiner, 5-6, Jr., Guard, Corpus Christi, Texas
Michelle DeCoud, Dallas, 5-11, Fy., Forward, Monument, Colo.
Courtney Tyus, Colorado College, 5-8, Sr., Guard, Thornton, Colo.
Karisa Cantu, Texas Lutheran, 5-7, Sr., Guard, San Antonio, Texas
Christina Kime, Austin College, 5-4, Sr., Guard, San Diego, Calif.
2014-15 ALL-SCAC THIRD TEAM
Danielle Davis, Colorado College, 5-11, Jr., Forward, Boxford, Mass.
Kristen Lye, Texas Lutheran, 5-9, So., Guard/Forward, San Antonio, Texas
Marleyna Bustamante, Dallas, 5-5, Sr., Guard, Donna, Texas
Brooke Hagemann, Dallas, 5-11, Sr., Forward, Oklahoma City, Okla.
Erin Riley, Austin College, 5-10, Sr., Guard/Forward, Battle Creek, Mich.
HONORABLE MENTION (players receiving votes)
Austin College – Brianna Harvey (Jr., F), Kendall Heitmeier (So., F), Kali Vittallo (Fy., G); Centenary – Briana Edwards (Jr., F), Rebecca Thompson (Jr., F); Dallas – Sammi Tso (So., G); Schreiner – Sabriyyah Fennell (So., G); Southwestern – Valerie Logan (Sr., G), Madison Eschle (Sr., F); Texas Lutheran – Chelsey Stolle (Sr., P), Bianca Casas (Sr., G), Savannah Hight (So., G/F); Trinity – Monica Holguin (So., G); Caitlin Barrett (Jr., G), Lauren Splawn (Sr. G)
Coaches voted for 15 places for All-SCAC with 15 points awarded for first-place votes, 14 points for second-place votes, 13 points for third-place votes, etc., down to one point for a 15th-place vote. All players not elected to the First, Second or Third Team, but who received at least one vote, were named Honorable Mention. Coaches could not vote for their own players.
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