ATLANTA (March 25, 2019) – Hailey Diestelkamp of Drury University is the 2019 WBCA NCAA Division II Player of the Year and headlines the 2019 WBCA NCAA Division II Coaches’ All-America team, announced by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association today.
Diestelkamp averaged 8.9 rebounds and 21 points per game while shooting 52.1 percent from the field this season. She helped lead the Lady Panthers to an undefeated regular season and scored 28 points against Bellarmine to bring the school its third-consecutive Great Lakes Valley Conference championship. The junior was selected for first team all-conference honors. She was named the GLVC tournament’s most valuable player for the second year in a row. Last season, she led Drury in points with 490 and in the 2016 season she was named the GLVC Freshman of the Year.
The WBCA presents the Player of the Year award annually to the top player in five of the six WBCA membership divisions (NCAA Divisions II, and III, NAIA, two-year college and high school). The Player of the Year and the 10-member Coaches’ All-America team in each division are selected by a committee of WBCA member coaches in that division. The Wade Trophy is presented to the best player in NCAA Division I.
“The WBCA is pleased to name Hailey Diestelkamp as the 2019 WBCA NCAA Division II Player of the Year,” said Danielle Donehew, executive director of the WBCA. “Hailey has played an integral role in guiding her team to an extraordinary season and is very deserving of this distinguished honor. The WBCA applauds Hailey for her hard work, dedication and contributions to the game.”
Here are the 2019 WBCA NCAA Division II Coaches’ All-Americans:
|
Name |
School |
|
Seairra Barrett |
California University of Pennsylvania |
|
Marissa Brown |
West Liberty University |
|
Hailey Diestelkamp |
Drury University |
|
Camille Giardina |
Florida Southern College |
|
Lexy Hightower |
West Texas A&M University |
|
Jessica Kelliher |
Lewis University |
|
Alexy Mollenhauer |
Anderson University |
|
Hailey Tucker |
Southwestern Oklahoma State University |
|
Dana Watts |
American International College |
|
Mikayla Williams |
University of California - San Diego |
“The 10 members of the 2019 WBCA NCAA Division II Coaches’ All-America Team are well deserving of this recognition, and the WBCA congratulates them for their accomplishments this season,” said Donehew. “These young women have worked to elevate themselves and their teams to an elite level and through their exceptional talents on the basketball court, they have lifted the women’s game.”
Here are the student-athletes who received 2019 WBCA NCAA Division II Coaches’ All-America honorable mention:
|
Name |
School |
|
Michaela Barnes |
Edinboro University |
|
Daejah Bernard |
Drury University |
|
Ay’Anna Bey |
Benedict College |
|
Cassidy Boensch |
Grand Valley State University |
|
Toni Brewer |
University of West Florida |
|
Addy Clift |
Oklahoma Christian University |
|
Marquita Daniels |
Angelo State University |
|
Natalie Diaz |
Dominican University |
|
Jaylyn Duran |
Colorado Mesa University |
|
Raziyah Farrington |
University of Charleston |
|
Anja Fuchs-Robetin |
Florida Southern College |
|
Savanna Hanson |
Azusa Pacific University |
|
Jessica Harris |
Lander University |
|
Felecity Havens |
University of Mount Olive |
|
Jodi Johnson |
Ashland University |
|
Tyra Jones |
Emporia State University |
|
Tatyana Legette |
Fort Hays State University |
|
Ellie Logan |
Northwest Nazarene University |
|
Kylie Lorenzen |
Southern New Hampshire University |
|
Shareka McNeill |
Virginia Union University |
|
Halee Nieman |
University of West Florida |
|
Haris Price |
Carson-Newman University |
|
Hayden Priddy |
Southwestern Oklahoma State University |
|
Paige Redmond |
University of Central Missouri |
|
McKayla Roberts |
Le Moyne College |
|
Olivia Robertson |
Lubbock Christian University |
|
Alex Thomas |
University of the Sciences in Philadelphia |
|
Hannah Wandersee |
University of Alaska - Anchorage |
|
Kianna Wynn |
Barton College |
|
Irisa Ye |
University of the Sciences in Philadelphia |
About the WBCA
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.