ATLANTA (April 28, 2021) – Kendall Sosa of Illinois Wesleyan University is the 2021 WBCA NCAA Division III Player of the Year and headlines the 2021 WBCA NCAA Division III Coaches’ All-America team, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced today.
Sosa, a 5-foot-9 senior guard from Bloomington, Illinois, led the Titans to a 6-4 record and a berth in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament championship game. Her 26.7-point-per-game scoring average was tops in the CCIW and No. 2 in the nation. Sosa finished her career at Illinois Wesleyan at ninth on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,304 points. Sosa also set the Titans' single-game scoring record with 47 points.
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 Kendall Sosa as the 2021 WBCA NCAA Division III Player of the Year,” said WBCA Executive Director Danielle Donehew. “Kendall has played an integral role in guiding her team to an outstanding season under extraordinary circumstances because of the pandemic. She is very deserving of this distinguished honor. The WBCA applauds Kendall for her hard work, dedication and contributions to the game during the 2020-21 season.”
Here are the 2021 WBCA NCAA Division III Coaches’ All-Americans:
|
Name |
School |
Class |
Position |
|
Shannon Devitt |
College of New Jersey |
Senior |
Forward |
|
Kiera Downey |
Rhodes College |
Junior |
Guard |
|
Nicole Heffington |
John Carroll University |
Senior |
Guard/Forward |
|
Kaylee Otlowski |
Salisbury University |
Junior |
Forward |
|
Leah Porath |
University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh |
Senior |
Guard |
|
Kenedy Schoonveld |
Hope College |
Senior |
Guard |
|
Kendall Sosa |
Illinois Wesleyan University |
Senior |
Guard |
|
Leah Springer |
Messiah University |
Grad Student |
Forward |
|
Jenna Taylor |
Simpson College |
Senior |
Forward |
|
Olivia Voskuil |
Hope College |
Senior |
Forward/Center |
“We congratulate the 10 members of the 2021 WBCA NCAA Division III Coaches’ All-America team for what they have accomplished in this challenging season,” said Donehew. “These young women have worked to elevate their teams and themselves to an elite level of competition. Through their exceptional talents on the basketball court, they have also lifted the women’s game.”
Here are the student-athletes who received 2021 WBCA NCAA Division III Coaches’ All-America honorable mention:
|
Name |
School |
|
Megan Bauman |
Babson College |
|
Taylor Brown |
Montclair State University |
|
Jayneisha Davis |
Messiah University |
|
Hailey Derosia |
Keene State College |
|
Maiah Domask |
University of Wisconsin-Platteville |
|
Megan Dorney |
Whitworth University |
|
Payton Draper |
Wartburg College |
|
Lilly Edwards |
Baldwin Wallace University |
|
Jackie Feldt |
Coe College |
|
McKenzee Gertz |
Colorado College |
|
Sophia Guerrier |
Rhode Island College |
|
Nicole Hiller |
Babson College |
|
Raenett Hughes |
University of Texas at Dallas |
|
Erin Hughes |
Washington & Lee University |
|
Amanda Johnson |
Catholic University |
|
Averi Jordan |
DeSales University |
|
Elyce Knudsen |
Millikin University |
|
Shannon McCoy |
Kean University |
|
Katie McShea |
Marymount University |
|
Bridget Monaghan |
University of Scranton |
|
Jordan Moretti |
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth |
|
Olivia Nagy |
John Carroll University |
|
Abigail Oguich |
University of Lynchburg |
|
Madison Schmitz |
College of Saint Benedict |
|
Annie Tate |
Wheaton College (IL) |
|
Kaitlyn Walker |
St. John Fisher College |
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 WBCA.org for more details about the association.
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