Tweet
Way to GO JACKS 
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - South Dakota State’s Jennifer Warkenthien was selected as The Summit League Women’s Basketball Player of the Year in voting by the league’s 10 head coaches, sports information directors and select media members as announced by the league Thursday.
Oral Roberts’ Georgia Jones earned the league’s Newcomer of the Year while SDSU’s Jill Young was named Sixth Woman of the Year and IUPUI’s Jernisha Cann took home the Defensive Player of the Year nod. SDSU’s Aaron Johnston was named Coach of the Year.
Warkenthien led The Summit League in scoring (17.2 ppg in league) and ranked fourth in rebounds (8.9 apg in league) while leading the Jackrabbits to the league’s regular season title. She also helped lead the Jacks to a league, school and season-best No. 14 national ranking in the latest ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. For the year, the senior collected seven double-doubles, all in league games, and produced the top two scoring output games in the league with 29 points against Oakland on Jan. 31 and 28 points vs. Southern Utah on Jan. 17. Warkenthien also finished first in the league in defensive rebounds (6.9) and second in field goal percentage (.537) and was recently named to the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America Second Team.
Jones earned the Newcomer of the Year award after finishing the regular season with 12.2 points per game, tops among newcomers, and with the league’s second-best assist/turnover ratio at 1.6. The freshman also nailed 42 three-point field goals for the Golden Eagles, along with dishing out 3.2 assists and collecting 1.8 steals per game, which are all newcomer bests.
Young garnered Sixth Woman of the Year honors after coming off the bench in 16 of SDSU’s 18 league games while averaging 10.3 points per game for the Jacks. In her first season, Young became one of the best long-distance shooters in the league, finishing with a league-best 44 treys in league contests and a 46 percent clip from behind the arc.
Cann claimed the Defensive Player of the Year accolade for the third consecutive season after leading the league in rebounds (10.4) and steals (3.4) per game. For the year, the senior finished fourth in the nation in steals per game. Cann also averaged 10.9 points and 3.8 assists in league games.
Johnston earned the Coach of the Year award for the second-straight season after guiding the Jacks to a regular season title with a 17-1 league record and 28-2 overall mark. He has also led the Jacks into the national spotlight as they are currently No. 14 in the polls and have been ranked for the past 12 weeks.
Joining Warkentien as a first team All-Summit selection were IUPUI teammates Cann and Julia Whitted. Whitted finsihed second in the league in blocks (2.3 bpg) and third in rebounding (9.3 rpg). UMKC’s Chazny Morris collected first-team honors after finishing second in scoring (16.6 ppg), while Jessica Pike of Oakland was third (16.0 ppg). Pike was also tops in the league in three-point field goal percentage (.500). Oral Roberts’ Janae Voelker claimed a spot on the first team averaging 15.9 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.
Comprising the second team is IPFW’s Chelsey Jackson (13.7 ppg), North Dakota State’s Inger Hodgson (14.3 ppg, 2.0 spg), OU’s Melissa Jeltema (14.0 ppg, 9.5 rpg), SDSU’s Ketty Cornemann (9.9 ppg) and Southern Utah’s Anne Westwood-Higbee (13.9 ppg, 8.2 rpg).
Receiving honorable mention honors are OU’s Brittany Carnago (9.8 ppg, 2.8 bpg), ORU’s Mariana Camargo (11.4 ppg), SDSU’s Maria Boever (9.4 ppg) and Kristin Rotert (9.9 ppg) and Western Illinois’ Amanda Walker (9.8 ppg, 3.3 apg).
In addition to Jones and Young, the all-newcomer team includes IPFW’s Eva Ivanova (9.7 ppg), NDSU’s Katie Birkel (10.5 ppg) and OU’s Sharise Calhoun (5.0 ppg).
The Summit League Championships begins March 7 at the Sioux Falls Arena in Sioux Falls, S.D., and culminates with the title game on Tuesday, March 10 on ESPNU at 3 p.m.
FIRST TEAM
Name, School, Pos., Yr. , Hometown
Jernisha Cann, IUPUI, F, Sr., Kansas City, Mo.
Chazny Morris, UMKC, G, Jr., Oakland, Calif.
Jessica Pike, Oakland, G, Sr., Clawson, Mich.
Janae Voelker, Oral Roberts, G/F, Jr., Newton, Kan.
Jennifer Warkenthien, South Dakota State, F, Sr., Willow Lake, S.D.
Julia Whitted, IUPUI, C, Jr., Staunton, Ind.
SECOND TEAM
Ketty Cornemann, South Dakota State, F, Jr., Yankton, S.D.
Inger Hodgson, North Dakota State, G, Jr., Barneveld, Wis.
Chelsey Jackson, IPFW, G, So., Flint, Mich.
Melissa Jeltema, Oakland, G, Jr., Grand Rapids, Mich.
Anne Westwood-Higbee, Southern Utah, F/C, Sr., Cedar City, Utah
HONORABLE MENTION
Maria Boever, South Dakota State, F, Jr., Worthington, Minn.
Mariana Camargo, Oral Roberts, G, Sr., Blumenau, Brazil
Brittany Carnago, Oakland, F/C, So., St. Clair, Mich.
Kristin Rotert, South Dakota State G/F, So., Salem, S.D.
Amanda Walker, Western Illinois, G, Sr., Hampshire, Ill.
ALL-NEWCOMER
Katie Birkel, North Dakota State, G, Fr., Lincoln, Neb.
Sharise Calhoun, Oakland, G, Fr., Toledo, Ohio
Eva Ivanova, IPFW, F/C, Jr., Varna, Bulgaria
Georgia Jones, Oral Roberts, G, Fr., Manchester, England
Jill Young, South Dakota State, G, Fr., Mitchell, S.D.
Player of the Year: Jennifer Warkenthien, South Dakota State
Newcomer of the Year: Georgia Jones, Oral Roberts
Sixth Woman of the Year: Jill Young, South Dakota State
Defensive Player of the Year: Jernisha Cann, IUPUI
Coach of the Year: Aaron Johnston, South Dakota State
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - South Dakota State’s Jennifer Warkenthien was selected as The Summit League Women’s Basketball Player of the Year in voting by the league’s 10 head coaches, sports information directors and select media members as announced by the league Thursday.
Oral Roberts’ Georgia Jones earned the league’s Newcomer of the Year while SDSU’s Jill Young was named Sixth Woman of the Year and IUPUI’s Jernisha Cann took home the Defensive Player of the Year nod. SDSU’s Aaron Johnston was named Coach of the Year.
Warkenthien led The Summit League in scoring (17.2 ppg in league) and ranked fourth in rebounds (8.9 apg in league) while leading the Jackrabbits to the league’s regular season title. She also helped lead the Jacks to a league, school and season-best No. 14 national ranking in the latest ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. For the year, the senior collected seven double-doubles, all in league games, and produced the top two scoring output games in the league with 29 points against Oakland on Jan. 31 and 28 points vs. Southern Utah on Jan. 17. Warkenthien also finished first in the league in defensive rebounds (6.9) and second in field goal percentage (.537) and was recently named to the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America Second Team.
Jones earned the Newcomer of the Year award after finishing the regular season with 12.2 points per game, tops among newcomers, and with the league’s second-best assist/turnover ratio at 1.6. The freshman also nailed 42 three-point field goals for the Golden Eagles, along with dishing out 3.2 assists and collecting 1.8 steals per game, which are all newcomer bests.
Young garnered Sixth Woman of the Year honors after coming off the bench in 16 of SDSU’s 18 league games while averaging 10.3 points per game for the Jacks. In her first season, Young became one of the best long-distance shooters in the league, finishing with a league-best 44 treys in league contests and a 46 percent clip from behind the arc.
Cann claimed the Defensive Player of the Year accolade for the third consecutive season after leading the league in rebounds (10.4) and steals (3.4) per game. For the year, the senior finished fourth in the nation in steals per game. Cann also averaged 10.9 points and 3.8 assists in league games.
Johnston earned the Coach of the Year award for the second-straight season after guiding the Jacks to a regular season title with a 17-1 league record and 28-2 overall mark. He has also led the Jacks into the national spotlight as they are currently No. 14 in the polls and have been ranked for the past 12 weeks.
Joining Warkentien as a first team All-Summit selection were IUPUI teammates Cann and Julia Whitted. Whitted finsihed second in the league in blocks (2.3 bpg) and third in rebounding (9.3 rpg). UMKC’s Chazny Morris collected first-team honors after finishing second in scoring (16.6 ppg), while Jessica Pike of Oakland was third (16.0 ppg). Pike was also tops in the league in three-point field goal percentage (.500). Oral Roberts’ Janae Voelker claimed a spot on the first team averaging 15.9 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.
Comprising the second team is IPFW’s Chelsey Jackson (13.7 ppg), North Dakota State’s Inger Hodgson (14.3 ppg, 2.0 spg), OU’s Melissa Jeltema (14.0 ppg, 9.5 rpg), SDSU’s Ketty Cornemann (9.9 ppg) and Southern Utah’s Anne Westwood-Higbee (13.9 ppg, 8.2 rpg).
Receiving honorable mention honors are OU’s Brittany Carnago (9.8 ppg, 2.8 bpg), ORU’s Mariana Camargo (11.4 ppg), SDSU’s Maria Boever (9.4 ppg) and Kristin Rotert (9.9 ppg) and Western Illinois’ Amanda Walker (9.8 ppg, 3.3 apg).
In addition to Jones and Young, the all-newcomer team includes IPFW’s Eva Ivanova (9.7 ppg), NDSU’s Katie Birkel (10.5 ppg) and OU’s Sharise Calhoun (5.0 ppg).
The Summit League Championships begins March 7 at the Sioux Falls Arena in Sioux Falls, S.D., and culminates with the title game on Tuesday, March 10 on ESPNU at 3 p.m.
FIRST TEAM
Name, School, Pos., Yr. , Hometown
Jernisha Cann, IUPUI, F, Sr., Kansas City, Mo.
Chazny Morris, UMKC, G, Jr., Oakland, Calif.
Jessica Pike, Oakland, G, Sr., Clawson, Mich.
Janae Voelker, Oral Roberts, G/F, Jr., Newton, Kan.
Jennifer Warkenthien, South Dakota State, F, Sr., Willow Lake, S.D.
Julia Whitted, IUPUI, C, Jr., Staunton, Ind.
SECOND TEAM
Ketty Cornemann, South Dakota State, F, Jr., Yankton, S.D.
Inger Hodgson, North Dakota State, G, Jr., Barneveld, Wis.
Chelsey Jackson, IPFW, G, So., Flint, Mich.
Melissa Jeltema, Oakland, G, Jr., Grand Rapids, Mich.
Anne Westwood-Higbee, Southern Utah, F/C, Sr., Cedar City, Utah
HONORABLE MENTION
Maria Boever, South Dakota State, F, Jr., Worthington, Minn.
Mariana Camargo, Oral Roberts, G, Sr., Blumenau, Brazil
Brittany Carnago, Oakland, F/C, So., St. Clair, Mich.
Kristin Rotert, South Dakota State G/F, So., Salem, S.D.
Amanda Walker, Western Illinois, G, Sr., Hampshire, Ill.
ALL-NEWCOMER
Katie Birkel, North Dakota State, G, Fr., Lincoln, Neb.
Sharise Calhoun, Oakland, G, Fr., Toledo, Ohio
Eva Ivanova, IPFW, F/C, Jr., Varna, Bulgaria
Georgia Jones, Oral Roberts, G, Fr., Manchester, England
Jill Young, South Dakota State, G, Fr., Mitchell, S.D.
Player of the Year: Jennifer Warkenthien, South Dakota State
Newcomer of the Year: Georgia Jones, Oral Roberts
Sixth Woman of the Year: Jill Young, South Dakota State
Defensive Player of the Year: Jernisha Cann, IUPUI
Coach of the Year: Aaron Johnston, South Dakota State
Comment