SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Summit League) – South Dakota State’s Myah Selland was selected as The Summit League Player of the Year for the first time in her career in a vote by the league’s head coaches, athletic communication directors and select media members.
Selland becomes the third Jackrabbit to take home the league’s top individual honor, the last being the league’s all-time leading scorer Macy Miller, who earned the honor in back-to-back years in 2018-19. The Jackrabbit junior averaged 19.2 ppg, 6.8 rpg and 3.8 apg this season. Selland notched double-figure scoring efforts in all 20 games she competed in and recorded five double-doubles. She tallied a career-high 30 points at Oral Roberts, was named College Sport Madness National Mid-Major Player of the Week and has totaled six weekly honors this season, which is tied for second-most in a single-season in league history.
Hannah Sjerven was named the Defensive Player of the Year for the second-straight year making it the fifth time a Coyote has taken home the honor and the fourth-consecutive year. She is the fifth individual to garner the award back-to-back. Sjerven helped USD hold opponents to an average of 59.6 points throughout the season. She leads the league and ranks 17th nationally in blocked shots (52) and 21st in blocked shots per game (2.45). Sjerven sits atop the league in rebounds per game (10.0) and has pulled down 211 rebounds this season to rank 28th in the NCAA.
RaVon Nero, a junior guard from Kansas City, was voted as the Sixth Woman of the Year and is the fourth Roo to take the honor, the last being LeAndrea Thomas in 2012. Nero was a force coming off the bench scoring double-digits eight times this season and is the second-best scorer for the Roos with 11.2 ppg. She reached double-digits in 13 of 21 games, including a career-high-tying 28 points against North Dakota State.
North Dakota State’s Heaven Hamling was named the Newcomer of the Year and is the second Bison to garner the award in the last five seasons. Hamling has started all but one game since becoming a Bison and averages 13.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg and 2.9 apg. She has record double figures in 16 games, 11 of which came in league play, including a career-high 30 points at South Dakota. Hamling leads the Bison in scoring and assists.
Oral Roberts’ Tierney Coleman was named the Freshman of the Year becoming the first Golden Eagle to take home the honor since the award split into freshman of the year and transfer of the year (now newcomer of the year) for the 2015-16 season. Coleman has started 18 of the 20 games she has appeared in for the Golden Eagles, 10 of which were in league play. She recorded a career-high 22 points at South Dakota State and averaged 12.0 ppg to go along with 3.3 rpg and 1.8 apg this season.
South Dakota State’s Aaron Johnston was voted the Coach of the Year for the fifth time in his career. Johnston guided the Jackrabbits to a 14-0 league record becoming the fourth team in league history to accomplish the feat. In 21 seasons at the helm of the Jackrabbits, he has led the Jackrabbits to 17 20-plus win seasons, including nine straight. Under his leadership, South Dakota State earned a national top 25 ranking for the first time in 11 years. The Jackrabbits entered both the Associated Press Top 25 and the USA Today Coaches’ Poll for the first time on Dec. 7 at No. 22 and No. 21, respectively. South Dakota State has now been ranked for six consecutive weeks in the Associated Press and three-straight in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll.
The All-League first team is made up of Selland, Sjerven, Kansas City junior Naomie Alnatas (16.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.0 apg), South Dakota State junior Paiton Burckhard (13.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 51.1 FG%), Jackrabbit senior Tylee Irwin (13.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 40.5 3FG%) and South Dakota senior Chloe Lamb (15.8 ppg, 2.3 apg, 2.1 spg).
The five-player second team consists of Hamling, Denver sophomore Uju Ezeudu (15.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 48.5 FG%), Western Illinois senior Grace Gilmore (13.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg), South Dakota senior Liv Korngable (14.5 ppg, 3.9 apg, 48.5 FG%), and Oral Roberts senior Keni Jo Lippe (14.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.5 apg).
Honorable mention accolades went to Denver sophomore Meghan Boyd (15.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.0 apg), North Dakota State sophomore Ryan Cobbins (10.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 43.9 FG%), senior Emily Dietz (10.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 61.6 FG%), North Dakota senior Julia Fleecs (13.3 ppg, 7.8 rpg) and Western Illinois junior Evan Zars (11.3 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 1.5 bpg).
The Summit League All-Newcomer team features Coleman, Hamling, Nero, North Dakota State junior guard Reneya Hopkins (7.5 ppg, 1.5 apg) and South Dakota freshman Maddie Krull (9.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.3 apg).
Eight of the league’s nine teams will embark on Sioux Falls this weekend for The Summit League Women’s Basketball Championship. The action starts Saturday at 11:45 a.m. CT when top-seeded South Dakota State takes on No. 8 Omaha at the Sanford Pentagon. All quarterfinal and semifinals games will be televised by MidcoSN and streamed digitally on Midco Sports Plus and ESPN+. Tuesday’s title game will air on ESPNU at 1 p.m. CT and be streamed on the Watch ESPN app.
2020-21 Women’s Basketball Postseason Awards
First Team All-Summit League
Naomie Alnatas, Kansas City
Paiton Burckhard, South Dakota State***
Tylee Irwin, South Dakota State
Chloe Lamb, South Dakota***
Myah Selland, South Dakota State^**
Hannah Sjerven, Souht Dakota***
Second Team All-Summit League
Uju Ezeudu, Denver
Grace Gilmore, Western Illinois
Heaven Hamling, North Dakota State
Liv Korngable, South Dakota
Keni Jo Lippe, Oral Roberts**
Honorable Mention All-Summit League
Meghan Boyd, Denver
Ryan Cobbins, North Dakota State**
Emily Dietz, North Dakota State
Julia Fleecs, North Dakota**
Evan Zars, Western Illinois**
Summit League All-Newcomer Team
Tierney Coleman, Oral Roberts
Heaven Hamling, North Dakota State
Reneya Hopkins, North Dakota State
Maddie Krull, South Dakota
RaVon Nero, Kansas City
^Player of the year automatically earns a spot on the first team
*Career of All-League honors
Player of the Year
Myah Selland, South Dakota State
Defensive Player of the Year
Hannah Sjerven, South Dakota
Sixth Woman of the Year
RaVon Nero, Kansas City
Freshman of the Year
Tierney Coleman, Oral Roberts
Newcomer of the Year
Heaven Hamling, North Dakota State
Coach of the Year
Aaron Johnston, South Dakota State
