Mid-Season Awards
Player of the Year: Hannah Sjerven, Senior, USD
The senior from Rogers, MN has certainly lived up to the hype so far this year. Through four conference games, Sjerven has been the most dominant player when she’s on the court. South Dakota State’s Myah Selland has definitely closed the gap in this race as she continues to have an amazing season so I anticipate these two competing for the Player of the Year honors as the season continues.
Coach of the Year: Jory Collins, NDSU
In just his second year at NDSU, Jory Collins has made the Bison a legitimate contender for Summit League champion, challenging both USD and SDSU at the top. With a roster that consists of only two players with more than two years of experience playing D-1 basketball and the twelfth youngest team in the country, Jory has done a phenomenal job thus far. His team is off to a terrific start this season boasting a 5-1 conference record and 10-2 overall record. There’s a lot of basketball to be played, but Collins is well on his way to giving the Bison their first winning record season since the 2009-2010 season.
Newcomer of the Year: Heaven Hamling, R-Sophomore, NDSU
After redshirting the 2019-20 season, the Stephen F Austin State transfer has made an impact in the first half of Summit League play by helping guide the Bison to a 5-1 league record and 10-2 overall record. Hamling is averaging 30.3 minutes per game, which is seventh-best in the Summit League. She is also top-ten in the league in scoring, assists and three-point field goals made.
First Team:
Hannah Sjerven (USD): The senior from Rogers, MN is second in the league in scoring (17.6 ppg), first in rebounding (10 rpg), first in field goal percentage (62%), and first in blocks per game (2.5).
Myah Selland (SDSU): The redshirt-junior from Letcher, SD is first in the league in scoring (17.3 ppg), fourth in rebounding (7.5 rpg), fourth in assists per game (3.6), and fourth in steals per game (1.6).
Liv Korngable (USD): The senior from Rochester, MN is fourth in the league in scoring (15.8 ppg), first in assists per game (4), fifth in field goal percentage (55%), tied for third in three-point field goal percentage (50%), and first in assist/turnover ratio (2.4).
Meghan Boyd (DEN): The sophomore from Eagle, ID is fifth in the league in scoring (15.1 ppg), tied for sixth in assists per game (3.1), first in three-pointers made (30), and fourth in free throw percentage (87%).
Julia Fleecs (UND): The senior from Glidden, IA is sixth in the league in scoring (14.8 ppg), fifth in rebounding (7.3 rpg), seventh in free throw percentage (85%), and third in blocks per game (1).
Second Team
Chloe Lamb (USD): The senior from Onida, SD is third in the league in scoring (17.3 ppg), eleventh in the league in assists per game (2.5), sixth in the league in free throw percentage (85%), and tied for seventh in steals per game (1.5).
Evan Zars (WIU): The junior from Shawnee, KS is twelfth in the league in scoring (12 ppg), second in rebounding (8.9 rpg), second in blocks per game (1.6), third in field goal percentage (56%), and tied for seventh in three-point field goal percentage (44%).
Uju Ezeudu (DEN): The sophomore from Reynoldsburg, OH is seventh in the league in scoring (14.3 ppg), eighth in the league in rebounding (5.8 rpg), and fourth in field goal percentage (55%).
Paiton Burckhard (SDSU): The junior from Aberdeen, SD is eleventh in the league in scoring (12.2 ppg), sixth in the league in steals per game (1.6), eighth in field goal percentage (50%), and first in free throw percentage (95%).
Heaven Hamling (NDSU): The redshirt-sophomore from Grand Rapids, MN is tenth in the league in scoring (12.8 ppg), tied for sixth in assists per game (3.1), fourteenth in the league in field goal percentage (42%), and ninth in average three-pointers made per game (1.8).