The 2017-18 Division II Region XI Women's All-Region teams were announced today. Kirkwood and NIACC lead all teams with three First Team honorees each, while DMACC, Ellsworth, Iowa Lakes and Southeastern each had one.
Southeastern guard Nadirah Oakman headlines the All-Region First Team. The sophomore from Colorado Springs was recognized as the 2017-18 ICCAC Division II Women's Basketball Player of the Year. Oakman scored 20 points or more in 15 of 32 games this season and was the league's overall leading scorer at 18.3 points per game
Kirkwood had three different players earn First Team honors this season.
Awal Ajak, Des Moines native, was the second leading scorer for the Eagles at 8.5 points per game in conference play. She shot 48-percent from the floor and was 19th in the nation in three-point percentage at 42.9 percent.
Tayana Wilson, the Region XI Tournament MVP, was the Eagles top scorer at 11.4 points per game. She finished third in the conference in assists with 54 and was sixth in steals with 24. The sophomore guard out of Country Club Hills, Ill. played in 12 of the 14 ICCAC games.
Lastly for Kirkwood was guard Megan Axcell. The sophomore knocked down a team-leading 26 conference three-pointers and shot at a 44.1 percent clip. She averaged 7.8 points per game and 4.4 rebounds. Axcell is from Knoxville, Ill.
NIACC also had three players make the All-Region First Team.
Sophomore Taylor Laabs had a 40-point performance this season at NIACC's game at Southwestern on Feb. 3. She ended up second on the team in scoring during conference play with putting up 16.8 points per game for the high-powered Trojan offense. She led the conference in three-pointers made (36) and steals (33).
Mikayla Homola was one of two freshmen voted to the First Team. From Maple Grove, Minn., she posted a league-high 19.1 points per game in ICCAC competition including the most field goals made (92) and second most threes made (39).
UU Longs was the Trojans third selection. As the team's point guard, she filled the stat sheet as, finishing as in the top three on the team in points (11.4), rebounds (4.4) and assists (3.1). From Minneapolis, Minn., she was named to the 2018 All-Tournament Team as well.
DMACC's sophomore center Molly Mitchell earned First Team honors this year for the Bears. The Okoboji, Iowa native, who was a Second Team selection last year, finished second in the conference in rebounds per game (8.7) and was second in shooting percentage (57.7%), while averaging a team-leading 16 points per game.
Ellsworth's Emily Ferrier was the other freshman in Region XI to earn First Team All-Region honors this season. In addition to a team-high seven rebounds per game, the forward from Frankston, Australia averaged a team-leading 17.4 points per game, which ranked third in the ICCAC.
Rounding out the team was sophomore center Mia Wassink from Iowa Lakes, who selected to the First Team for the second consecutive year. Wassink, from Edgerton, Minn., was second in the conference with 8.6 rebounds per game and was sixth in the conference in scoring, averaging 15.4 points per contest.
The All-Region teams are selected by coaches vote, in which a coach votes on the nominees and cannot vote for their own players.
DIVISION II FIRST-TEAM ALL-REGION
Position | Name | Class | School | Hometown |
C | Molly Mitchell | SO | DMACC | Okoboji, IA |
F | Emily Ferrier | FR | Ellsworth | Frankston, Australia |
C | Mia Wassink | SO | Iowa Lakes | Edgerton, MN |
G | Awal Ajak | SO | Kirkwood | Des Moines, IA |
G | Tayana Wilson | SO | Kirkwood | Country Club Hills, IL |
G | Megan Axcell | SO | Kirkwood | Knoxville, IL |
G | Taylor Laabs | SO | NIACC | Princeton, MN |
F | Mikayla Homola | FR | NIACC | Maple Grove, MN |
G | UU Longs | SO | NIACC | Minneapolis, MN |
G | Nadirah Oakman | SO | Southeastern | Colorado Springs, CO |
DIVISION II SECOND-TEAM ALL-REGION
Position | Name | Class | School | Hometown |
G | Joniqua Clark | SO | DMACC | Cedar Rapids, IA |
F | Beth Atwood | SO | DMACC | Packwood, IA |
F | Alicia Limones | FR | Ellsworth | Belividere, IL |
G | Brittany West | FR | Iowa Central | Shakopee, MN |
F | Sarah Rolling | SO | Iowa Central | Bancroft, IA |
C | Lemia Ntor-Ue | SO | Iowa Lakes | Brooklyn Park, MN |
F | Olivia Usher | SO | Kirkwood | Fairfax, IA |
F | Nyachirstmas Puok | SO | Kirkwood | Des Moines, IA |
G | Jazlynn Muniz | SO | Little Priest | Weslaco, TX |
F | Khalilah Holloway | SO | NIACC | Minneapolis, MN |
G | Makenzie Pezley | FR | Southeastern | Keokuk, IA |
G | T'Keyah Stapleton | SO | Southwestern | Omaha, NE |
DIVISION II THIRD-TEAM ALL-REGION
Position | Name | Class | School | Hometown |
G | Regan Shockley | SO | DMACC | Hartley, IA |
PG | Marissa Ruiz | SO | Iowa Lakes | Saint Paul, MN |
PG | Marisela Perez | SO | Iowa Lakes | Denver, CO |
F | Calynn Jackson | FR | Iowa Lakes | Indianapolis, IN |
F | Arika Wooldridge | SO | Kirkwood | Center Point, IA |
F | Cici Kieger | FR | NIACC | Woodbury, MN |
F | Ciera Walker | SO | Southeastern | Casa Grande, AZ |
G | Andreisha Waller | FR | Southeastern | Homestead, FL |
G | Keaundra Washington | SO | Southwestern | Omaha, NE |
F | Jasmine Aviles | FR | Southwestern | Crawfordville, FL |
2018 All-Tournament Team | |||
# | Player | College | Class |
32 | Sarah Roling | Iowa Central | So. |
4 | Tayana Wilson** | Kirkwood | So. |
50 | Arika Wooldridge | Kirkwood | So. |
33 | Olivia Usher | Kirkwood | So. |
4 | UU Longs | NIACC | So. |
2 | Mikayla Homola | NIACC | Fr. |
24 | Nadirah Oakman | Southeastern | So. |
**Tournament MVP |