Jones, Barnes Garner Athlete of the Year Awards; 2019-20 PSAC Women's Hoops All-Conference Teams Released
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. --- Shippensburg junior Ariel Jones and Edinboro senior Michaela Barnes have been named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Athletes of the Year, the league announced Thursday afternoon in conjunction with the release of the women’s basketball all-conference teams.
All-conference teams and major award winners are voted on by the league’s head coaches.
Jones earned her second major award in her career (Freshman of the Year, 2018) while becoming the third Raider in the last four seasons to claim the East Athlete of the Year accolade. It marks the ninth time that Shippensburg has boasted the award winner, including its time in the Western Division. Jones, Division II’s active career leader in scoring average (23.2), free throws made (626) and free-throw attempts (770), entered the postseason ranked third in the PSAC and ninth in the nation in scoring (22.3). She ranks second in the nation with 202 free throws and 247 free-throw attempts. Jones has posted double figures in 27-of-28 games this season, including 17 games of 20 or more points and eight games of 30 or more points. Jones’ 59 three-pointers, 148 rebounds and 20 blocks this season are a career high. With 623 points this season, she has become just the third player in PSAC history to record three seasons of 600 or more points.
Barnes is the ninth Fighting Scot to receive West Athlete of the Year recognition. Edinboro has boasted the recipient two out of the last three seasons (Ciara Rosten, 2018). Barnes paces the league in points per game (26.3), points (737), field goals (253) and is second in free throws (200). Her 737 points is the third-most in a single season in league history while Barnes is only one of the three PSAC athletes to ever score over 700 points in a single season. She will finish her career as one of 13 PSAC athletes to eclipse the 2000-point plateau in a career. She recorded double figures in every contest this season and finished the season scoring at least 25 points in 12 of her final 13 games. Barnes tallied 40+ points on three occasions, including a season-high 45 against Slippery Rock (Feb. 26). Two games prior, the senior dropped 42 points against a highly ranked IUP team.
Kutztown freshman Casey Remolde was tabbed East Defensive Athlete of the Year. It marks the third time Kutztown has sported the winner while Remolde became the second Golden Bear to accomplish the feat. The freshman sits second in the PSAC in block (63) and blocks per game (2.2). Her 63 blocks are tied for the fourth-most in a season in program history. Remolde registered a block in every contest but two while amassing three contests with at least five blocks.
IUP senior Lexi Griggs was voted West Defensive Athlete of the Year. She is the first Crimson Hawk to win the award. The senior was consistently put on opposing team’s best offensive player regardless of position. She leads Crimson Hawks with 47 steals and is third with 24 blocks. Griggs has 17 steals over the last six games heading into PSAC championship weekend, including four each against Gannon and Edinboro. She is third on the team with 5.7 rebounds per game.
Shepherd’s Abby Beeman claimed the East Freshman of the Year honor. Beeman is the first Ram to win the award and becomes the second Shepherd athlete to garner a major award since Shepherd’s transition to the PSAC in July 2019 (Elyssia Smith, volleyball). Beeman led the PSAC in assists (219) while breaking a school single-season mark in the process. She ranks second nationally in assists per game with a 7.2 average. Beeman was named PSAC East Athlete of the Week on two occasions. Her 592 points this season are the most by a Shepherd freshman in school history. She finished the season with seven double-doubles.
Edinboro’s Rana Elhusseini earned West Freshman of the Year accolades. She is the eighth Fighting Scot to win the award while Edinboro has boasted the winner in three of the last five seasons. She would assume the starting point guard job in the fifth game and ended up starting 24 games. She finished third on the team in scoring at 9.6 points per game and was the team leader in assists (98), along with averaging 3.9 rebounds per game. She was third in steals with 33. She made 35-of-105 3-pointers, ranking second on the team. Elhusseini scored in double figures in 11 games, with a season-high of 26 points in the first meeting with Seton Hill. It was one of three games with 20-or-more points.
Shippensburg’s Kristy Trn was voted East Coach of the Year for the fifth time in her career and first since 2017. She has guided Shippensburg to its seventh 20-win season in her tenure and the school’s 12th overall. The Raiders lead the nation in free throws and are one of the conference’s top rebounding team (44.0, 18th in the nation). SU went 15-3 since the calendar switched to 2020 – finishing the Eastern Division schedule with a 13-3 record. The Raiders are 14-1 at home this season.
IUP’s Tom McConnell was named West Coach of the Year for the third consecutive season. McConnell is the first coach in the sport to win the award in three consecutive years. McConnell has led Crimson Hawks to 27-2 record and into the PSAC semifinals for sixth straight season. IUP’s 26 regular season wins set a program record as did the 21 conference victories. He led the Crimson Hawks to 19 straight wins between November and February, which broke the previous record of 16 consecutive (1999-00). The Crimson Hawks won the PSAC West regular season title for the third straight year and fourth time in the last five years under McConnell. McConnell won his 250th career game with a 58-53 victory at Pitt-Johnstown.
Six athletes appeared on their third all-conference team in their respective careers. Of those six, Jones earned first-team accolades for the third straight year.
A full list of honorees is below.
WESTERN DIVISION FIRST TEAM
| Pos. |
Player |
University |
Cl. |
Hometown / Previous School |
| G |
Michaela Barnes*^ |
Edinboro |
Sr. |
Lakewood, Ohio / Kenston |
| F |
Lexi Griggs |
IUP |
Sr. |
Pittsburgh, Pa. / Vincentian Academy |
| G |
Brooke Hinderliter^^ |
Slippery Rock |
Sr. |
Seminole, Pa. / Redbank Valley |
| G |
Justina Mascaro |
IUP |
Jr. |
Bethel Park, Pa. / University of Delaware |
| G |
Natalie Myers |
IUP |
Sr. |
Lower Burrell, Pa. / Youngstown State |
| G |
Tori Obenrader |
Gannon |
So. |
Fryburg, Pa. / North Clarion |
| F |
Amber Renz |
Mercyhurst |
Srr. |
Danville, Pa. / Danville |
WESTERN DIVISION SECOND TEAM
| Pos. |
Player |
University |
Cl. |
Hometown / Previous School |
| G |
Bianca Jasper |
Cal U |
Jr. |
Middletown, Pa. / Middletown |
| F |
Alli McGrath^ |
Pitt-Johnstown |
Sr. |
South Park, Pa. / Univ. of Maryland Baltimore County |
| F |
Katie Nolan |
Seton Hill |
Jr. |
Yorkville, Ill. / Yorkville |
| G/F |
Chelsea Rourke^ |
Gannon |
Sr. |
Gibsonia, Pa. / Pine-Richland |
| G/F |
Bridgette Shaffer |
Edinboro |
Sr. |
Beaver Falls, Pa. / Blackhawk |
| G/F |
Gabrielle Smith* |
Pitt-Johnstown |
Sr. |
Darlington, Pa. / Quigley Catholic |
| G |
Cheyenne Trest^ |
Seton Hill |
Jr. |
Canonsburg, Pa. / Canon McMillan |
EASTERN DIVISION FIRST TEAM
| Pos. |
Player |
University |
Cl. |
Hometown / Previous School |
| G |
Abby Beeman |
Shepherd |
Fr. |
Ridgely, W. Va. / Frankfort |
| F |
Sydney Clayton |
Shepherd |
Jr. |
Frederick, Md. / St. John’s |
| G |
Rylee Derr*^ |
Kutztown |
Jr. |
Lititz, Pa. / Warwick |
| G |
Destiny Jefferson* |
Shippensburg |
Jr. |
Scranton, Pa. / West Scranton |
| G |
Ariel Jones** |
Shippensburg |
Jr. |
Lebanon, Pa. / Cedar Crest |
| G |
Tiffany Lapotsky*^ |
East Stroudsburg |
Sr. |
Ashland, Pa. / North Schuylkill |
| G |
Lauren Lister*^ |
Millersville |
Jr. |
Blandon, Pa. / Fleetwood Area |
EASTERN DIVISION SECOND TEAM
| Pos. |
Player |
University |
Cl. |
Hometown / Previous School |
| G |
Rileigh Devine |
Lock Haven |
Sr. |
Etters, Pa. / Red Land |
| F |
Aunbrielle Green^ |
Shippensburg |
So. |
Harrisburg, Pa. / Central Dauphin East |
| G |
Jordan Hertz^ |
East Stroudsburg |
Sr. |
Mechanicsburg, Pa. / Mechanicsburg |
| G |
Leah Johnson |
West Chester |
Fr. |
Columbus, N.J. / Notre Dame |
| G |
Marley McLaughlin |
Shepherd |
Jr. |
Haymarket, Va. / Battlefield |
| G |
Casey Remolde |
Kutztown |
Fr. |
Philadelphia, Pa. / Saint Basil Academy |
| G |
Emma Saxton |
Bloomsburg |
Jr. |
York, Pa. / Central York |
*Indicates previous First Team All-PSAC selection
^Indicates previous Second Team All-PSAC selection
EASTERN DIVISION
Athlete of the Year: Ariel Jones, Shippensburg
Defensive Athlete of the Year: Casey Remolde, Kutztown
Freshman of the Year: Abby Beeman, Shepherd
Coach of the Year: Kristy Trn, Shippensburg
WESTERN DIVISION
Athlete of the Year: Michaela Barnes, Edinboro
Defensive Athlete of the Year: Lexi Griggs, IUP
Freshman of the Year: Rana Elhusseini, Edinboro
Coach of the Year: Tom McConnell, IUP