The South Atlantic Conference Announces Women's Basketball Annual Awards (Video)

ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSac.com) – Anderson forward Jennifer Monore was voted the 2015-16 South Atlantic Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Year, while Newberry's Meg Essex was voted the Conference's Freshman of the Year.  In addition, Mars Hill mentor Sarah Jansen was tabbed the Coach of the Year, the League announced today.

Monroe, a senior from Clemson, S.C. posted six 20-point games for the Trojans this season and has notched double-digits in scoring in all but four contests for Anderson this season.  She is currently averaging 14.8 points per outing and has scored 10 or more points in her last 12-straight contests.  Monroe leads the South Atlantic Conference with a 50.5 percent stroke from the field and is No. 3 in the League with 156 field goals this season.  She ranks No. 2 in the South Atlantic Conference with 9.0 rebounds per game and is ninth in the League with 26 blocked shots this season.  Monroe received eight first-place votes and notched 41 points from the panel.

Essex, a center from Glamorgan Vale, Australia, currently ranks No. 15 in the nation and No. 1 in the South Atlantic Conference with 2.46 blocked shots per game.  During the 2015-16 campaign, Essex has turned away a Conference-best 76 shots to rank 13^th in Division II.  She is second on her squad in scoring with 12.8 points per outing and is No. 3 in the South Atlantic Conference with 161 field goals made this season.  Essex is shooting 48.9 percent from the floor to rank No. 10 in the SAC, while posting five 20-point games on the year.  She has scored in double-digits in 19 contests for the Wolves this season.  Essex received six top-votes from the coaches and finished with 48 points from the group.

Jansen led her Lions to the No. 4 seed in this year's South Atlantic Conference Women's Basketball Championship after being picked to finish No. 8 in the preseason poll.  The Lions finished the 2016 regular season at 14-8 in League play to go along with a 15-13 overall mark.  Her Lions were one of the hottest shooting teams in the League with a 42 percent stroke from the field and finished the regular season at No. 5 in the League with 68.5 points per game.  Defensively, Jansen's squad topped the South Atlantic Conference with 4.9 blocked shots per game. Jansen received five first-place votes and 38 points from the panel.

Ansley Ricker of Mars Hill joined Monroe on the first-team, while Megan Pittman from Lincoln Memorial, Newberry's Samantha Creed, Shynese Whitener of Tusculum and Bri Johnson from Catawba rounded out the list of first-team honorees.

2015-16 South Atlantic Conference Women's Basketball All-Conference Agate

First Team
Jennifer Monroe, Anderson
Ansley Ricker, Mars Hill
Megan Pittman, Lincoln Memorial
Samantha Creed, Newberry
Shynese Whitener, Tusculum
Bri Johnson, Catawba

Coach of the Year
Sarah Jansen, Mars Hill

Statistical Champions
Points Per Game – Shynese Whitener, Tusculum, 18.1
Three Pointers Per Game – Madison Floyd, Anderson, 2.84
Rebounds Per Game – Megan Pittman, Lincoln Memorial, 10.1
Blocked Shots Per Game – Meg Essex, Newberry, 2.36
Field Goal Percentage – Jennifer Monroe, Anderson, 50.5
Assists Per Game – Heather Jankowy, Anderson, 4.3
Assist-to-Turnover Ratio – Kailyn Brooks, Carson-Newman, 1.89
Steals Per Game – Shynese Whitener, Tusculum, 3.16
Three Point Field Goal Percentage – Kailyn Brooks, Carson-Newman, 43.9
Free Throw Percentage – Ansley Ricker, Mars Hill, 87.4
Team Scoring Offense – Carson-Newman, 71.5
Team Steals – Carson-Newman, 234
Team Field Goal Percentage – Wingate, 45.0
Team FG Percentage Defense – Anderson, 35.9
Team Assists – Carson-Newman, 435
Team Rebounding – Lincoln Memorial, 1,237
Team Blocked Shots – Mars Hill, 131
Team Three Point FG Percentage - Wingate, 34.8
Team Scoring Defense – Newberry, 61.3
Team Free Throw Percentage – Catawba, 75.1
Team Assist-to-Turnover Ratio – Carson-Newman, 1.05