SIOUX FALLS — The Summit League postseason basketball awards were announced on Thursday and South Dakota State's Myah Selland was named the player of the year for the second time in her career, making her the seventh multiple winner in conference history.
The senior from Letcher averaged 16.9 points per game, 6.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.7 steals while also shooting 51.7 percent from the field and 55.2 percent from beyond the arc during the regular season. The last player to win multiple Summit League player of the year awards was Selland's former teammate, Macy Miller.
In addition, Aaron Johnston of SDSU was named the coach of the year after guiding the Jackrabbits to a perfect 18-0 record in conference play. It's Johnston's third consecutive coach of the year honor and seventh in his career. SDSU has gone 49-1 in league play over the last three seasons.
Kallie Theisen rounds out the individual awards for the Jacks, as the junior forward was named the Summit League Sixth Woman of the year. Theisen averages 6.5 points and 6.5 rebounds for SDSU.
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Denver senior post Makayla Minnett is the defensive player of the year (she led the league in blocked shots), while North Dakota State's Elle Evans earned freshman of the year honors and E'Lease Stafford of Kansas City was top newcomers.
Making up the Summit League first team were Selland, Hannah Cooper and Tirzah Moore of Oral Roberts, Grace Larkins of USD, Kacie Borowicz of North Dakota and Heaven Hamling of North Dakota State.
Three Jackrabbits were named to the second team - forward Paiton Burckhard and guards Paige Meyer and Haleigh Timmer, while Dru Gylten was named to the all-newcomer team. Larkins was named to the all-defensive team. SDSU, despite limiting opponents to a league-low 60 points per game, had no players named to the all-defense team.
In the men's division, Oral Roberts dominated the awards as expected after running the table at 18-0 in league play.
Point guard Max Abmas, the conference's leading scorer, averaging 23.5 points in league play, was named player of the year, while 7-foot-5 center Connor Vanover was named both defensive player of the year and newcomer of the year. Paul Mills earned his first Summit League coach of the year honors for leading ORU to the second perfect season in conference history.
Matt Norman of North Dakota is the 6th man of the year and St. Thomas guard Andrew Rohde earned freshman of the year honors.
Making up the all-conference first team were Abmas, Vanover and Rohde, along with SDSU guard Zeke Mayo, NDSU forward Grant Nelson and Western Illinois guard Trent Massner.
SDSU's Matt Dentlinger made the second team, while a pair of USD Coyotes - Tasos Kamateros and Kruz Perrott-Hunt, received honorable mention.
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SDSU guard Matt Mims was named to the all-defense team, while Jackrabbit big man William Kyle got an all-newcomer team recognition.
The Summit League tournament tips off Friday in Sioux Falls.
