South Dakota State's Myah Selland claims Summit League player of the year honors

SIOUX FALLS — South Dakota State University junior Myah Selland was named the Summit League's women's basketball player of the year Thursday by the conference.

Selland, a native of Letcher, S.D., becomes the third Jackrabbit woman to take home the league’s top individual honor, the last being the league’s all-time leading scorer Macy Miller, who earned the honor in back-to-back years in 2018-19. (Jennifer Warkenthein in 2008-09 was the other Jackrabbit woman to win the award.)

The Jackrabbit junior averaged 19.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game this season. Selland notched double-figure scoring efforts in all 20 games she competed in and recorded five double-doubles. She tallied a career-high 30 points at Oral Roberts and has totaled six weekly Summit honors this season, which is tied for second-most in a single-season in league history. She was also the conference's overall female athlete of the month in December and January. Selland reached 1,000 career points on Jan. 15 at Omaha and now ranks 31st on SDSU's all-time scoring list with 1,160 points.

Selland had her season come to an end at North Dakota State on Feb. 19, when she went down with a leg injury and SDSU women's basketball coach Aaron Johnston said she won't return.

Selland could return to the Jackrabbits next season and still have two seasons of eligibility, given that the NCAA has allowed college athletes in 2020-21 a free year of eligibility related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Selland was one of three Jackrabbits honored on the all-Summit first team, joined by teammates Paiton Burckhard and Tylee Irwin. South Dakota was represented by Chloe Lamb and Hannah Sjerven, with Sjerven winning defensive player of the year for the second straight year. Johnston was picked as the conference's player of the year.

On the men's side, Oral Roberts' Max Abmas won the player of the year honors, with USD's A.J. Plitzuweit and Todd Lee receiving top newcomer and coach of the year honors, respectively. Plitzuweit and Stanley Umude were among those picked to the men's all-Summit first team, joined by South Dakota State's Baylor Scheierman.

First Team all-Summit League

Naomie Alnatas, Kansas City (jr., G)

Paiton Burckhard, South Dakota State (jr., F)

Tylee Irwin, South Dakota State (sr., G)

Chloe Lamb, South Dakota (sr., G)

Myah Selland, South Dakota State (jr., F)

Hannah Sjerven, South Dakota (sr., C)

Player of the Year

Myah Selland, South Dakota State

Defensive Player of the Year

Hannah Sjerven, South Dakota

Sixth Woman of the Year

RaVon Nero, Kansas City

Freshman of the Year

Tierney Coleman, Oral Roberts

Newcomer of the Year

Heaven Hamling, North Dakota State

Coach of the Year

Aaron Johnston, South Dakota State

First team all-Summit

Max Abmas, Oral Roberts (so., G)

Rocky Kreuser, North Dakota State (sr., F)

Kevin Obanor, Oral Roberts (jr., F)

A.J. Plitzuweit, South Dakota (so., G)

Baylor Scheierman, South Dakota State (so., G)

Stanley Umude, South Dakota (sr., G)

Player of the Year

Max Abmas, Oral Roberts

Defensive Player of the Year

Brandon McKissic, Kansas City

Sixth Man of the Year

Grant Nelson, North Dakota State

Freshman of the Year

Tyree Ihenacho, North Dakota

Newcomer of the Year

A.J. Plitzuweit, South Dakota

Coach of the Year

Todd Lee, South Dakota