Morehead State's Chynna Bozeman was named the 2010-11 Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year in voting by the league's head coaches and sports information directors. UT Martin's Heather Butler was selected the OVC Freshman of the Year while teammate Jasmine Newsome shared the Defensive Player of the Year award with Tennessee Tech's Tacarra Hayes. The Golden Eagle's Sytia Messer was tabbed the Coach of the Year.
A native of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, Bozeman earns her second straight OVC Player of the Year award, marking the fifth time in conference history an Eagle has taken the honor. The senior guard leads the league while ranking 13th in the nation with 20.8 points per game while also putting up 23.7 points per conference outing. Bozeman has reached double-digits in all but three games this season, including her last 17 contests. She posted 20 or more points 15 times this year, eclipsing the 30-point mark five times. Bozeman, who is the league's career active points leader (2,110 points), recently became the Eagles' all-time leading scorer. In addition to holding the career points mark at Morehead State, Bozeman also captured the school's career steals record this season. She currently has 246 career swipes and needs just three more to crack the OVC's career top 10. The All-OVC First Team selection holds the school and conference records with 363 three-pointers made which also ranks sixth on the NCAA's career list. In her final game at home, she became just the second Eagle in women's basketball history to have her jersey retired. Bozeman was named OVC Player of the Week once this season to give her the honor five times in her career.
Butler becomes the first Skyhawk to earn OVC Freshman of the Year honors. The Medina, Tenn., native is the nations top freshman scorer with 19.0 points per game which ranks second in the OVC. She is second in the league with 81 three-pointers made this season and ranks 13 in the nation with 2.9 treys made per game. The All-OVC First Team and All-Newcomer selection has reached double-figures in every game this season and has made a triple in all but one contest this year. Butler set new single-season records at UT Martin with 81 three-point field goals made and 223 treys attempted. The freshman guard also moved into second place on the school's single-season points list with 532 points, passing former Skyhawk Pat Summitt. Butler was named OVC Player of the Week once this year while earning Freshman of the Week honors five times.
Hayes and Newsome shared the Defensive Player of the Year honor marking the first time in league history two players have won this award. Hayes, a junior guard from Lebanon, Ky., has brought down 213 boards this season, including 156 in conference play. She has recorded 10 or more rebounds seven times this year while grabbing a season-best 19 against Eastern Kentucky. She is part of a team that leads the league in scoring defense. A freshman guard from Millington, Tenn., Newsome ranks second in the OVC with 65 steals (2.2 spg). She recorded 43 swipes in conference play and posted five steals three times in 2010-11. Both Hayes and Newsome were named to the All-OVC First Team. Newsome also earned All-Newcomer honors.
Messer, who is in her second year at the helm of the Tennessee Tech program, earns Coach of the Year honors after guiding her team to its 16th OVC regular-season title after being predicted to finish fourth. It was the first regular-season crown for Tech since the 2005-06 season. Tennessee Tech finished the regular-season with a 22-6 overall mark while going 15-3 in the OVC and is currently ranked 17th in the latest collegeinsider.com Women's Mid-Major Top 25. Messer becomes just the third different Tech skipper to win Coach of the Year honors joining Marynell Meadors and Bill Worrell. It marks the fifth time in conference history the Coach of the Year has been from Tennessee Tech.
Joining Bozeman, Butler, Hayes and Newsome on the 2010-11 All-OVC First Team is Eastern Illinois sophomore guard Ta'Kenya Nixon. The Michigan City, Ind., native, is making her second straight appearance on the first team. Nixon leads the league with 5.0 assists per game while also ranking among conference leaders with 15.7 points (5th) and 6.7 rebounds (9th) per outing.
The 2010-11 All-OVC second team featured four first time honorees. Making her second straight appearance on the second team is Eastern Kentucky sophomore forward/center Alex Jones (Elizabethtown, Ky.). Also making the squad are Morehead State sophomore forward Ashar Harris (Columbus, Ohio); Eastern Illinois sophomore forward Mariah King (Chicago, Ill.); Austin Peay junior guard Whitney Hanley (Mount Washington, Ky.); and Murray State sophomore guard Mariah Robinson (Beaver Dam, Ky.)
Jones ranks among league leaders in points (14.1 ppg), rebounds (9.0 rpg) and field goal percentage (46.0%) while Harris has recorded 20 double-doubles this season to rank second in the nation. She currently leads the league with 12.3 rebounds per game to rank third in the NCAA. King is second on the Panther squad with 13.7 points per game while averaging 15.7 points in conference play as Hanley is the Lady Govs top scorer with 12.4 points per outing which ranks among league leaders. She is also third in the OVC with an 83.3 free throw percentage. Robinson has put up 17.9 points per conference game to go with 5.8 rebounds each time out to lead the Racers
Joining Butler and Newsome on the All-Newcomer team are Murray State redshirt freshman guard Jessica Winfrey (Marion, Ark.); Tennessee Tech freshman guard/forward Molly Heady (Clarkrange, Tenn.); Eastern Kentucky freshman guard Marie Carpenter (Nashville, Tenn.); and Tennessee State freshman guard/forward Tayla Foster (Madisonville, Ky.)
Winfrey is second on the team with 10.4 points per game while Heady leads the league with an 86.4 free throw percentage. Carptenter recorded 12.4 points per game to rank among OVC leaders as Foster paced her team with 12.0 points per game and a 47.6 field goal percentage.
2010-11 All-Ohio Valley Conference Women's Basketball Teams
(voted on by the league's head basketball coaches and sports information directors)
FIRST TEAM
Chynna Bozeman, Morehead State*
Tacarra Hayes, Tennessee Tech*
Heather Butler, UT Martin
Ta'Kenya Nixon, Eastern Illinois
Jasmine Newsome, UT Martin
SECOND TEAM
Ashar Harris, Morehead State
Mariah King, Eastern Illinois
Whitney Hanley, Austin Peay
Mariah Robinson, Murray State.
Alex Jones, Eastern Kentucky%
ALL-NEWCOMER
Heather Butler, UT Martin
Jasmine Newsome, UT Martin
Jessica Winfrey, Murray State
Molly Heady, Tennessee Tech
Marie Carpenter, Eastern Kentucky
Tayla Foster, Tennessee State
OVC PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Chynna Bozeman, Morehead State
OVC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Heather Butler, UT Martin
OVC CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE YEAR: Tacarra Hayes, Tennessee Tech; Jasmine Newsome, UT Martin
OVC COACH OF THE YEAR: Sytia Messer, Tennessee Tech
* - 2009-10 First Team All-OVC
% - 2009-10 Second Team All-OVC