BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Mizzou freshman guard Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.), junior forward Jordan Frericks (Quincy, Ill.) and freshman forward Cierra Porter (Columbia, Mo.) each earned All-Southeastern Conference recognition following a vote by the league’s head coaches, it was announced Tuesday. Cunningham became the first player in program history to be named SEC Freshman of the Year and was also named second-team All-SEC and a member of the All-Freshman Team. For the second straight year, Frericks earned second-team All-SEC recognition while Porter garnered All-Freshman Team honors.
Cunningham, the first player in SEC history to receive six Freshman of the Week awards, finished the regular season averaging a team-leading 13.8 points per game after starting all 29 contests. She ranks second on the team in rebounding (5.9) and assists (3.0). On Sunday, she became only the second player in Mizzou Women’s Basketball history to score 400 points during her freshman season. She also has the seventh-most rebounds (171) ever by a Tigers freshman.
She ranks 10th in the SEC in points and is the only freshman in the league’s top 24 in scoring. Cunningham ranks second in points (400) and made free throws (97), is tied for second in assist-to-turnover ratio (+22) and ranks seventh in rebounds (171) by a freshman in Mizzou Women’s Basketball history. She ranks fourth in the SEC in free throw percentage (81.5) and 11th in assists (3.0). Cunningham scored in double figures 19 times and finished with 20-plus points on eight occasions.
Frericks leads the team and ranks seventh in the SEC in rebounding (7.9). She is currently 11th in the league in free throw percentage (67.8) and 15th in scoring (12.3). On Feb. 21 at Auburn, she became the 33rd member of Mizzou’s 1,000-Point Club. Frericks ranks second in program history with 24 double-doubles, including seven this season. She is also fourth in career rebounding (8.3) and seventh in field goal percentage (50.5).
Porter played in 28 games with 24 starts during her freshman season. She is third on the team in scoring (9.4) and rebounding (5.6). In her first season at Mizzou, Porter scored in double figures 14 times, including two 20-plus point performances. She grabbed at least nine rebounds in six contests.
The Tigers (21-8, 8-8) earned the No. 8 seed in the SEC Tournament and will face No. 9 Auburn at 11 a.m. CT Thursday on SEC Network from Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.
— Mizzou Athletics —