KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Four starters from the Missouri Western Women’s Basketball team have been named All-MIAA, and LaQuinta Jefferson has been chosen as the MIAA Player of the Year.
Jefferson became Missouri Western’s first MIAA Player of the Year winner since Jenny Marr was named co-MVP in 1997. Tonya Foster was the MIAA MVP in 1994 for Missouri Western. Jefferson was also a unanimous, repeat first team All-MIAA selection. The senior led the MIAA with 21.9 points per game, more than two more points per game than the second leading scorer. Jefferson was named MIAA Athlete of the Week four times this season and finished third in the conference, shooting 56 percent from the field.
Sarafina Handy was named second team All-MIAA after leading the conference in three-point field goal percentage (44.7), finishing second with 2.4 made three pointers per game and third with an 86.2 free throw percentage. Handy was an honorable mention selection in 2015.
Miliakere Koyamainavure and Chelsea Dewey were both named honorable mention. Koyamainavure finished 12th in the MIAA, averaging 5.7 rebounds per game, 14th with 2.8 assists per game and fifth with 1.8 steals per game. Dewey was seventh in the MIAA with 3.9 assists per game and third with a 2.5 assist/turnover ratio.
The four selections were the most for the team since the 2006-07 season.
Player of the Year
LaQuinta Jefferson, G, Sr., MWSU
Defensive Player of the Year
Kylie Gafford, C, Sr., PSU
Freshman of the Year
Caylee Richardson, F, Fr., SBU
Co-Coaches of the Year
Tony Hobson, FHSU & Lane Lord, PSU
All-MIAA First Team
LaQuinta Jefferson, G, Sr., MWSU**[r2]
Kelly Moten, G, Jr., ESU[r2]
Mikaela Burgess, So., G, PSU
Sharese Jones, Sr., G/F, MSSU
Shelby Winkelmann, Sr., G, UCM[r2]
**Unanimous Selection
[r2] Two time repeat First Team Selection
All-MIAA Second Team
Kylie Gafford, C, Sr., PSU
Sarafina Handy, G, Sr., MWSU
Beth Bohuslavsky, G, Sr., FHSU
Laramey Becker, G, Sr., UNK
McKenzie Solberg, G, Sr., UCO
All-MIAA Third Team
Jill Faxon, G, Jr., FHSU
Kathryn Flott, F, Jr., ESU
Sandra Ngoie, F, Sr., ESU
Deb Holcomb, G, Jr., MSSU
Erika Lane, G, Jr., WU
All-MIAA Defensive Team
Kylie Gafford, C, Sr., PSU
Kelly Moten, G, Jr., ESU
Kathryn Flott, F, Jr., ESU
Laramy Becker, G, Sr., UNK
Paige Lunsford, G, Sr., FHSU
All-MIAA Honorable Mention
Ashley Jones, UCM
Julia Mason, UCO
Kelsey Barnwell, ESU
Chelsea Mason, FHSU
Nikola Kacperska, FHSU
Paige Lunsford, FHSU
Zuri Hill, LU
Kassidy Gengenbacher, LWU
Jenny Rocha, LWU
Miliakere Koyamainavure, MWSU
Chelsea Dewey, MWSU
Alexa Hogberg, UNK
Kate Bellamy, NSU
Tember Schechinger, NWMSU
Cathy Brugman, PSU
Hadyn Herlocker, PSU
Dilonna Johnson, SBU
Caylee Richardson, SBU
Felisha Gibbs, WU
Alyxis Bowens, WU
— MWSU Athletics —