BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin women’s basketball team earned three postseason honors on Tuesday as the Ohio Valley Conference announced its year end awards as voted on by the league’s head coaches and sports information directors.
Redshirt-freshman Kenley McCarn was named to both the All-OVC first team while also garnering All-Newcomer honors. With the All-OVC designation, McCarn becomes just the fourth player in program history to earned first team honors as a freshman. Joining her on the first team was sophomore forward Anaya Brown.
A native of Melbourne, Ark., McCarn has excelled in her first full season as a Skyhawk by ranking as one of the league’s most dangerous scorers. Along with being named OVC Freshman of the Week four times, she also garnered an OVC Player of the Week honor back in December. This season she leads the team with 16.3 points per game while adding 4.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Among OVC leaders, she ranks in the top-10 statistically in minutes played (37.6, first), free throw percentage (83.3, second), scoring (16.3, third), field goal percentage (42.6, fifth) and three-point field goals made (63).
McCarn has scored in double figures 26 times this season while eclipsing 20 points in nine contests. Her best offensive performance came against South Dakota when she scored a season-high 31 points while knocking down five three-pointers in the game – a feat she also accomplished against Lindenwood later in the season. The tireless worker has played 40 minutes or more in eight games this season while ranking fourth nationally in minutes per game.
Hailing from Lexington, Ky., Brown has taken her game to another level during her sophomore campaign to rank as one of the best players in the conference. Along with being named OVC Player of the Week back in December, Brown has averaged 15.4 points and 8.8 rebounds per game this season – while also upping those totals to 16.8 points and 9.4 rebounds in league play. Among OVC leaders, she ranks in the top-10 statistically in blocks (52, second), field goal percentage (49.5, second), rebounding (8.8, third), free throw percentage (81.8, third), points (15.4, fifth), minutes played (34.2, sixth) and steals (47, eighth).
Brown has been a huge contributor for the Skyhawks in the post season as she has notched eight double-doubles. Offensively, she has scored in double figures 25 times while eclipsing 20 points in the scoring column against Eastern Illinois (twice), Lindenwood and Western Illinois. She scored a career-high 25 points against Eastern Illinois and Western Illinois while racking up double-digit rebounds in 10 contests. She posted a monster double-double against Southeast Missouri when she scored 14 points while snagging 20 rebounds – which ranked as the third most in the program’s single-game history. Defensively, she also rejected shots at a high clip, tallying multiple blocks in 21 games while recording a season-high four blocks against Evansville and Southeast Missouri.
The Skyhawk tandem will look to lead the Skyhawks to a deep tournament run beginning with a quarterfinal matchup in the OVC Basketball Championship on Thursday, March 7 against the winner of #6 seed Tennessee Tech and #7 seed Western Illinois. Tipoff from the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind. is slated for 3:30 p.m.
OVC Player of the Year: Macy McGlone, Eastern IllinoisOVC Defensive Player of the Year: Macy McGlone, Eastern IllinoisOVC Freshman of the Year: Raegan McCowan, Western IllinoisOVC Coach of the Year: Rick Stein, Southern Indiana
First TeamMacy McGlone, Eastern IllinoisRaegan McCowan, Western IllinoisVanessa Shafford, Southern IndianaMaaliyah Owens, Tennessee TechKenley McCarn, UT MartinAnaya Brown, UT MartinSanaa’ St. Andre, Tennessee StateVeronica Charles, Morehead StateMeredith Raley, Southern IndianaJayla Brooks, Little Rock
Second TeamAlecia Doyle, Southeast MissouriEllie Brueggeman, LindenwoodMadi Webb, Southern IndianaMiah Monahan, Eastern IllinoisKatie Novik, Morehead State
All-Newcomer TeamRaegan McCowan, Western IllinoisKenley McCarn, UT MartinSanaa’ St. Andre, Tennessee StateEllie Brueggeman, LindenwoodAli Saunders, Southern Indiana
