SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – South Dakota’s Chloe Lamb was selected as The Summit League Player of the Year for the first time in her career in a vote by the league's head coaches, athletic communication directors and select media members.


 
Lamb becomes the third Coyote to garner the league’s top individual honor, the last being espnW Mid-Major Player of the Year Ciara Duffy, who earned the accolade in 2020. The Coyote senior averaged 15.7 ppg, 3.6 apg and 1.9 spg while also shooting 47 percent from the field during the regular season. Lamb reached double-figure scoring efforts in 17 of 18 league games and started every game this season. She knocked down a career-high 30 points on 12-for-23 shooting in South Dakota’s 72-61 overtime win over the ACC’s Pitt.
 
Teammate Hannah Sjerven was selected as the Defensive Player of the Year for the third-straight year making it the sixth time a Coyote has secured the honor and the fifth consecutive year. She is the second individual to claim the award three times. Sjerven helped USD hold its opponents to an average of 51.1 points throughout league play. She sits second in the league and ranks 28^th nationally in blocked shots (56) and 35^th in blocked shots per game (1.93).

Grace Larkins, a freshman guard from South Dakota, was voted the Sixth Woman of the Year making her the fifth Coyote in six years to take home the accolade. Larkins has been a key player off the bench as she scored double-digits seven times during the regular season and averaged 6.3 ppg and 3.0 rpg.
 
Kansas City’s Brooklyn McDavid was named the Newcomer of the Year and is the third Roo to garner the award, the last being Chazny Morris in 2007. McDavid has started every game since putting on a Roos' jersey and averages a team second-best 15.1 ppg and 5.8 rpg. She reached double-digit scoring  in 16 of 18 league games, including a career-high-tying 29 points against North Dakota.

Oral Roberts’ Tirzah Moore collected Freshman of the Year honors giving the Golden Eagles' program back-to-back honorees. Moore started 17 of 18 league games, reaching double figures in each of those starts. She recorded a career-high 29 points twice this season. Her first 29-point game came against North Dakota State on Jan. 22 and the second was vs. North Dakota on Feb. 19. During league play, she averaged 14.8 ppg and 6.0 rpg for the Golden Eagles.

South Dakota State’s Aaron Johnston was voted the Coach of the Year for the second consecutive year and sixth time in his career. Johnston guided the Jackrabbits to a 17-1 league record and a share of the regular season title. In 22 seasons at the helm of the Jackrabbits, Johnston has guided his squads to 18 20-plus win seasons, including ten straight. The Jackrabbits have been receiving votes in the WBCA/USA Today Coaches’ Poll for the past three weeks and started receiving votes in the Associated Press Top 25 on Feb. 27.


 
The All-League first team is made up of Lamb, Sjerven, McDavid, Kansas City senior Naomie Alnatas (17.5 ppg, 5.5 apg, 4.2 rpg), North Dakota junior Kacie Borowicz (21.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 4.2 apg, 95.7 FT%) and South Dakota State junior Myah Selland (14.2 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 3.3 apg). Lamb and Sjerven both earned the fourth all-league honor of their respective careers, while Selland's accolade was her third.
 
The five-player second team consists of Moore, Denver junior Uju Ezeudu (17.7 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.3 bpg), South Dakota senior Liv Korngable (14.1 ppg, 3.6 apg, 2.4 rpg, 53.8 FG%), South Dakota State freshman Paige Meyer (10.8 ppg, 4.5 apg, 3.6 rpg, 61.6 FG%), and Western Illinois senior Danni Nichols (14.1 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.4 spg).
 
The honorable mention honors went to North Dakota State junior Heaven Hamling (14.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.8 apg, 88.2 FT%), South Dakota State junior Paiton Burckhard (11.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.3 apg, 73.7 FT%), senior Tylee Irwin (9.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.7 apg, 82.1 FT%), sophomore Tori Nelson (11.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.8 apg, 68.2 FG%) and Western Illinois senior Evan Zars (10.5 ppg, 9.2 rpg).
 
All-Defensive accolades went to Sjerven, Lamb, Irwin, North Dakota senior Melissa Leet (9.5 rppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.7 bpg) and Western Illinois senior Elizabeth Lutz (11.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 3.4 apg, 2.2 spg)
 
The League's All-Newcomer Team featured McDavid, Moore, Meyer, and the St. Thomas duo of forward Erin Norling (14.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.4 apg) and guard Jade Hill (14.5 ppg, 3.5 apg, 2.9 rpg, 76 FT%).
 
Eight of the league’s 10 teams will make the trip to Sioux Falls this weeked for The Summit League Women’s Basketball Championship. The championship starts Saturday at 12:30 p.m. CT when top-seeded South Dakota State meets No. 8 Denver at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center. All quarterfinal and semifinals games will be televised by MidcoSN and streamed digitally on Midco Sports Plus and ESPN+. Tuesday's title game will air on ESPNU at 1 p.m. CT and be streamed on the Watch ESPN app.
 
2021-22 Women's Basketball Postseason Awards
First Team All-Summit League
Naomie Alnatas, Kansas City (Sr, G)**
Kacie Borowicz, North Dakota (Jr., G)
Chloe Lamb, South Dakota (Sr., G)^***
Brooklyn McDavid, Kansas City (Gr., F)
Myah Selland, South Dakota State (Jr., F)**
Hannah Sjerven, South Dakota (Sr., C)***
 
Second Team All-Summit League
Uju Ezeudu, Denver (Jr., F)*
Liv Korngable, South Dakota (Sr., G)*
Paige Meyer, South Dakota State (Fr., G)
Tirzah Moore, Oral Roberts (Fr., F)
Danni Nichols, Western Illinois (Sr., G)

Honorable Mention All-Summit League
Paiton Burckhard, South Dakota State (Jr., F)**
Heaven Hamling, North Dakota State (Jr., G)*
Tylee Irwin, South Dakota State (Sr., F)*
Tori Nelson, South Dakota State (So., F)
Evan Zars, Western Illinois (Sr., F)*
 
^Player of the year automatically earns a spot on the first team
*previous all-league selections noted above
 
Summit League All-Defensive Team
Tylee Irwin, South Dakota State (Sr., F)
Chloe Lamb, South Dakota (Sr., G)
Melissa Leet, North Dakota (Sr., C)
Elizabeth Lutz, Western Illinois (Sr., G)
Hannah Sjerven, South Dakota (Sr., C)

Summit League All-Newcomer Team
Jade Hill, St. Thomas (Fr., G)
Brooklyn McDavid, Kansas City (Gr., F)
Paige Meyer, South Dakota State (Fr., G)
Tirzah Moore, Oral Roberts (Fr., F)
Erin Norling, St. Thomas (Gr., F)
 
Player of the Year
Chloe Lamb, South Dakota
 
Defensive Player of the Year
Hannah Sjerven, South Dakota
 
Sixth Woman of the Year
Grace Larkins, South Dakota
 
Freshman of the Year
Tirzah Moore, Oral Roberts
 
Newcomer of the Year
Brooklyn McDavid, Kansas City
 
Coach of the Year
Aaron Johnston, South Dakota State