March 10, 2008
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State sophomore Jené Morris (San Francisco, Calif.) and freshmen Allison Duffy (Lakeside, Calif.) and Paris Johnson (San Diego, Calif.) earned postseason honors from the Mountain West Conference for their play this season, the league office announced Monday. Morris is a second-team pick, while Duffy and Johnson each garnered honorable mention accolades. The awards are the first such honors for all three players, while the three selections are the most-ever in a single season for the Aztecs in the nine-year history of the league.
Morris becomes just the third SDSU player to earn a spot on the second team and the first since Jamey Cox in 2001. Morris led the team in scoring in both overall and conference games, boasting the highest ever MWC scoring average by an Aztec of 16.1 points an outing to rank fifth in the league. She also is first in the conference in steals with 85, to stand in 11th place in single-season school history. Morris scored in double-figures in 13 of 16 conference contests, including a 35-point effort in a win at UNLV, which is the highest point total by an Aztec in an MWC game.
Duffy is one of three Aztecs to play and start in all 28 games in 2007-08, averaging 10.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per outing. She ranks in the top five in the conference in offensive rebounds (2.68/g), steals (2.11/g) and free-throw percentage (82.2), which is the sixth-best performance at the stripe in school history. The El Capitan High School graduate has 10 or more points in 14 games this season and posted a team-best four contests in double-figure rebounds.
Johnson leads San Diego State in rebounding (6.5/g) and blocked shots (46), while posting 12.1 points a game. She posted four games with 20 or more points, including two in the team's final three contests of the regular season. Her 46 blocks are the most by an Aztec since 1994-95, most by a player in the Mountain West Conference this season and rank seventh in school history. The San Diego High graduate led SDSU in rebounding 12 times, in scoring seven times and has a team-high three double-doubles.
Utah's Leilani Mitchell was named the conference player of the year and top newcomer, while the Utes' Elaine Elliott was named coach of the year for leading her team to an unbeaten MWC record. Wyoming's Hanna Zavecz earned defensive player-of-the-year honors and TCU's Helena Sverrisdottir was named top freshman.
San Diego State faces Wyoming Wednesday in a Mountain West Conference quarterfinal match-up featuring the tournament's No. 6 versus No. 3 seeds at 10 p.m. PT at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nev.
First Team All-Mountain West Conference
#Leilani Mitchell, Utah, Sr., 5-5, G
#*Morgan Warburton, Utah, Jr., 5-11, G
***Hanna Zavecz, Wyoming, Sr., 6-0, F
*Sequoia Holmes, UNLV, Sr., 6-1, F
***Dionne Marsh, New Mexico, Sr., 6-1, F
Second Team All-Mountain West Conference
Jené Morris, San Diego State, So., 5-9, G
*Kalee Whipple, Utah, So., 6-0, F
**Adrianne Ross, TCU, Sr., 5-8, G
*Mallary Gillespie-Carling, BYU, Sr., 5-10, G
*Justyna Podziemska, Wyoming, Sr., 6-2, F
Third Team All-Mountain West Conference
Lorie Butler-Rayford, TCU, Sr., 5-11, F
**Alecia Steele, Air Force, Sr., 6-0, F
Brandi Kimble, New Mexico, Sr., 5-8, G
Aubrey Vandiver, Wyoming, So., 5-11, G
Amy Beggin, New Mexico, So., 5-6, G
*Shamela Hampton, UNLV, Jr., 6-3, C
Honorable Mention All-Mountain West Conference
Allison Duffy, San Diego State, Fr., 6-2, F
Paris Johnson, San Diego State, Fr., 6-4, C
Helena Sverrisdottir, TCU, Fr., 6-2, F
Sara Hunter, Colorado State, Sr., 5-6, G
Jodi Bolerjack, Wyoming, Sr., 5-9, G
Lauren Riley-Varley, BYU, Sr., 6-3, C
Pamela Findlay, Air Force, Sr., 5-11, G
Player of the Year: Leilani Mitchell, Utah
Newcomer of the Year: Leilani Mitchell, Utah
Freshman of the Year: Helena Sverrisdottir, TCU
Defensive Player of the Year:Hanna Zavecz, Wyoming
Coach of the Year: Elaine Elliott, Utah
* notes repeat all-conference selection
** notes three-time all-conference selection
*** notes four-time all-conference selection
# notes unanimous first-team selection