March 9, 2015
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The San Diego State women's basketball team collected two Mountain West postseason honors Monday as junior Erimma Amarikwa (Vacaville, Calif.) received all-conference honorable mention, while McKynzie Fort (Fontana, Calif.) landed a spot on the league's all-freshman team.
With their awards, Amarikwa garnered the second all-MW accolade of her career after earning third-team all-MW distinction in 2013, while Fort became the second straight Aztec to receive all-freshman recognition after Ariell Bostick accomplished the feat last year.
SDSU's leading scorer and rebounder during the 2014-15 campaign, Amarikwa averaged 11.9 points in MW play and ranked third in the conference with 7.7 rebounds per outing, including a 3.0 average on the offensive glass. In 18 league games, the 6-1 forward produced a team-best 13 double-digit scoring performances and four double-doubles while leading a defensive effort that yielded the fourth fewest points per contest (57.8)
In SDSU's home victory over Boise State on Feb. 7, Amarikwa tallied 10 points and matched her collegiate-best with 13 rebounds while adding a game-high three steals to earn MW Player of the Week honors.
Fort, meanwhile, ranked third among the league's freshmen with 10.9 points per game in conference play and also averaged 3.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists in 27.6 minutes. In addition, the 5-9 Aztec guard posted double-figure scoring totals on 12 occasions, including a career-high 17 points at Wyoming on Feb. 11 and at Nevada on March. 6. She also shot 50 percent from the field, finishing four games with a 60-percent clip or higher, including a 6-for-6 performance at Air Force on Dec. 31 and a 6-for-7 effort at New Mexico on Jan. 7.
Seventh-seeded San Diego State will take on No. 10 seed Nevada in the first round of the MW Championship Monday afternoon, beginning at 4:30 p.m. PT.
2014-15 All-Mountain West Honors
All-Mountain West Team<Deanna Weaver, Sr., G/F, Boise StateEllen Nystrom, So., G, Colorado StateGritt Ryder, Sr., G, Colorado StateAlex Sheedy, Sr., F, Fresno StateMimi Mungedi, Sr., C, NevadaAntiesha Brown, Sr., G, New MexicoTa'Rea Cunnigan, Sr., G, San José StateAlana Cesarz, Sr., F, UNLVDanielle Miller, Sr., G, UNLVMarquelle Dent, Jr., G, WyomingKayla Woodward, Sr., F, Wyoming
Honorable MentionErimma Amarikwa, Jr., F, San Diego StateJimi Blagowsky, Sr., G, Air ForceFunda Nakkasoglu, Fr., G/F, Utah State
All-Defensive TeamEllen Nystrom, So., G, Colorado StateRaven Fox, Sr., G, Fresno StateMimi Mungedi, Sr., C, NevadaAntiesha Brown, Sr., G, New MexicoDanielle Miller, Sr., G, UNLVMarquelle Dent, Jr., G, Wyoming
All-Freshman TeamMcKynzie Fort, Fr., G, San Diego StateBego Faz Davalos, Fr., C, Fresno StateCherise Beynon, Fr., G, New MexicoNikki Wheatley, Fr., G, UNLVFunda Nakkasoglu, Fr., G/F, Utah State
Co-Player of the Year: Gritt Ryder, Sr., G, Colorado State; Alex Sheedy, Sr., F, Fresno StateDefensive Player of the Year: Mimi Mungedi, Sr., C, NevadaFreshman of the Year: Funda Nakkasoglu, G/F, Utah StateNewcomer of the Year: Jordan Kelley, Jr., G, WyomingSixth Player of the Year: Raven Fox, Sr., G, Fresno StateCoach of the Year: Yvonne Sanchez, New Mexico