SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference announced today the results of its year-end balloting for all-conference teams and specialty awards as voted on by the coaches and media. Wofford's
Rachael Rose was named the league's player of the year for a second-straight season, and
Evangelia Paulk was tabbed as Freshman of the Year.
Maddie Heiss earned all-freshman honors alongside Paulk, and
Annabelle Schultz received all-defensive team recognition. Coaches were not permitted to vote for themselves or their players.
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Rose is the first player in program history to repeat as SoCon Player of the Year, let alone win it twice. She is the first player in the SoCon to repeat since Mercer's Kahlia Lawrence won three in a row from the 2015-16 season to the 2017-18 campaign. Paulk is the third Terrier to ever be named SoCon Freshman of the Year, joining Mahagony Williams (2007-08) and
Lilly Hatton (2019-20). Wofford receiving both the player and freshman of the year honors marks the first time a SoCon program has done so since Mercer in the 2015-16 season when Lawrence was the player of the year with Linnea Rosendal earning freshman of the year.
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Rose, a junior guard from Scranton, Pennsylvania, was honored by both the coaches and media as the league's player of the year while receiving first-team recognition. Rose leads the conference in numerous statistical categories, including scoring (22.1), assists per game (5.6), rebounding (8.6), free throw percentage (87.5) and steals (60). Her scoring clip ranks ninth in the nation. With 620 total points, she has set a new single-season record for Wofford, topping Jenny Nett's 613 from the 2001-02 season. Rose is also currently named as one of 10 semifinalists for the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award and one of 40 recognized on the watch list for the Ann Meyers Drysdale USBWA National Player of the Year. Rose has been named SoCon Player of the Month for all three months awarded thus far, and she boasts a SoCon-record seven player of the week selections.
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"I'm ecstatic for Rachael to receive the SoCon Player of the Year award, highlighting the impact she has made not only on the court, but in our locker room, and honestly on our entire program," said head coach
Jimmy Garrity. "I've said many times, Rachael is just built different. Her heart, her grit, her intensity and her unwavering drive to do anything she can to help her team is what she brings every single day. She is also just a joy to be around. Rachael has a tremendous balance of being a leader and taking the reins, but is also just as big a part of the comradery and fun on and off the court throughout the entire season. What she has accomplished on the court is hard to put into words. But just seeing how much pride she has in our program, how she loves to play with her teammates and just flat out loves to compete, has been really rewarding for all of us to witness. Again, I'm thrilled for Rachael to receive this recognition, as it is well earned and deserved!"
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Paulk, a forward/guard from Asheville, North Carolina, was tabbed as the league's freshman of the year in the media poll and named to the all-freshman team in both the coaches and media votes. Paulk is fifth in the conference in rebounding with 7.0 per game and has been a full-time starter all season. She adds in 16 blocks and ranks fourth in the league in steals with 46 at a 1.6 per game rate. Paulk has scored 8.9 points per game and owns five double-doubles on the season, a new Wofford freshman record.
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"I'm really happy and proud of Evangelia," said Garrity. "Our league is so strong from top to bottom and filled with so many talented young players, so to come in as a freshman and have the season Evangelia has had makes it all the more impressive. She took on a big role her first year and handled it with determination and courage. 'E' contributes in so many ways. Some games it's rebounding, some games it's scoring and defending, but more importantly she's always willing to do whatever she is asked and gives her best effort in doing so. To be in the company she is in with all the talented freshmen in our league, really speaks volumes of her first-year impact with receiving this award."
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Joining Paulk on the all-freshman team is
Maddie Heiss, a guard from Dallas, Texas. Heiss is 12
th in the SoCon with 10.7 points per game. She adds in a 36.3 shooting percentage and has netted 50 three-pointers, eighth most in the conference. Heiss recorded a pair of 20-point outings this season, the only Terrier besides Rose to reach 20 points. She adds in 75 rebounds and 20 steals with seven blocks on the campaign. Heiss and Paulk both making the all-freshman team mark the first pair of Terriers to garner all-freshman honors in the same season since the 2018-19 campaign when
Jackie Carman and Niyah Lutz were both recognized.
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Maddie Heiss has also been an incredible addition to our program and she has played a big role in her freshman year," said Garrity. "She brings such a positive spirit to our program and she shows up every single day to make a difference, which is exactly what she does! I'm so excited and happy for her to receive the recognition of being named to the SoCon All-Freshman Team. This league has many talented young players, and Maddie is amongst the best. This recognition is well earned and deserved."
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Annabelle Schultz, a senior guard from Asheville, North Carolina, was honored by the coaches on the SoCon All-Defensive Team, and the media tabbed her to the third team. This is the third-straight season that a Terrier has made the all-defensive squad, with
Helen Matthews being honored on the team last season. Schultz had recorded 50 steals on the season to rank third in the league, averaging 1.8 per game. She adds in 4.6 rebounds per game. Offensively, Schultz has thrived beyond the arc with 54 made triples, sixth in the conference. She owns 9.3 points per game, but she has stepped up in conference play, raising her average in league games to 10.3 per game. Schultz put home the 161
st three-pointer of her career on Senior Day, moving her into fourth place on Wofford's all-time made threes leaderboard.
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"I am beyond thrilled that Annabelle's outstanding play and contributions have been recognized as both an All-SoCon player and a member of the All-Defensive Team," said Garrity. "This is a long time coming as A.B. has been impacting our team over her entire career. She takes great pride in her defense and taking on the challenge of defending some of our opponents' best players. A.B. shows up to make a difference in whatever role is necessary that day and does it with hard work and toughness. She is so enjoyable to coach and our success over the past few seasons has a lot to do with her play, especially with her defense and her determination."
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After finishing the regular season at 16-12 and 8-6 in SoCon action, the Terriers enter the Southern Conference Tournament as the No. 3 seed. Wofford plays its quarterfinal match-up against No. 6 Samford on Thursday, March 7, at the Harrah's Cherokee Center Asheville with tip-off slated for 3:30 p.m.
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Coaches All-Southern Conference Women's Basketball Teams
Player of the Year
Rachael Rose, Jr, G, Wofford
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Freshman of the Year
Kennedy Langham, G, Samford
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Defensive Player of the Year
Ayanna Khalfani, Gr., G, UNCG
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Coach of the Year
Shawn Poppie, Chattanooga
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Ann Lashley Inspiration Award Winner
Tate Walters, R-Jr., G, Furman
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First team
Nevaeh Brown, Jr., ETSU
Jada Guinn, Gr., Chattanooga
Raven Thompson, So., Chattanooga
Jayde Gamble, Jr., UNCG
Rachael Rose, Jr., Wofford
Second team
Jada Session, Jr., Furman
Summah Evans, Sr., Mercer
Stacie Jones, Sr., Mercer
Ayanna Khalfani, Gr., UNCG
Lonasia Brewer, Gr., Western Carolina
All-defensive team
Summah Evans, Sr., Mercer
Emily Bowman, So., C, Samford
Ayanna Khalfani, Gr., UNCG
Sigrun Olafsdottir, Jr., G, Chattanooga
Annabelle Schultz, Sr., G, WOF
All-freshman team
Kennedy Langham, Samford
Hannah Kohn, Chattanooga
Tyja Beans, Western Carolina
Evangelia Paulk, Wofford
Maddie Heiss, Wofford
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SoCon Sports Media Association (SCSMA) All-Southern Conference Women's Basketball Teams
Player of the Year
Rachael Rose, Jr., G, Wofford
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Freshman of the Year
Evangelia Paulk, F/G, Wofford
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Coach of the Year
Shawn Poppie, Chattanooga
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First team
Nevaeh Brown, Jr., ETSU
Jada Guinn, Gr., Chattanooga
Raven Thompson, So., Chattanooga
Jayde Gamble, Jr., UNCG
Rachael Rose, Jr., Wofford
Second team
Jada Session, Jr., Furman
Kate Johnson, So., Furman
Summah Evans, Sr., Mercer
Stacie Jones, Sr., Mercer
Ayanna Khalfani, Gr., UNCG
Third team
Niveya Henley, R-So., G, FUR
Emily Bowman, So., C, SAM
Carly Heidger, R-So., G, SAM
Lonasia Brewer, Gr., WCU
Annabelle Schultz, Sr., G, WOF
All-freshman team
Kennedy Langham, Samford
Hannah Kohn, Chattanooga
Tyja Beans, Western Carolina
Evangelia Paulk, Wofford
Maddie Heiss, Wofford
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