All-OVC Release (PDF)
UT Martin's Chelsey Perry was named the 2019-20 Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year while Eastern Illinois' Lariah Washington was selected as the OVC Freshman of the Year as voted on by the league's head coaches and sports information directors. Morehead State's Ariel Kirkwood was tabbed the Defensive Player of the Year while Coach of the Year honors went to Southeast Missouri's Rekha Patterson
Perry, a native of Middleton, Tenn., earns her first Player of the Year honor. The junior forward leads the nation with 686 total points and 263 field goals made while ranking second with 23.7 points per game. She is second in the OVC in blocks (53) and three-point field goal percentage (41.1%) while also ranking among league leaders in free -throw percentage (88.5%), field goal percentage (52.3%), rebounds (8.2 rpg) and steals (32). An All-OVC First Team selection, Perry is a semifinalist for the Becky Hammond Mid-Major Player of the Year award. She becomes the fifth different Skyhawk to win OVC Player of the Year honors.
A native of St. Cloud, Minn., Washington leads all freshman with 11.3 points per game to rank 15th in the conference. She scored 13.2 points per game in OVC play this season. Washington made 46.8 percent of her field goals to rank seventh. The All-OVC First Team and All-Newcomer selection has reached double-digits in 12 of her last 13 games. She also brought down 5.0 rebounds per game and had 43 total steals. She becomes the fourth Panther to win OVC Freshman of the Year honors.
Kirkwood, a freshman guard from Milwaukee, Wis., ranks first with 82 blocks over 30 games for 2.7 blocks per game. She is also 15th in the league with 48 steals. The All-OVC Second Team and All-Newcomer team selection recorded an OVC-best 58 blocks in conference play. She is also third on the team with 10.4 points per game. She becomes the first Eagle to win Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Patterson, who is in her fifth season at the helm of Southeast Missouri, was named the OVC Coach of the Year, after leading her team to its highest OVC finish since the 2007-08 season. Southeast Missouri finished third in the OVC after being predicted to place sixth. The Redhawks rank first in the league in scoring offense (73.1 ppg) and scoring margin (+10.5) while ranking third with a 32.8 three-point field goal percentage. Southeast Missouri will be making its fourth straight trip to the OVC Tournament. Patterson is the third Southeast Missouri coach to win the honor joining Ed Arnzen (1998-99) and John Ishee (2006-07).
ALL-OVC
Joining Perry and Washington as first team selections are Southeast Missouri junior Tesia Thompson an redshirt senior Carrie Shephard; Belmont senior forward Ellie Harmeyer; Eastern Illinois junior guard Karle Pace; Jacksonville State graduate forward Destiney Elliott; Murray State sophomore guard Macey Turley; Tennessee Tech junior guard Kesha Brady; and UT Martin junior forward Maddie Waldrop.
A native of Memphis, Tenn., Thompson is third in the league with 18.3 points per game and is ninth in the OVC with 7.4 rebounds per outing.
Shephard, a native of Steele, Mo. is fifth in the league with 16.6 points each time out and eighth with 3.5 assist per game.
A product of Kenosha, Wis., Harmeyer leads the league with 12.4 rebounds per game while also ranking second in points with 18.8 each time out.
Pace, a native of Clarksville, Tenn., is sixth in the OVC with 15.5 points per game while ranking third with 2.0 steals each time out.
A native of Oneonta, Ala., Elliot is eighth with 12.7 points per game while ranking 15th in rebounds with 6.1 per outing.
Turley, a product of Murray, Ky., is fourth in the league in points with 16.6 per game. She is also second in the OVC with 114 total assists (4.4 apg).
A native of Smynra, Tenn., Brady is seventh in the Conference with 14.4 points per game while ranking 10th with 1.8 three-point field goals made per game.
Waldrop, a native of Murray, Ky., is ninth in OVC with 12.7 points per game while also ranking seventh with 7.8 rebounds each time out.
Joining Kirkwood on the 2019-20 All-OVC second team are Belmont sophomore guard Jamilyn Kenney (Van Buren, Ark.); Eastern Kentucky junior guard Teri Goodlett (Louisville, Ky.); Jacksonville State junior guard Taylor Hawks (Gainesville, Ga.); and Murray State sophomore forward/guard Alexis Burpo (Murray, Ky.).
Kinney is third on the team with 8.0 points per game while Goodlett has put up 10.5 points each time out to rank 19th in the OVC. Hawks is 16th in the league with 11.3 points per game while Burpo is 22nd with 10.3 points each time out.
Making up the All-Newcomer team with Washington and Kirkwood are Austin Peay freshman guard Ella Sawyer (Adelaide, South Australia, Australia); Eastern Kentucky redshirt junior center I'Liyah Green (Louisville, Ky.); and Murray State junior forward Laci Hawthorne (Fort Worth, Texas)
Sawyer is second on the team with 9.2 points per game while Green is fourth in the league with 1.7 blocks each time out. Hawthorne is second in the Conference with 9.3 rebounds per game.
2019-20 All-Ohio Valley Conference Women’s Basketball Teams
(voted on by the league's head basketball coaches and sports information directors)
All-OVC First Team
Chelsey Perry, UT Martin
Ellie Harmeyer, Belmont
Tesia Thompson, Southeast Missouri
Maddie Waldrop, UT Martin
Karle Pace, Eastern Illinois
Carrie Shephard, Southeast Missouri
Macey Turley, Murray State
Kesha Brady, Tennessee Tech
Lariah Washington, Eastern Illinois
Destiney Elliott, Jacksonville State
All-OVC Second Team
Alexis Burpo, Murray State
Ariel Kirkwood, Morehead State
Jamilyn Kinney, Belmont
Taylor Hawks, Jacksonville State
Teri Goodlett, Eastern Kentucky
All-Newcomer Team
Lariah Washington, Eastern Illinois
Laci Hawthorne, Murray State
Ariel Kirkwood, Morehead State
Ella Sawyer, Austin Peay
I’liyah Green, Eastern Kentucky
2020 OVC Player of the Year: Chelsey Perry, UT Martin
2020 OVC Freshman of the Year: Lariah Washington, Eastern Illinois
2020 OVC Defensive Player of the Year: Ariel Kirkwood, Morehead State
2020 OVC Coach of the Year: Rekha Patterson, Southeast Missouri