-- Murray State's Katelyn Young was named the 2021-22 Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year while Tennessee State's Gia Adams was selected as the OVC Freshman of the Year as voted on by the league's head coaches and communications directors. Belmont's Tuti Jones was tabbed the Defensive Player of the Year while Coach of the Year honors went to the Bruins' Bart Brooks.
Young, a native of Oakwood, Ill. leads the league in points (20.2 ppg), rebounds (8.1) and free throw percentage (86.6%). The All-OVC First Team selection is also third with a 58.6 field goal percentage. She reached double-digits in all but one game this season and has reached 20-plus points 15 times. Young has also eclipsed the 30-point mark twice this year. It marks the fifth time a Racer has been named the OVC Player of the Year.
A native of Houston, Texas, Adams leads all freshman with 12.6 points per game to rank 12th in the Conference. She ranks in the OVC top ten in free throw percentage (77.3%) and steals (1.6 spg). The All-Newcomer team pick also finished the regular season among the league leaders with 2.6 assists per game. Adams reached double-digits in points in 15 of the 29 games she played. She hit the 20-plus point mark six times with a season-high 33 coming against SIUE. She becomes the first Lady Tiger to be named the OVC Freshman of the Year.
Jones, a native of Troy, Ala. ranks first in the league with 77 steals over 27 games. She recorded a season-highs seven steals against Southeast Missouri and Morehead State. The All-OVC first-team pick finished the regular-season with 11.6 points per game to rank among league leaders. Jones also dished out 84 assists to finish ninth in the conference. She becomes the second different Bruin to earn Defensive Player of the Year honors joining Sally McCabe who won the award twice.
Brooks, who is in his fifth year as the Belmont head coach. , was named the OVC Coach of the Year for the second time after earning the honor in 2017-18. He led the Bruins to their fifth OVC regular season title. Belmont ranks first in the league in scoring margin (+13.7), scoring defense (56.7), field goal percentage defense (37.8%), blocks (4.3 bpg), assists (15.9 apg), assist/turnover ratio (1.2) and turnover margin (+3.7). The Bruins enter the tournament on a 10-game winning streak.
ALL-OVC
Joining Young and Jones as first team selections are Austin Peay graduate student guard Karle Pace and senior guard Yamia Johnson; Belmont sophomore guard Destinee Wells and sophomore forward Madison Bartley; Eastern Illinois junior guard Lariah Washington; Murray State senior guard Macey Turley; SIUE redshirt senior guard Gabby Nikitinaite; and Tennessee Tech graduate student guard/forward Anna Jones.
A native of Clarksville, Tenn., Pace is fifth in the league with 14.7 points per game and a 41.1 3-point field goal percentage.
Johnson, a native of Lexington, S.C. is fourth in the league in points with 14.9 each time out while ranking sixth with a 81.1 free throw percentage.
A product of Lakeland, Tenn., Wells is second in the OVC with 16.3 points each time out and 4.6 assists per game.
Bartley, a native of Kettering, Ohio, is sixth in the conference with a 51.9 field goal percentage while ranking among league leaders with 11.6 points per game.
Washington, a St. Cloud, Minn., native is third in the league with 15.5 points per game and fifth with a 82.8 free throw percentage.
A product of Murray, Ky., Turley is fourth with 3.7 assists per game and seventh with 13.8 points each time out.
Nikitinaite, a native of Orpington, Kent, UK, is second in the Conference with a 84.6 free throw percentage while ranking sixth with 13.8 points per game.
A native of Jackson, Tenn, Jones is third with 7.2 rebounds per game while ranking ninth with 13.6 points per game.
Making up the 2021-22 All-OVC second team are Murray State sophomore Hannah McKay (Owensboro, Ky.) and senior forward/guard Alexis Burpo (Murray, Ky.); Morehead State sophomore forward Jada Claude (Fayetteville, Ga.); Tennessee Tech graduate student forward Mackenzie Coleman (Edmonton, Ky.); and UT Martin junior guard Paige Pipkin (Henderson, Tenn.)
McKay recorded 12.2 points per game to rank 14th in the OVC while Burpo averaged 10.8 points. Claude ranked eighth in the league with 13.6 points per game while Coleman ranked 16th with 11.6 points and Pipkin was 11th with 12.6 points.
Joining Adams, Nikitinaite and Claude on the All-Newcomer team were Tennessee Tech sophomore forward Anna Walker (Cleveland, Tenn.) and UT Martin freshman guard Shae Littleford (Charleston, Ill.). Walker recorded 8.4 points per game in the regular season while Littleford finished with 10.7 points each time out.
2021-2022 Women’s Basketball All-OVC Teams
(as voted on by the league’s head coaches and communications directors)
All-OVC First Team
Katelyn Young, Murray State
Destinee Wells, Belmont
Karle Pace, Austin Peay
Anna Jones, Tennessee Tech
Lariah Washington, Eastern Illinois
Macey Turley, Murray State
Gabby Nikitinaite, SIUE
Yamia Johnson, Austin Peay
Tuti Jones, Belmont
Madison Bartley, Belmont
All-OVC Second Team
Paige Pipkin, UT Martin
Jada Claude, Morehead State
Hannah McKay, Murray State
Mackenzie Coleman, Tennessee Tech
Alexis Burpo, Murray State
All-Newcomer Team
Gabby Nikitinaite, SIUE
Gia Adams, Tennessee State
Jada Claude, Morehead State
Anna Walker, Tennessee Tech
Shae Littleford, UT Martin
OVC Player of the Year: Katelyn Young, Murray State
OVC Defensive Player of the Year: Tuti Jones, Belmont
OVC Freshman of the Year: Gia Adams, Tennessee State
OVC Coach of the Year: Bart Brooks, Belmont