Horizon League Announces 2018-19 #HLWBB All-League Teams and Award Winners
Rachel White
INDIANAPOLIS – IUPUI’s Macee Williams has been named the Horizon League Women’s Basketball Player of the Year, while Green Bay’s Jen Wellnitz earned Defensive Player of the Year honors for the second straight year. Wright State’s Katrina Merriweather has been selected Coach of the Year following the Raiders’ first outright regular season title. In addition, Youngstown State’s Mary Dunn earned Sixth Player of the Year and Cleveland State’s Savanna Crockett has been named Freshman of the Year.
League awards are voted on by a 30-member panel that includes head coaches, sports information directors and a media representative from each school. All-Defensive Team and Defensive Player of the Year honors are only voted on by head coaches.
Williams averaged 14.4 points and 9.2 rebounds in League contests this season, ranking in the top-three in both categories among #HLWBB players. Williams earns Player of the Year and All-League First Team honors this season after being named Freshman of the Year in 2017-18 and an All-League Second Team selection.
Wellnitz earned her second straight Defensive Player of the Year award this season. The senior led the League with 3.2 steals per game in League games this season, earning her third straight selection to the All-Defensive Team. Wellnitz also earned First Team honors, posting 9.4 points and 3.9 assists in League play this season.
Dunn is the Horizon League Sixth Player of the Year and an All-League First Team honoree this season. The junior averaged 14.3 points per game and shot .618 from the field in #HLWBB games this season, while starting in just seven games this season for the Penguins.
Freshman of the Year Crockett averaged 11.4 points and 7.7 rebounds in her first League season for the Vikings, ranking sixth in the League in rebounding and 13th in scoring. The forward earned four Nike Freshman of the Week honors this season.
Merriweather was chosen the Horizon League Coach of Year, leading the Raiders to their first outright regular season title in program history and a 16-2 League record, along with a 24-6 overall record so far this season. This is Merriweather’s second Horizon League Coach of the Year honor, also taking the title after the 2016-17 season.
Joining Williams, Wellnitz, and Dunn on the All-League First Team are Cleveland State’s Mariah Miller and Wright State’s Mackenzie Taylor. Miller led the League in scoring, totaling 15.3 points per game in League competition this season. Taylor was the leading scorer for the Raiders in 18 League games this season, posting 11.8 points and also led the League with a .836 free throw percentage.
Four institutions are represented on the All-League Second Team. Green Bay’s Laken James led the Phoenix in League play with 11.7 points, adding 2.4 steals as well. Oakland’s Taylor Jones was second in the League with 14.6 points in League contests, adding 7.6 rebounds, and 4.7 assists. Wright State’s Symone Simmons led the League with 11.0 rebounds in #HLWBB contests, and passed the 1000 points and 1000 rebounds mark for her career on Saturday. Sarah Cash and Chelsea Olson each represent YSU on the Second Team. Cash averaged 13.3 points and 4.8 rebounds in League play while Olson led the League with 5.1 assists, adding 10.2 points and 6.7 rebounds.
Joining Crockett on the All-Freshman Team are student-athletes from four institutions. Milwaukee forward Megan Walstad (10.8 points), Northern Kentucky point guard Ally Niece (4.1 assists), Oakland guard Kahlaijah Dean (12.6 points), and Wright State guard Angel Baker (2.6 assists) earned All-Freshman recognition this season.
Alongside Wellnitz, Wright State senior Emily Vogelpohl earned her second straight All-Defensive Team honor this season, averaging 1.9 steals in League play. Cleveland State sophomore Mariah White (2.9 steals), Milwaukee senior Ryaen Johnson (2.8 blocks), and UIC sophomore Jada Nneji (4.3 blocks) were also voted to the All-Defensive Team by the League’s head coaches.
The 2019 Little Caesars Horizon League Women’s Basketball Championship begins on Tuesday, March 5, with two quarterfinal contests, followed by two more quarterfinals on Wednesday, March 6.
No.1 seed Wright State hosts No. 8 seed Oakland on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. ET before No. 4 seed IUPUI hosts No. 5 seed Northern Kentucky at 7 p.m. ET. On Wednesday, No. 3 seed Youngstown State hosts No. 6 seed Milwaukee at 7 p.m. ET, then No. 2 seed Green Bay hosts No. 7 seed Cleveland State at 8 p.m. ET.
The #MotorCityMadness semifinals will take place at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Monday, March 11 at 1 p.m. ET and 3:30 p.m. ET before the championship game takes place on Tuesday, March 12 at 12 p.m. ET. Tickets for the semifinals and championship are
on-sale now. Once quarterfinal games conclude on March 5 and 6, fan section information for participating teams will be announced.
The quarterfinals and semifinals will be broadcast on ESPN+, before the championship airs on ESPNU. Fans can also follow all the action on social media by following @HorizonLeague. Visit
championship central for more information.
Player of the Year: Macee Williams, IUPUI
Coach of the Year: Katrina Merriweather, Wright State
Freshman of the Year: Savanna Crockett, Cleveland State
Defensive Player of the Year: Jen Wellnitz, Green Bay
Sixth Player of the Year: Mary Dunn, Youngstown State
All-League First Team (alphabetical by school)
Mariah Miller, Cleveland State, Junior, Guard
Jen Wellnitz, Green Bay, Senior, Guard
Macee Williams, IUPUI, Sophomore, Center
Mackenzie Taylor, Wright State, Senior, Guard
Mary Dunn, Youngstown State, Junior, Forward
All-League Second Team (alphabetical by school)
Laken James, Green Bay, Senior, Guard
Taylor Jones, Oakland, Senior, Guard
Symone Simmons, Wright State, Senior, Forward
Sarah Cash, Youngstown State, Senior, Forward
Chelsea Olson, Youngstown State, Sophomore, Guard
All-Freshman Team (alphabetical by school)
Savanna Crockett, Cleveland State, Forward
Megan Walstad, Milwaukee, Forward
Ally Niece, Northern Kentucky, Point Guard
Kahlaijah Dean, Oakland, Guard
Angel Baker, Wright State, Guard
All-Defensive Team (alphabetical by school)
Mariah White, Cleveland State, Sophomore, Guard
Jen Wellnitz, Green Bay, Senior, Guard
Ryaen Johnson, Milwaukee, Senior, Center
Jada Nneji, UIC, Sophomore, Forward
Emily Vogelpohl, Wright State, Senior, Guard