Horizon League Announces #HLWBB All-League Teams and Award Winners
Rachel White
INDIANAPOLIS- Wright State’s Chelsea Welch has earned the title of #HLWBB Player of the Year, headlining the all-league and specialty award selections. IUPUI’s Austin Parkinson took the Coach of the Year title after a 21-8 overall record and second-place finish in the Jags’ first year in the league while Macee Williams earned Freshman of the Year honors for IUPUI. Regular season champion Green Bay’s Jen Wellnitz was tabbed Defensive Player of the Year and Oakland’s Taylor Jones is the Sixth Player of the Year.
Player of the Year Chelsea Welch led the league in scoring, averaging 21.6 points per game in league games, adding 4.1 assists in those contests. Freshman of the Year Macee Williams posted 13.8 points and 7.6 rebounds in league play her freshman season, leading the league in field goal percentage. Defensive Player of the Year Jen Wellnitz averaged 2.5 steals in league play as part of the top scoring defense in the country (46.1 points per game). Taylor Jones put up 10.2 points per game in league play, earning her Sixth Player of the Year honors.
The Horizon League also announced 2017-18 First and Second Team All-League, All-Defensive Team, and All-Freshman team honorees. Joining Welch on the First Team were Cleveland State’s Ashanti Abshaw and Khayla Livingston, Green Bay’s Jessica Lindstrom, and IUPUI’s Danielle Lawrence. Milwaukee’s Steph Kostowicz and Jenny Lindner, Green Bay’s Allie LeClaire, and Youngstown State’s Indiya Benjamin joined Freshman of the Year Macee Williams on Second Team.
Detroit Mercy’s Lexey Tobel, Green Bay’s Karly Murphy, NKU’s Kailey Coffey, and Youngstown State’s Chelsea Olson were named to the All-Freshman team along with Williams. Wellnitz, along with teammate Jessica Lindstrom, CSU’s Shadae Bosley, IUPUI’s Jenna Gunn, and WSU’s Emily Vogelpohl made up the All-Defensive Team.
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.
Player of the Year: Chelsea Welch, Wright State
Coach of the Year: Austin Parkinson, IUPUI
Freshman of the Year: Macee Williams, IUPUI
Defensive Player of the Year: Jen Wellnitz, Green Bay
Sixth Player of the Year: Taylor Jones, Oakland
All-League First Team (alphabetical by school)
Ashanti Abshaw, Cleveland State
Khayla Livingston, Cleveland State
Jessica Lindstrom, Green Bay
Danielle Lawrence, IUPUI
Chelsea Welch, Wright State
All-League Second Team (alphabetical by school)
Allie LeClaire, Green Bay
Macee Williams, IUPUI
Steph Kostowicz, Milwaukee
Jenny Lindner, Milwaukee
Indiya Benjamin, Youngstown State
All-Freshman Team (alphabetical by school)
Lexey Tobel, Detroit Mercy
Karly Murphy, Green Bay
Macee Williams, IUPUI
Kailey Coffey, Northern Kentucky
Chelsea Olson, Youngstown State
All-Defensive Team (alphabetical by school)
Shadae Bosley, Cleveland State
Jessica Lindstrom, Green Bay
Jen Wellnitz, Green Bay
Jenna Gunn, IUPUI
Emily Vogelpohl, Wright State