Sverrisdottir, Mittie Headline All-MWC Award Winners
3/8/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 8, 2010
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—Junior guard/forward Helena Sverrisdottir was named Player of the Year, head coach Jeff Mittie was selected Coach of the Year and each of TCU's five starters were placed on All-Mountain West Conference teams, the league office announced Monday.
Sverrisdottir became only the third TCU player ever to be named conference player of the year, joining former Frogs Sandora Irvin (Conference USA Player of the Year, 2004-05) and Adrianne Ross (MWC Co-Player of the Year, 2006-07), while Mittie picked up the fifth conference coaching honor of his career. In addition to the two major awards, TCU also featured two first-team all-league performers on the same squad for the first time in school history in Sverrisdottir and junior guard Emily Carter.
A native of Harfnafjordur, Iceland, Sverrisdottir concluded the regular season averaging 13.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.3 per game. She was the only player in the MWC this season to rank among the league's top-15 individuals in the four major statistical categories of assists (No. 2), steals (No. 3), rebounding (No. 6) and scoring (No. 9). In addition to being named Player of the Year, she also was tabbed First-Team All-MWC for the second consecutive season.
Joining Sverrisdottir on the all-conference first team was Carter, a second-team selection a season ago. Carter, who owns a team-best 14.8-point scoring average in 2009-10, was the MWC leader this season in free-throw shooting (86.5 percent) while ranking No. 3 in 3-point field-goal percentage (42.1 percent) and 3-pointers made (2.0 3-pointers per game) and No. 5 in scoring. She served as the team's top scorer in 10 of its 16 conference games this season.
The selections of Carter and Sverrisdottir made TCU the only team with two first-team honorees. The pair marked TCU's eighth and ninth all-time first-team all-conference honorees, and this is the first time the team has ever had multiple first-team selections in a single season. Five Frogs have now been awarded first-team accolades in as many years since joining the MWC prior to the 2005-06 season.
Senior guard TK LaFleur was selected Third-Team All-MWC for her second all-conference honor in as many seasons. LaFleur ranks third among all Frogs and 18th in the MWC in scoring (10.6 ppg), but she is the league's top scorer for players who have made nine starts or fewer. LaFleur also ranks among the MWC's top-10 players in 3-point shooting percentage (36.8 percent, No. 9). She previously earned second-team all-conference status as a junior in 2008-09.
TCU had two other starters named honorable-mention All-MWC in senior guard Eboni Mangum and freshman forward Starr Crawford.
Mangum, who was also selected to the league's All-Defensive Team, has started the last 21 games for TCU and stepped up her contributions during the second half of the conference season. She finished the league season with the MWC's top field-goal percentage for guards at 45.7 percent, which was eighth overall. Mangum ranks fifth among Frogs in scoring for the season at 7.8 points per game and has been the team's top lock-down defender, often matching up against the opposing team's best offensive perimeter player.
Crawford has had a standout freshman for TCU, leading the team in rebounding (8.9 rpg) and blocked shots (1.0 bpg) while ranking fourth in scoring (10.0). She ranks third overall in the MWC, and first among all freshmen, in rebounding and is also the top first-year player for blocks (No. 8 overall). Crawford's presence in the paint has helped TCU improve from last in the league a year ago in offensive rebounds to third, as she is the conference's leader in the category.
Joining his five starters among the conference award winners was Mittie, who was named Coach of the Year for the fifth time in his career. The honor marked the fourth difference league in which he has been awarded. Mittie led TCU to its third overall regular-season conference championship, and first in the MWC, this season with a 12-4 league record. The squad, which tied the program mark for regular-season wins with 22, has now won 20 or more games nine times in its history, all of which have come in the last decade under Mittie's guidance.
Mittie previously was named Coach of the Year in 1993-94 (Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Associationwith Missouri Western), 1994-95 (MIAA with Missouri Western), 2000-01 (Western Athletic Conference) and 2001-02 (Conference USA).
TCU opens postseason competition this week, as it laces up for the annual Conoco Mountain West Conference Championship in Las Vegas, Nev. The Frogs begin action Friday in the semifinal round at Noon PT against a team yet to be determined. The game will be televised live by The MountainWest Sports Network (The Mtn.).
First-Team All-Mountain West Conference
Helena Sverrisdottir, Jr., G/F, 6-1, TCU
Emily Carter, Jr., G, 6-1, TCU
Kalee Whipple, Sr., F, 6-0, Utah
Jené Morris, Sr., G, 5-9, San Diego State
Amy Beggin, Sr., G, 5-6, New Mexico
Second-Team All-Mountain West Conference
Mindy Bonham, Jr., G, 5-10, BYU
Kim Mestdagh, So., G/F, 5-10, Colorado State
Paris Johnson, Jr., C, 6-4, San Diego State
Taryn Wicijowski, Fr., C, 6-2, Utah
Hillary Carlson, Jr., F, 6-3, Wyoming
Aubrey Vandiver, Jr., G, 5-11, Wyoming
Third-Team All-Mountain West Conference
Quenese Davis, Sr., G, 5-10, San Diego State
TK LaFleur, Sr., G, 5-8, TCU
Erica Helms, Jr., G, 5-7, UNLV
Emma Langford, So., F, 6-2, Wyoming
Honorable-Mention All-Mountain West Conference
Raimee Beck, Jr., G, 5-8, Air Force
Jazmine Foreman, Jr., G, 5-5, BYU
Haley Hall, Jr., G, 5-4, BYU
Kristen Riley, So., F, 6-3, BYU
Coriann Wood, Jr., F, 6-1, BYU
Amanda Best, Jr., G/F, 6-0, New Mexico
Jessica Kielpinski, Jr., F, 6-1, New Mexico
Starr Crawford, Fr., F, 6-0, TCU
Eboni Mangum, Sr., G, 5-8, TCU
Jamie Smith, So., G/F, 6-0 UNLV
All-Defensive Team
Mindy Bonham, Jr., G, 5-10, BYU
Jazmine Foreman, Jr., G, 5-5, BYU
Amy Beggin, Sr., G, 5-6, New Mexico
Jené Morris, Sr., G, 5-9, San Diego State
Eboni Mangum, Sr., G, 5-8, TCU
Halie Sawyer, Sr., F, 6-1, Utah
Player of the Year: Helena Sverrisdottir, TCU
Newcomer of the Year: Jessika Bradley, San Diego State
Freshman of the Year: Taryn Wicijowski, Utah
Defensive Player of the Year: Jené Morris, San Diego State
6th Player of the Year: Coriann Wood, BYU
Coach of the Year: Jeff Mittie, TCU
Players Mentioned
