Jade Giron, Paige Kelley, Katie Turner, and Mari-Hanna Newsom earned All-AMC honors, while Giron was named as the Player of the Year
Four Lyon College women’s basketball players earned All-American Midwest Conference (AMC) accolades, which were announced by the conference office on Monday night.
Jade Giron (pictured above, far left) highlighted the awards for the Scots as she was named the AMC Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and was a First-Team All-AMC selection. Paige Kelley (pictured above, far right) earned Second-Team All-AMC honors following a standout freshman campaign. Katie Turner (pictured above, second from left) was named as a Third-Team All-AMC selection, while Mari-Hanna Newsom (pictured above, second from right) was recognized as an honorable mention. Giron and Kelley were named to the AMC All-Defensive Team, while Kelley was also named to the All-Freshman Team.
Giron became the first Scots to be named as the AMC Player of the Year and the first to earn Defensive Player of the Year honors since 2016. She led the team in scoring all season as she averaged 19.1 points per game. She is also the second leading rebounder for the Scots at 8.6 rebounds per game. Giron scored in double figures in all but one game this season. She opened up the year with a career-high 33 points at Hannibal-LaGrange. Giron also recorded two double-doubles throughout the year. She ranks fifth in the NAIA this season with 6.2 assists per game. Defensively, Giron collected 34 steals and blocked eight shots this season. Giron was a two-time AMC Player of the Week honoree this season.
Kelley had a strong freshman season as she is the second leading scoring for the Scots at 16.4 points per game but leads the team with 9.0 rebounds per game. Kelley leads the NAIA in field goal percentage this season at 63.4%. She recorded a team-six five double-doubles throughout the season. Kelley scored a season-high 28 points in the Scots win against William Woods on Jan. 16. She matched her career-high of 28 points in the Scots’ AMC Championship win against Columbia College. Kelley grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds on Feb. 2 against Williams Baptist, which was one shy of tying the program record for rebounds in a game. Kelley was named as the AMC and NAIA Player of the Week once this season.
Turner earned Third-Team All-AMC honors after being named an honorable mention last season. This year, Turner averaged 7.8 points per game and 5.3 rebounds per game. Turner scored in double figures four times this season, including a season-high 18 points on Feb. 20 against Harris-Stowe.
Newsom started every game as a freshman for the Scots and averaged 9.0 points per game to go along with 2.2 rebounds per game. She finished second on the team with 41 assists and 19 steals. Newsom leads the Scots with 30 made three-point field goals this season. She scored in double figures six times this season, including a season-high of 21 points on Jan. 9 at Missouri Baptist.
John Mayberry of Williams Baptist was named the AMC Coach of the Year. Ronne’zja Elliot of Harris-Stowe and Sofia Popp of Columbia College were named the Co-Newcomers of the Year, while Mallory Shetley from Columbia was named the AMC Freshman of the Year.
Article by Matt Jagodzinski, Assistant Athletic Director for Media and Communications
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