'Cats Schnibbe, Anderson earn postseason honors

OGDEN -- The Big Sky Conference has announced the women's basketball all-conference team and individual award winners for the 2009-10 season on Monday, following a vote by the league's nine head coaches.

Julie Piper became the first Eastern Washington player in Big Sky history to earn the league's most valuable player award. The junior was a unanimous selection to the first team, along with Idaho State senior Oana Iacovita.

Montana State's Sarah Strand and Eastern Washington's Brianne Ryan have been selected as the league's co-defensive players of the year. Northern Arizona's Amy Patton was a unanimous selection for freshman of the year, while teammate Vickie Toney was named newcomer of the year.

Piper, a 6-1 forward from Roseburg, Ore., averaged 12.1 points per game overall and 12.6 in league play to help the Eagles to their first-ever outright regular season conference title.

Ryan and Strand were recognized for the outstanding defensive play throughout the season. Ryan lead the Eagles defense as the No. 1 defender, drawing matchups against the opponent's top scoring threat. Strand tops the conference with 59 blocked shots. The junior from Seattle, Wash., averaged 4.6 defensive rebounds per game along with being an excellent on-ball defender.

Patton finished the season as the league's top rebounder with 8.6 per game and was second in scoring at 18.6 per game. During the season the Tempe, Ariz. product posted four 30-point games. Toney, from Chicago, Ill., finished the season fifth in league with 4.7 assists per game and 7th in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.2.

Weber State senior Tonya Schibbe and junior Caitlin Anderson earned honorable mention spots.

Schnibbe ranked 12th in the Big Sky in scoring at 11.2 points per game, and tied for first with 6.6 assists per game.

Anderson was seventh in rebounding with 6.8 per game and 10th in scoring at 12.5 points per game.

* HALL AMONG ALL-MWC HONOREES: The nine MWC women's basketball coaches chose TCU junior Helena Sverrisdottir as the Mountain West Conference women's basketball player of the year for 2009-10 as the all-conference team and individual award winners.

For the second consecutive season, defensive player of the year honors went to San Diego State's Jené Morris, while Utah's Taryn Wicijowski was chosen as the freshman of the year. The sixth player of the year award was given to BYU's Coriann Wood, while SDSU's Jessika Bradley earned newcomer of the year honors. TCU's Jeff Mittie earned his first MWC coach of the year honor after guiding the Horned Frogs to their first MWC regular-season title.

Joining Sverrisdottir and Morris on the all-MWC first team were New Mexico's Amy Beggin, TCU's Emily Carter and Utah's Kalee Whipple.

BYU's Mindi Bonham and Wicijowski were second team honorees, while junior guard Haley Hall, a Clearfield High product, earned honorable mention, along with BYU teammates Jazmine Foreman, Kristen Riley and Coriann Wood. Utah's Halie Sawyer was named to the all-defensive team.