Arkansas Tech’s Jessica Weatherford was named Gulf South Conference West Division freshman of the year and the Golden Suns’ top two scorers were both selected All-GSC West Division when the league handed out its postseason women’s basketball awards on Tuesday.
Weatherford (photographed), a 6-foot forward from Bonnerdale, is averaging 11.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game during her freshman season. She ranks seventh in the GSC in field goal percentage (.512) and second in the GSC in free throw percentage (.833).
Weatherford is just the second Golden Sun to ever earn GSC West Division freshman of the year honors. The other was Mandi Huskey, who captured the award in the 1997-98 season.
Junior guard Jenny Vining of Marshall and sophomore forward Natalia Santos of Sao Paulo, Brazil, represent the Golden Suns on the All-GSC West Division first team.
Vining ranks third in the GSC in scoring (18.7 points per game), seventh in assists (3.81 per game), seventh in steals (2.15 per game), second in 3-point field goal percentage (.420) and first in 3-point field goals made (3.78 per game).
Santos is the eighth-leading scorer (15.5 points per game) and the fourth-leading rebounder (7.7 per game) in the GSC. She also ranks among the league leaders in field goal percentage (3rd, .551) and blocked shots (8th, 0.7 per game).
Click here to view the complete 2009-10 All-GSC women’s basketball release from the league office.
The GSC West Division co-champion Golden Suns (25-2) will take on West Florida in the first round of the GSC Tournament on Thursday.
Tip-off at the DeSoto Civic Center in Southaven, Miss., is set for 2:45 p.m.
Russellville radio station KWKK 100.9 FM and www.athletics.atu.edu will have live play-by-play coverage.
]]>
