INDIANAPOLIS - Butler senior Melanie Thornton has been named Player of the Year, which highlights the Horizon League's 2009-10 Women's Basketball All-League Teams and specialty award winners.
Thornton has also been selected as Defensive Player of the Year, while classmate Susan Lester earns Sixth Player of the Year accolades, Detroit redshirt freshman Yar Shayok Newcomer of the Year honors and UDM's Autumn Rademacher Coach of the Year laurels.
Thornton, a forward/center from Carmel, Ind., ranks among the League leaders in scoring (2nd, 15.7), blocks (2nd, 1.7), rebounding (3rd, 8.3), steals (3rd, 2.3) and field-goal percentage (7th, .531). The Bulldogs, 21-8 overall and 14-4 in conference action, have won nine of their last 10 contests.
Thornton becomes the third player in Butler history to win the League's top individual award. Julie VonDielingen accomplished the feat in 1992-93 and Sarah Schuetz in 1997-98.
Lester, a forward/center from Anderson, Ind., places among the conference leaders in free-throw percentage (4th, .838). She averages 8.4 points, which is tops among all reserves in the circuit.
Shayok, a forward from Ottawa, Ontario, ranks among the League leaders in rebounding (2nd, 9.7) and blocked shots (T-6th, 0.7). She was one of many reasons why the Titans occupied first place 15 games into the conference season for the first time since 1997.
Shayok becomes the third player in Detroit history to win the League's top newcomer accolade and the first since Caitie Goddard in 2002-03.
Rademacher picks up the League's top coaching honor after helping Detroit improve five spots to a No. 3 seed in the 2010 Speedway Horizon League Women's Basketball Championship. The Titans are 16-13 overall and 14-4 in conference play after winning 15 of their last 19 regular-season games.
Rademacher, who earned All-League First-Team honors as a Detroit player in 1996 and 1997, becomes the third individual in UDM history to be named Coach of the Year. Dewayne Jones accomplished the feat in 1986-87 and Fred Procter in 1993-94.
Thornton is joined on the All-League First Team by Cleveland State senior Kailey Klein, Detroit senior Brigid Mulroy and Green Bay juniors Kayla Tetschlag and Celeste Hoewisch.
Klein, a guard from Cherry, Ill., earns first-team accolades for the third consecutive season. The conference's Preseason Player of the Year, who became Cleveland State's all-time leading scorer on Feb. 6, ranks among the circuit leaders in scoring (1st, 17.8), rebounding (6th, 7.4), blocked shots (T-6th, 0.7) and free-throw accuracy (10th, .765).
Mulroy, a guard from West Bloomfield, Mich., leads the nation in three-point percentage (.524). She also ranks among the loop leaders in free-throw percentage (1st, .893) and scoring (5th, 14.3).
Tetschlag and Hoewisch helped Green Bay to a 26-3 overall record, 15-3 League mark and top seed in this year's Speedway Horizon League Championship. The Phoenix snagged another outright regular-season title after winning its final eight conference affairs.
Green Bay has clinched at least a share of the League's regular-season crown in each of the past 12 campaigns, which ranks as the nation's longest active streak. The defending tournament-champion Phoenix has also guaranteed itself a 33rd consecutive winning season, dating back to 1977-78.
Tetschlag, a guard/forward from Sheboygan, Wis., ranks among the League leaders in field-goal percentage (2nd, .564), scoring (4th, 14.7), free-throw percentage (7th, .797), rebounding (8th, 6.1) and blocked shots (8th, 0.7).
Hoewisch, a guard from Hortonville, Wis., places among the conference leaders in steals (4th, 2.3), three-point accuracy (4th, .384), assist-to-turnover ratio (7th, 1.3), assists (7th, 4.1) and scoring (8th, 13.5).
Shayok is joined on the All-League Second Team by UIC senior Jessie Miller, Cleveland State junior Shawnita Garland, UIC sophomore Jasmine Bailey and Green Bay sophomore Julie Wojta.
Miller and Garland earn second-team nods for the second straight campaign.
Shayok, who was granted a medical redshirt last year, is joined on the All-Newcomer Team by Butler junior transfer Alyssa Pittman and freshmen Brandi Brown of Youngstown State, Sarah Eichler of Green Bay, Taylor Foulks of UIC and Sami Tucker of Milwaukee.
Brown led the League with 10.8 rebounds per outing and all freshmen in the conference with 11.6 points per tilt.
Thornton is joined on the All-Defensive Team by Garland, Bailey, Hoewisch and Wright State senior Kanisha Ward.
The 18 award winners were chosen by Horizon League head coaches, sports information directors and select media.
The Speedway Horizon League Championship begins on Monday with two first-round games -- #10 Youngstown State at #7 Wright State (7 p.m. ET) and #9 Milwaukee at #8 Valparaiso (8 p.m.).
Wednesday's schedule includes four quarterfinal contests -- #5 UIC at #4 Cleveland State (7 p.m.), #6 Loyola at #3 Detroit (7 p.m.), the #7/10 winner at #2 Butler (7 p.m.) and the 8/9 winner at #1 Green Bay (8 p.m.).
Friday's semifinals and Sunday's championship will be hosted by the highest remaining seed after the quarterfinals. The tournament finale will be televised live by ESPNU at 1 p.m.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Melanie Thornton (Butler)
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Yar Shayok (Detroit)
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Melanie Thornton (Butler)
SIXTH PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Susan Lester (Butler)
COACH OF THE YEAR
Autumn Rademacher (Detroit)
FIRST TEAM ALL-LEAGUE
Melanie Thornton (Butler)
Kailey Klein (Cleveland State)
Kayla Tetschlag (Green Bay)
Brigid Mulroy (Detroit)
Celeste Hoewisch (Green Bay)
SECOND TEAM ALL-LEAGUE
Julie Wojta (Green Bay)
Jasmine Bailey (UIC)
Jessie Miller (UIC)
Yar Shayok (Detroit)
Shawnita Garland (Cleveland State)
ALL-NEWCOMER TEAM
Yar Shayok (Detroit)
Brandi Brown (Youngstown State)
Alyssa Pittman (Butler)
Sarah Eichler (Green Bay)
Taylor Foulks (UIC)
Sami Tucker (Milwaukee)
Note: There was a tie for fifth place in the voting
ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
Melanie Thornton (Butler)
Shawnita Garland (Cleveland State)
Jasmine Bailey (UIC)
Celeste Hoewisch (Green Bay)
Kanisha Ward (Wright State)
