Columbia, Mo. – The American Midwest Conference (AMC) has announced the 2023 AMC Women’s Basketball All-Conference Teams, Season Award Winners, Academic All-Conference Team and the AMC Women’s Basketball Champions of Character Team.
 
How the Awards are Selected:
All-Conference & Season Awards

• Coaches nominate up to four of their own players for All-Conference.
• Additionally, coaches may nominate up to four of their own players for All-Defensive Team and All-Freshman Team. These players do not have to be one of the four submitted for All-Conference.
• Coaches then vote for 16 players for All-Conference, five (5) for All-Defensive Team and five (5) for All-Freshman Team.
• All coaches are automatically nominated for Coach of the Year. Coaches vote for three (3) coaches for the Coach of the Year award.
• The top-five voter getters plus the Player of the Year (top vote-getter) is named to the First-Team, the next five vote-getters are named to the second-team and the next five vote-getters are selected to the third-team. Any remaining players who receive a vote will name honorable mention All-Conference.
• The top vote-getter in the All-Defensive Team will be named the AMC Defensive Player of the Year.
• The top vote-getter in the All-Freshman Team will be named the AMC Freshman of the Year.
• The top vote-getting newcomer among the All-Conference nominees (freshman are not eligible for this award) will be named the Newcomer of the Year.

 
Academic All-Conference

• To be eligible for Academic All-Conference honors, student-athletes must be in their second semester at their AMC institution, have at least a 3.0 GPA and finish the year on the team.
• Fall sports freshman are not eligible for the award their first season.

 
Champions of Character

• Each coach selects one player from their own team.
• The nominee is a player that best exemplifies the NAIA Five Core Values of Respect, Responsibility, Sportsmanship, Integrity and Servant Leadership.

 
All-Conference & Season Award Highlights:
*All stats and records are prior to the AMC Women’s Basketball Postseason Tournament*

• Grace Beyer of Health Sciences & Pharmacy was named AMC Women’s Basketball Player of the Year for the second-straight season. Beyer scored an NAIA-best 32.3 points per game in the regular season, shooting 45.2-percent from the field, 37.2-percent from behind the 3-point arc and 93.4-percent from the foul line.
• Alaysia Douglass of Stephens becomes the first Star to win AMC Women’s Basketball Defensive Player of the Year. Douglass averaged 2.5 steals per game and 3.0 defensive rebounds per game.
• Freshman of the Year honors went to Claudia Hadlock of Cottey. Hadlock averaged a team-best 15.1 points per game, while shooting 36.8-percent from the field and 82.5-percent from the foul line.
• For the first time in AMC Women’s Basketball history, the AMC Newcomer of the Year went to a player from Stephens. Zaraya March led the team in scoring at 17.0 points per game. She shot 58.1-percent from the field, 31.4-percent from the 3-point arc and 72.9-percent from the foul line. Additionally, she brought down 8.2 rebounds per game, 3.6 assists per game and 3.5 steals per game.
• Beyer, along with Tionne Taylor of Missouri Baptist and Alexis Allstun of Missouri Baptist become four-time All-Conference selections.
• Mallory Shetley of Columbia, Elizabeth Allanach of Health Sciences & Pharmacy and Lauren Ebert of Missouri Baptist are now three-time All-Conference selections.
• Ten players are two-time All-Conference players – Kaylee Clark, Williams Baptist; Marveen Ross, Stephens; Sydney Booker, William Woods; Abby Backes, Columbia; Mackenzie Hess, Columbia; Ashlyn Vermeer, Hannibal-LaGrange; Destiney Amaefula, Harris-Stowe; Mari-Hanna Newsom, Lyon; Allison Moore, Stephens; Natalie Thomas, William Woods
• In his first year at the helm of the Cougars, Columbia Head Coach James Arnold was selected as AMC Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year after leading the team to the AMC Women’s Basketball Regular-Season Title.

 
AMC Women's Basketball Season Award Winners
Player of the Year:  Grace Beyer, Health Sciences & Pharmacy
Coach of the Year:  James Arnold, Columbia
Defensive Player of the Year:  Alayasia Douglas, Stephens
Freshman of the Year:  Claudia Hadlock, Cottey
Newcomer of the Year:  Zaraya March, Stephens
 
First Team All-Conference
Mallory Shettley, Columbia
Grace Beyer, Health Sciences & Pharmacy
Allison Byars, Lyon
Tionne Taylor, Missouri Baptist
Zaraya March, Stephens
Kaylee Clark, Williams Baptist
 
Second Team All-Conference
Delaney Horstman, Columbia
Elizabeth Allanach, Health Sciences & Pharmacy
Alexis Allstun, Missouri Baptist
Marveen Ross, Stephens
Sydney Booker, William Woods
 
Third Team All-Conference
Abby Backes, Columbia
Mackenzie Hess, Columbia
Claudia Hadlock, Cottey
Ashlyn Vermeer, Hannibal-LaGrange
Alayasia Douglas, Stephens
 
Honorable Mention All-Conference
Caroline Citty, Central Baptist
Diana Rivera, Central Baptist
Sara Montesdeoca, Cottey
Rebekah McCombs, Hannibal-LaGrange
Destiney Amaefula, Harris-Stowe
Makenzie Schierding, Health Sciences & Pharmacy
Savanna Lopez, Lyon
Mari-Hanna Newsom, Lyon
Paige Tate, Lyon
Lauren Ebert, Missouri Baptist
Kasey Rice, Missouri Baptist
Allison Moore, Stephens
Katie Keilholz, William Woods
Natalie Thomas, William Woods
Reesa Hampton, Williams Baptist
Monica Horne, Williams Baptist
Tristan Richards, Williams Baptist
 
All-Defensive Team
Mallory Shettley, Columbia
Alexis Allstun, Missouri Baptist
Deyana Dodd, Missouri Baptist
Tionne Taylor, Missouri Baptist
Alayasia Douglas, Stephens
Zaraya March, Stephens
 
All-Freshman Team
Lexi Miller, Columbia
Claudia Hadlock, Cottey
Natalya Kaza, Lyon
Savanna Lopez, Lyon
Jersee Wren, William Woods
 
Champions of Character Team
Olivia Lambrigsten, Central Baptist
Baylie Combs, Columbia
Claudia Hadlock, Cottey
Anna Atherton, Hannibal-LaGrange
Kya Gordon, Harris-Stowe
Lannah Prysi, Health Sciences & Pharmacy
Kristen Baham, Lyon
Alexis Allstun, Missouri Baptist
Brooke Peters, Stephens
Makenna Wuelling, William Woods
Reesa Hampton, Williams Baptist
 
AMC Academic All-Conference
Lydia York, Central Baptist
Manuela Cruz, Central Baptist
Diana Rivera, Central Baptist
Caroline Citty, Central Baptist
Emma Bates, Central Baptist
Rhys Anderson, Central Baptist
Olivia Lambrigtsen, Central Baptist
Maele Van Houtert, Central Baptist
Jenell Light, Central Baptist
Hannah Ferguson, Columbia
Madison Weydert, Columbia
Allison Stiers, Columbia
Delaney Horstman, Columbia
Abby Backes, Columbia
Christina Maltsberger, Columbia
Baylie Combs, Columbia
Alexis Miller, Columbia
Mackenzie Hess, Columbia
Mallory Shetley, Columbia
Grace Goodwin, Columbia
Jasmine Taylor, Columbia
Peyton Crowe, Columbia
Mya Miller, Columbia
Lauren Jones, Cottey
Lesley Chalmers, Cottey
Yannis Rodriguez, Cottey
Derin Akdeniz, Cottey
Karley Painter, Cottey
Laurencia Botts, Cottey
Claudia Hadlock, Cottey
Sarah Hunt, Cottey
Dally Coulter, Cottey
Dimond Mackenzie, Cottey
Abigail Atherton, Hannibal-LaGrange
Natalia Cuesta Blanco, Hannibal-LaGrange
Isabella Jadwin, Hannibal-LaGrange
Sydney Spielbauer, Hannibal-LaGrange
Allison Whittle, Hannibal-LaGrange
Taylor Flake, Hannibal-LaGrange
Ashlyn Vermeer, Hannibal-LaGrange
Anna Atherton, Hannibal-LaGrange
Sarah Eagleton, Hannibal-LaGrange
Rebekah McCombs, Hannibal-LaGrange
Jade Scroggins, Hannibal-LaGrange
Immaculate Amaefula, Harris-Stowe
Kya Gordon, Harris-Stowe
Samara Swire, Harris-Stowe
Autumn Brown, Harris-Stowe
Jamera Jones, Harris-Stowe
Toree Jackson, Harris-Stowe
Elizabeth Allanach, Health Sciences & Pharmacy
Grace Beyer, Health Sciences & Pharmacy
Arianna Buduan, Health Sciences & Pharmacy
Teresa Cichosz, Health Sciences & Pharmacy
Sara Hameed, Health Sciences & Pharmacy
Samantha Kasting, Health Sciences & Pharmacy
Samantha Matthews, Health Sciences & Pharmacy
Victoria McDougall, Health Sciences & Pharmacy
Ariana Patillo, Health Sciences & Pharmacy
Lannah Prysi, Health Sciences & Pharmacy
Makenzie Shierding, Health Sciences & Pharmacy
Mari-Hanna Newsom, Lyon
Kristen Baham, Lyon
Allison Byars, Lyon
Kayla Richardson, Lyon
Paige Tate, Lyon
Alexis Allstun, Missouri Baptist
Joelle Atkins, Missouri Baptist
Kacie Daigger, Missouri Baptist
Deyana Dodd, Missouri Baptist
Lauren Ebert, Missouri Baptist
Nyah Ford, Missouri Baptist
Olivia Linneman, Missouri Baptist
Kasey Rice, Missouri Baptist
Tionne Taylor, Missouri Baptist
Aliyah Williams, Missouri Baptist
Kelsie Williams, Missouri Baptist
Kayleigh Winch, Missouri Baptist
Brooke Peters, Stephens
KaLynn Irey, Stephens
Alayasia Douglas, Stephens
Madison Adolphsen, William Woods
Sydney Booker, William Woods
Ruthie Brown, William Woods
Macie Edwards, William Woods
Olivia Hanks, William Woods
Katie Keilholz, William Woods
Kourtney Kendrick, William Woods
Natalie Thomas, William Woods
Jersee Wren, William Woods
Zahryia Baker, Williams Baptist
Destiny Clark, Williams Baptist
Carson Defries, Williams Baptist
Danielle Shepard, Williams Baptist
Kaylee Clark, Williams Baptist
Reesa Hampton, Williams Baptist
Monica Horne, Williams Baptist
Tristan Richards, Williams Baptist
Makala Clayton, Williams Baptist
Zaelin Morris, Williams Baptist
Amanda Nelson, Williams Baptist
Sidney Wire, Williams Baptist
Hailey Carr, Williams Baptist
Maura Thomason, Williams Baptist