OKLAHOMA CITY - Following their successful defense of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Division I title on Saturday, the awards began rolling in for the Mid-America Christian University women's basketball team.
Shaylan Coleman and Alexis Shannon racked up five awards between the two players from the NCCAA and from OklahomaSports.net.
Coleman was named the NCCAA Championship Most Outstanding Player after a phenomenal performance in the tournament. Coleman averaged 19.3 points per game in the Championship, and she stepped things up in the semifinal and the title match in a big way. Against Grace College (Ind.) in the semifinal, Coleman poured in 27 points, and she grabbed seven rebounds, dished out eight assists, and picked up six steals. She was nearly as good in the final against Brewton-Parker College (Ga.), as she scored 21 points, and she had eight boards, five assists, and seven steals.
Coleman also earned Third Team NCCAA All-America honors in her lone season with the Evangels. Coleman averaged 14.8 points per game, and she posted four double-doubles during the year, including the first tiple-double of the NAIA-era of MACU hoops. She handed out 4.2 assists per game, and in doing so, she notched the second highest single season assist total for a MACU player since the 2007-08 season.
Shannon was also excellent in the Championship, earning a spot on the All-Tournament team. Shannon averaged 24 points per game in the NCCAA tournament, and she equalled a career-high with 32 points against Grace. Shannon had a pair of double-doubles in the tournament, and she also scored 21 points and had nine rebounds in the title game.
Shannon earned a pair of season awards over the weekend, one from the NCCAA and one from OSN. Shannon was named a First Team NCCAA All-American, and she earned First Team All-OSN honors for small college women's basketball. Shannon scored 613 points on the season, eclipsing the 1,200 point mark in just two seasons as an Evangel. Shannon averaged an even 18 points per game on the season, and she finished the season in seventh on MACU's all-time scoring list. The senior-to-be will have a chance to climb the scoring ranks from the start of next season, as she currently trails Ashley Hewitt for sixth by only 13 points.
