DENVER - The 2008-09 all-Western Athletic Conference teams have been named, following a vote of the WAC’s head coaches. Louisiana Tech’s
Shanavia Dowdell headlines the awards, earning the WAC Player of the Year honor.
Dowdell, a 6-1 forward from Calera, Ala. (Calera HS), becomes the sixth player in Louisiana Tech history to earn the award. She led the WAC in scoring with 16.0 points on 53 percent shooting, and ranked second with 9.7 rebounds per game. She also tallied a WAC-best 16 double-doubles, including eight in conference games, and was named WAC Player of the Week three times.
First-year head coach
Jon Newlee earns Idaho’s first-ever WAC Coach of the Year honors. Newlee led the Vandals to a 10-6 record through WAC play, tied for third place. The 10 WAC wins is Idaho’s highest single-season total since joining the league in 2005, while the third-place WAC finish is the highest-ever for the Vandal women. Entering this year, Idaho had 11 total WAC wins in three previous seasons.
Nevada’s
Dellena Criner earned the WAC’s Defensive Player of the Year honor for the second year in a row. Criner, a 5-7 guard from Oakland, Calif. (Fremont HS), averaged 2.25 steals per game in WAC play. Criner was also named first team all-WAC and to the all-Defensive team.
Idaho’s
Derisa Taleni is the WAC’s Newcomer of the Year. Taleni, a 5-9 junior guard from Santa Clara, Calif. (De Anza College), becomes the second Idaho player to receive the honor. In WAC play, Taleni ranked third in the conference in scoring with 15.1 points per game, tied for sixth in steals (1.8) and 11th in rebounding (5.8).
Four different schools are represented on the first team, including Louisiana Tech’s Dowdell and
Adrienne Johnson, Fresno State’s
Jaleesa Ross, Nevada’s Criner and Utah State’s
Danyelle Snelgro. Criner earns her third-straight all-WAC first team honor, while Dowdell, Johnson, Ross and Snelgro receive the first team honor for the first time. Ross was named to last year’s all-WAC second team.
The all-WAC second teamers were
Yinka Olorunnife and Taleni of Idaho, Fresno State’s
Hayley Munro,
Madison Spence of New Mexico State, and Utah State’s
Ana Pares. All five are making their first appearance on the team.
The all-Freshman team contains five players from three different teams, including Boise State’s
Heather Pilcher and
Courtney VanBrocklin, New Mexico State’s
Kaitlyn Soto and
Tabytha Wampler, and Idaho’s
Shaena-Lyn Kuehu.
Criner headlined the all-Defensive team, making her third-straight appearance. Joining her on the team are
Jenna Galassi of Boise State, Idaho’s Olorunnife, Johnson of Louisiana Tech and Utah State’s Snelgro.
The 2009 WAC Tournament will be held March 10-14, at the Lawlor Events Center in Reno, Nev. The women’s tournament schedule includes one first round game on March 10, four quarterfinal games on March 11, semifinals on March 13 and the championship game on March 14. Saturday’s title game will be televised on ESPNU on tape delay at midnight Eastern Time.
The complete WAC all-conference team and additional honors follow.
2008-09 All-Western Athletic Conference Teams
First Team All-WAC
| Dellena Criner |
Nevada |
G |
5-7 |
Sr. |
Oakland, Calif. (Fremont) |
| Shanavia Dowdell |
Louisiana Tech |
F |
6-1 |
Jr. |
Calera, Ala. (Calera) |
|
| Adrienne Johnson |
Louisiana Tech |
F |
6-1 |
So. |
Franklin, La. (Franklin) |
| Jaleesa Ross |
Fresno State |
G |
5-8 |
So. |
Pinole, Calif. (Pinole Valley) |
| Danyelle Snelgro |
Utah State |
G |
5-5 |
Sr. |
Altadena, Calif. (John Muir) |
Second Team All-WAC
| Hayley Munro |
Fresno State |
G/F |
6-1 |
So. |
Montmorency, Victoria, Australia (Viewbank College) |
| Yinka Olorunnife |
Idaho |
F |
6-1 |
So. |
Windsor, Ontario, Canada (National Elite Academy) |
| Ana Pares |
Utah State |
G |
5-8 |
Sr. |
Provo, Utah (Timpview) |
| Madison Spence |
New Mexico State |
G |
5-11 |
So. |
Las Cruces, N.M. (Mayfield) |
| Derisa Taleni |
Idaho |
G |
5-9 |
Jr. |
Santa Clara, Calif. (De Anza College) |
All-Defensive Team
| Dellena Criner |
Nevada |
G |
5-7 |
Sr. |
Oakland, Calif. (Fremont) |
| Jenna Galassi |
Boise State |
F |
5-10 |
Sr. |
Yorba Linda, Calif. (Esperanza) |
| Adrienne Johnson |
Louisiana Tech |
F |
6-1 |
So. |
Franklin, La. (Franklin) |
| Yinka Olorunnife |
Idaho |
F |
6-1 |
So. |
Windsor, Ontario, Canada (National Elite Academy) |
| Danyelle Snelgro |
Utah State |
G |
5-5 |
Sr. |
Altadena, Calif. (John Muir) |
All-Freshman Team
| Shaena-Lyn Kuehu |
Idaho |
G |
5-9 |
Honolulu, Hawai?i (Punahou Schools) |
| Heather Pilcher |
Boise State |
G |
5-8 |
Lynwood, Calif. (Lynwood) |
| Kaitlyn Soto |
New Mexico State |
G |
5-8 |
Santa Ana, Calif. (Mater Dei) |
| Courtney VanBrocklin |
Boise State |
G |
5-7 |
Deming, Wash. (Mount Baker) |
| Tabytha Wampler |
New Mexico State |
F |
6-1 |
Cottonwood, Calif. (West Valley) |
Player of the Year: Shanavia Dowdell, Louisiana Tech
Defensive Player of the Year: Dellena Criner, Nevada
Newcomer of the Year: Derisa Taleni, Idaho
Coach of the Year: Jon Newlee, Idaho