FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – The USA South Athletic Conference has announced its All-Conference awards for women’s basketball. A total of 31 student-athletes have been named to the USA South All-Conference teams. Greensboro College’s Dione Eccles (Clemmons NC/West Forsyth) earned Player of the Year honors and her coach, Jason Tuggle, was named Coach of the Year.
Eccles, a freshman from Clemmons, North Carolina, led The Pride in scoring this season by averaging 19.6 points per game. Her scoring output ranked second in the USA South while her 3.8 steals per game was atop the league leaders. Additionally, Eccles averaged 6.8 rebounds per contest which ranked tenth in the Conference. Eccles, who also was named First Team All-Conference for the second consecutive year, was named the league’s player of the week four times this season.
Tuggle, in his seventh year as the head coach of The Pride, led Greensboro to the program’s fourth regular season crown in the last five years. The Pride finished the regular season with 19-consecutive wins, compiling an overall record 24-1 with an unprecedented 18-0 mark in USA South play. This is Tuggle’s fourth coach of the year honor in the last five years. The Pride now look to capture the USA South Tournament Championship for the second consecutive year.
Senior Chelsea Thomas (Durham NC/Apex) was GC’s representative on the conference’s sportsmanship team.
Player of the Year
Dione Eccles (Clemmons NC/West Forsyth) – Greensboro
Rookie of the Year
Kimmy Hopkins – Christopher Newport
Coach of the Year
Jason Tuggle – Greensboro
First Team
Danielle Duncan (Greensboro, NC/Ragsdale) – Greensboro
Dione Eccles (Clemmons NC/West Forsyth) – Greensboro
Dezzire Gilliard – Methodist
Chelsie Schweers – Christopher Newport
Tonya Wright – Ferrum
Player of the Year: Dione Eccles (Clemmons NC/West Forsyth) – Greensboro
Rookie of the Year: Kimmy Hopkins – Christopher Newport
Coach of the Year: Jason Tuggle – Greensboro
Second Team
Essence Chambers – N.C. Wesleyan
Kim Enoch (Mebane, NC/Bartlett Yancey) – Greensboro
Katherine Flint – Shenandoah
Jessica Moore – Christopher Newport
Ashley Washington – Averett
Third Team
Brittney Bullock – Ferrum
Miranda Carrasco – Ferrum
Brittany Cornelius – Meredith
Christy Freeman – Peace
Kimmy Hopkins – Christopher Newport
Honorable Mention
LeAnne Horne – Peace
Mandy Johnston – Shenandoah
Kristen Keith – Ferrum
Caprice Laws – Ferrum
Taylor Poirier – Averett
Nikki Wilborn (Graham NC/Graham) – Greensboro
All-Sportsmanship Team
Nikki Huffman – Averett
Mary Kate Williams – Christopher Newport
Shawnese Parker – Ferrum
Chelsea Thomas (Durham NC/Apex) – Greensboro
Sabrina Desper – Mary Baldwin
Hunter Johnson – Meredith
Adriana Wilson – Methodist
Dani Abbey – N.C. Wesleyan
Brenna Mickey – Peace
Stephanie Harrold – Shenandoah