CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Senior Emma Bockrath has been named Big South Preseason Player of the Year and senior Shea Morgan was voted Preseason All-Big South Second Team as the High Point University women’s basketball team was chosen to finish second by the conference’s coaches, the Big South announced Tuesday, Oct. 23.
Bockrath who was the 2016-17 Big South Player of the Year, becomes the first Panther to win the preseason honor two times after being named the Big South Preseason Player of the Year prior to last season. HPU alums Kaylah Keys (2014-15), Jurica Hargraves (2009-10) and Katie O’Dell (2005-06) were all named Big South Preseason Player of the Year once in their careers. The preseason selection has won the postseason award 10 times in the 21 years of predicting the player of the year.
Bockrath averaged 13.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.4 steals and 2.4 assists while shooting 39.1 percent from the field, which put her top-10 in the Big South in all categories. She took home Big South First Team and Big South All-Tournament honors in the 2017-18 season. The Dayton, Ohio, native was selected as the 2016-17 Big South Player of the Year and named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District team. She has started all 92 games of her HPU career while averaging 12.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per appearance. She is a three-time Millis Scholar-Athlete.
Morgan was named to the Preseason All-Big South second team after starting all 31 games and averaging 9.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game last season. She recorded her career-high 20 points last season against Virginia Tech. Morgan finished top-20 in the Big South in scoring, rebounding and assists last season. The Kettering, Ohio, native is a three-time Mills Scholar-Athlete.
Radford (116 points) was picked to win the Big South after receiving nine of the 11 first-place votes.
After finishing fourth in the Big South in the 2017-18 season, HPU (102) received two first-place votes and was picked to finish second in the conference. UNC Asheville (100) came in right behind the Panthers after losing in the Big South Conference Tournament Championship last season.
Hampton (89) was the coaches’ fourth pick, while Campbell (81) was chosen fifth. Only two points separated Charleston Southern (55) and Presbyterian (53) for sixth and seventh. Gardner-Webb (49) and USC Upstate (35) were picked eighth and ninth, respectively. At the bottom of the Big South, Longwood (32) and Winthrop (14) were
picked tenth and 11th.
BIG SOUTH PRESEASON POLL
Rk. Team Points 1. Radford (9 First-Place Votes) 116 2. High Point (2) 102 3. UNC Asheville 100 4. Hampton 89 5. Campbell 81 6. Charleston Southern 55 7. Presbyterian 53 8. Gardner-Webb 49 9. USC Upstate 35 10. Longwood 32 11. Winthrop 14
PRESEASON ALL-BIG SOUTH TEAMS
FIRST TEAM
Emma Bockrath – High Point
Destinee Walker – Radford
Jessica Wall – UNC Asheville
Kacie Hall – Presbyterian
K’lynn Willis – Hampton
SECOND TEAM
Weknyme Dumorne – Charleston Southern
Shea Morgan – High Point
Ky’Asia Stanford – Gardner-Webb
Lydia Rivers – Radford
Rachel Burns – Charleston Southern