KIAC Hands Out Women's Basketball Awards

BEREA, Ky. - The KIAC coaches have announced this year’s All-Conference team and award winners. Asbury’s Bart Flener was named Coach of the Year and junior guard Trenia Barbee won the inaugural Newcomer of the Year Award. The Eagles had four players on the ten member team, the most from any school.

Barbee was chosen as an All-Conference selection in her first year at Asbury, leading the team with 17.3 points per game and 56 steals as the Eagles were co-champs of the regular season with Indiana Southeast after a 9-2 league mark. Barbee ranks third in the KIAC in points, field goal percentage and steals per game.

Joining Barbee on the team were juniors Laura Carroll and Lakin Griffith as well as senior Ellen Gray. Gray is second on the team in points with 13.8 per game and currently leads the NAIA DII in 3-pt shooting at .494 percent. The senior also ranks 7^th in total 3-pointers made with 88, which also set a school record. This is the second selection for Gray, who also was named after the 2008-09 season.

Carroll is making her third straight appearance on the team, finishing with 12.1 points per game and a team-high 103 assists. The junior guard is shooting .476 percent from the floor and .909 from the free-throw line. 

Griffith is making her first appearance on the All-Conference team. For the season she averaged 9.8 points and a team-high 8.1 rebounds per game, which ranks third in the conference. Her seven double-doubles on the season ranks fourth in the conference, and on December 7, Griffith pulled down a league-best 20 rebounds against Taylor (Ind.).

Asbury head coach Bart Flener became the first women’s basketball coach in school history to be named KIAC Coach of the Year in leading the Eagles to their first KIAC regular season championship and their first winning record in school history. They defeated co-champion Indiana Southeast for the first time in school history, sweeping the season series. They had an overall record of 17-11 and earned the top seed in the conference tournament.

Alice Lloyd College forward Ariel Nickell was named Conference Player of the Year leading the conference with 22.5 points per game and was fourth with a field goal percentage of 43.5 percent. Her points per game average was fourth in NAIA Division II. She ranks 18^th nationally with 9.23 rebounds per game.

Player of the Year

Ariel Nickell, Alice Lloyd College

Coach of the Year

Bart Flener, Asbury University

Newcomer of the Year

Trenia Barbee, Asbury University

All-Conference Team