Howard redshirt senior Te’Shya Heslip was named the 2017 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Player of the Year, the conference announced today. Coppin State’s Chance Graham was selected as the Rookie of the Year, while Kailyn Williams, from Bethune-Cookman, earned the Defensive Player of the Year honor. Bethune-Cookman head coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis was named the MEAC Coach of the Year.
All awards were voted on by the conference’s head coaches and sports information directors.
Heslip led the Bison and ranked third in the MEAC in scoring, averaging 15.1 points a contest after starting all 28 games. She led the MEAC in assists (144) and steals (102), while ranking fifth nationally in steals per game (3.6). Heslip recorded one 30-point performance and had six 20-point games this season. She also notched a triple-double of 12 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists in a victory over Florida A&M. A four-time MEAC Player of the Week, Heslip totaled 423 points, 144 rebounds, 144 assists and 102 steals during the regular season.
Graham averaged 6.8 points and 8.7 rebounds per game for the Lady Eagles. A five-time MEAC Rookie of the Week, Graham played in all 28 games during the regular season. She posted four double-doubles this season, including a career-high 14 points and 16 rebounds against Norfolk State. She finished the season with 190 points, 244 rebounds, 25 steals, 16 blocks and 10 assists.
Williams, the 2016 MEAC Defensive Player of the Year, totaled 218 rebounds, with 154 coming off the defensive glass. She also had 23 steals and led the conference with 108 blocks in 27 games played for the Lady Wildcats. This was her third season with at least 100 blocks, and Williams ranks second in the nation in both total blocks and blocked shots per game (4.0). Offensively, she scored a career-high 24 points against Tennessee State.
Blair-Lewis was selected Coach of the Year for the second year in a row after guiding the Lady Wildcats to a 19-9 overall mark and a 15-1 conference record. She also led her team to its second straight regular-season championship; the Lady Wildcats won the title outright this season after sharing the crown with North Carolina A&T State last year.
Heslip and Williams are joined on the 2017 All-MEAC First Team by Coppin State’s Genesis Lucas, Norfolk State’s Kayla Roberts and Delaware State’s NaJai Pollard.
The 2017 regular season champion, All-MEAC First Team members and All-MEAC honorees, including Player, Rookie, Defensive Player and Coach of the Year selections, will be recognized in pre-game presentations prior to their first games of the 2017 MEAC Basketball Tournament. Tournament play tips off March 6-11 at the Scope Arena in Norfolk, Va.
2016-17 Women’s Basketball All-MEAC Teams
As voted on by the conference’s head coaches and sports information directors.
Player of the Year: Te’Shya Heslip, Howard
Rookie of the Year: Chance Graham, Coppin State
Defensive Player of the Year: Kailyn Williams, Bethune-Cookman
Coach of the Year: Vanessa Blair-Lewis, Bethune-Cookman
| FIRST TEAM | |||||
| Name | Pos. | Ht. | Class | School | Hometown |
| Te’Shya Heslip | G | 5-5 | r-Sr. | Howard | Washington, D.C. |
| Genesis Lucas | G | 5-7 | r-Jr. | Coppin State | Brandywine, Md. |
| Kayla Roberts | G/F | 6-1 | Jr. | Norfolk State | Miami, Fla. |
| NaJai Pollard | F | 5-11 | So. | Delaware State | Richmond, Va. |
| Kailyn Williams | C | 6-4 | Sr. | Bethune-Cookman | New Orleans, La. |
| SECOND TEAM | |||||
| Name | Pos. | Ht. | Class | School | Hometown |
| Kendra Cooper | G | 5-5 | Sr. | Bethune-Cookman | Spring, Texas |
| Bryeasha Blair | G | 5-4 | Gr. | South Carolina State | Chicago, Ill. |
| Ashanti Hunt | G/F | 5-11 | So. | Bethune-Cookman | Washington, D.C. |
| Kaylah Lupoe | F | 56-2 | Jr. | Hampton | Phoenix, Ariz. |
| Tiyonda Davis | C | 6-4 | Sr. | Savannah State | Athens, Ga. |
| THIRD TEAM | |||||
| Name | Pos. | Ht. | Class | School | Hometown |
| Kenyata Hendrix | G | 5-10 | Sr. | Savannah State | Carrollton, Ga. |
| Jordan Strode | G | 5-8 | r-Sr. | Norfolk State | Charlotte, N.C. |
| Sydni Johnson | G/F | 6-0 | Sr. | Howard | Homewood, Ill. |
| Taylor Houston | F | 6-0 | Sr. | Bethune-Cookman | Raleigh, N.C. |
| Chance Graham | C | 5-11 | Fr. | Coppin State | Upper Marlboro, Md. |
| ALL-ROOKIE TEAM |
|||||
| Name | Pos. | Ht. | Class | School | Hometown |
| Chance Graham | C | 5-11 | Fr. | Coppin State | Upper Marlboro, Md. |
| Alexus Lessears | C | 6-3 | Fr. | North Carolina A&T State | Cleveland, Ohio |
| Ashley Bates | G | 5-7 | Fr. | Hampton | Hopkins, Minn. |
| Sarah Edmond | G | 5-9 | Fr. | Howard | Freeport, N.Y. |
| Jayla Myles | C | 6-2 | Fr. | Howard | Rochester, N.Y. |
