University of Tennessee at Chattanooga senior Lakelyn Bouldin is the 2020 recipient of the Southern Conference Ann Lashley Inspiration Award, the league office announced Tuesday.
Bouldin also is among four UTC players named to the SoCon coaches' and media all-conference women's basketball teams. Bouldin, the guard from Van Buren County who has started 117 Mocs games, and Bria Dial were named to the Sports Media Association all-conference third team, while senior NaKeia Burks was selected to the SoCon coaches' all-defensive team and Dena Jarrells earned a spot on both the coaches' and media all-freshman teams.
The Ann Lashley Award, named in honor of a former Elon University basketball coach, is given annually to a player or coach who displays courage or service. Bouldin has led the Mocs this season in scoring with 12.3 points per game and climbed to eighth all-time on the program's career scoring list with 1,439 points.
Dial is the Mocs' leader in conference play with 14.5 points per game. She has made a team-best 48 3-pointers and is second in overall scoring with a 10.3 average. She is second also in steals and has 35 assists.
Burks, a graduate student, is averaging 7.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game and has 30 steals and seven blocked shots. She has a team-high 73 assists and has shot 41.7% from the field.
Staff Photo by Robin Rudd / UTC's Lakelyn Bouldin was named Tuesday the 2020 recipient of the Southern Conference's Ann Lashley Inspiration Award.Jarrells, who has played the most minutes of any UTC reserve, has averaged 3.9 points and dished out 39 assists in an average 16 minutes on the court. She has made 18 3-pointers and 87% of her free throws.
The four honorees will help lead the Mocs as they open against Mercer at 3:30 p.m. Thursday in the Ingles Southern Conference tournament at the Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville, North Carolina.
UNC Greensboro's Nadine Soliman was chosen the player of the year by both the coaches and the media, while Wofford forward Lilly Hatton was both groups' freshman of the year by both groups. UNCG's Trina Patterson was voted coach of the year by her peers, while the media honored both Patterson and first-year Samford coach Carley Kuhns.
Mercer forward Shannon Titus was named the defensive player of the year by the coaches. Other first-team coaches' selections were Mercer's Jaron Doughtery, Wofford's Chloe Wanink and Samford's Natalie Armstrong and Sarah Myers. The media first team included Furman's Tierra Hodges in place of Doughtery.
A list of all honorees can be found on SoConsports.com.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296; follow on Twitter @youngsports22.