ROCK HILL, S.C. – With the conclusion of the 2022-23 regular season, the South Atlantic Conference has released its all-conference teams. Emory & Henry College redshirt freshman Breanna Yarber (Meadowview, Va.) has been selected to the SAC All-Freshman Team by the league's head coaches. Yarber is the first E&H woman from any sport to be recognized on the All-SAC Teams.
RELATED – 2022-23 All-SAC Women's Basketball Awards
Yarber led E&H in scoring at 13.2 points per game which was good for 17th overall in the league. Her 5.7 rebounds per game were second on the squad and 17th in the conference while she finished fourth in the SAC in blocks per game at 1.5.
Over the course of the Wasps' 26-game schedule, Yarber reached double figures in scoring on 18 different occasions with four games of 20 or more. Her season-best was an outpouring of 32 points at Limestone University on January 11. She pulled down six or more rebounds in 15 different games with a season-best of 10 against Mars Hill University (Jan. 4). Yarber also broke the school record for blocks in a game with six at Lincoln Memorial University on February 8 and rejected a program-best 40 shots over the course of the year.
Emory & Henry posted an 8-18 mark on the year with a 5-13 record in conference play. The Wasps finished sixth in the SAC Mountain Division and 11th overall in the league after being picked 13th in the preseason poll.
Catawba College's Lyrik Thorne was selected as SAC Player of the Year while the league's defensive player of the year award went to Mya Belton of Tusculum University. Emily Hege from Wingate University was picked as the SAC Freshman of the Year with Catawba head coach Terence McCutcheon being named SAC Coach of the Year.
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2022-23 SAC Women's Basketball
All-Conference Teams
Player of the Year - Lyrik Thorne, Catawba
Defensive Player of the Year - Mya Belton, Tusculum
Freshman of the Year - Emily Hege, Wingate
Coach of the Year - Terence McCutcheon, Catawba
First Team
Quin Byrd, Limestone
Blaikley Crooks, Lenoir-Rhyne
Jami Tham, Tusculum
Lyrik Thorne, Catawba
Bryanna Troutman, Wingate
Braelyn Wykle, Carson-Newman
Second Team
Janiya Downs, Catawba
Emily Harman, Lenoir-Rhyne
Emily Hege, Wingate
Saquita Joyner, Lincoln Memorial
Diamond McDowell, Anderson
Alexa Smiddy, Lincoln Memorial
Third Team
Mya Belton, Tusculum
Hannah Clark, Wingate
Reagan McCray, Limestone
Sara McIntosh, Catawba
Blayre Shultz, Tusculum
Nia Vanzant, UVA Wise
All-Freshman
Emily Hege, Wingate
Tori Rutherford, Carson-Newman
Ashlyn Sheridan, Anderson
Alexa Smiddy, Lincoln Memorial
Breanna Yarber, Emory & Henry
Statistical Champions
Points Per Game – Braelyn Wykle, Carson-Newman; 21.0
Three-Pointers Per Game – Alexa Smiddy, Lincoln Memorial; 2.81
Rebounds Per Game – Jami Tham, Tusculum; 13.4
Blocked Shots Per Game – Kaitlin Bailey, UVA Wise; 2.00
Field Goal Percentage – Jami Tham, Tusculum; 51.6
Assists Per Game – Caitlin Ross, UVA Wise; 7.6
Assist-to-Turnover Ratio – Megan Landsiedel, Lenoir-Rhyne; 2.50
Steals Per Game – Lyrik Thorne, Catawba; 2.68
Three-Point Field Goal Percentage – Braelyn Wykle, Carson-Newman; 43.7
Free Throw Percentage – Braelyn Wykle, Carson-Newman; 93.0
Team Scoring Offense – Carson-Newman; 74.4
Team Steals Per Game – Catawba; 11.9
Team Field Goal Percentage – Wingate; 45.2
Team FG Percentage Defense – Tusculum; 35.5
Team Assists Per Game – Tusculum; 17.2
Team Rebounds Per Game – Tusuclum; 42.96
Team Blocks Per Game – UVA Wise; 5.4
Team Three-Point FG Percentage – Wingate; 36.8
Team Scoring Defense – Tusculum; 56.0
Team Free Throw Percentage – Lenoir-Rhyne; 77.6
Team Assist-to-Turnover Ratio – Tusculum; 1.14