Charlotte, N.C. - Gardner-Webb senior Margaret Roundtree was tabbed the Big South Player of the Year, while head coach Rick Reeves was named the Big South Coach of the Year, as the Lady Bulldogs received five different conference postseason awards by the League's head coaches and media panel, it was announced this evening.

 

In addition to Reeves and Roundtree's awards, Roundtree was also named to the First-Team All-Conference Team, where she was joined by junior guard Dominique Hudson.  Sharp-shooter Courtney Epps was named to the Second-Team All-Conference team, while senior point guard Meranda Burnett was named to the Academic All-Conference Team.

 

Coach Reeves was named the Big South Coach of the Year for the fourth time in his career and the first while at GWU. Reeves lead the Lady Bulldogs to the 2009-10 Big South Conference Regular Season Championship and the No. 1 seed in this weekend's postseason conference tournament.  Reeves spearheaded the historical season for GWU, as the regular season championship was the first-ever in the women's program history, while its 26 wins set a new GWU record for the most wins in a single season. Reeves, who currently ranks No. 3 all-time in Big South Conference history with 167 wins, has had his team in the spotlight all season, garnering votes in the USA TODAY/ESPN Division I Coaches' Poll consistently all season, ranking as high as No. 29 in the country.  His squad was 14-2 in home games this season and 10-1 in contests on the road, including an 8-0 mark on the road in Big South action.  One of the Lady Bulldogs' biggest wins this season came on Dec. 21 as they downed Purdue on the road to record the program's first-ever win over a Big Ten foe.  He recorded 17 top votes to finish with 53 points in the voting, ahead of Julie Goodenough of Charleston Southern who earned one first-place vote and 27 points.

 

The Big South Player of the Year and First-Team All-Conference selection Roundtree made history this season, as she was the 14th Lady Bulldog to join the 1,000 point club and became GWU's Division I career made field goals leader this season, surpassing Casey Collins.  Roundtree finished the regular season second on the team in scoring at 12.4 points per game and first on the team in rebounding at 6.7 boards per game, which ranked sixth and seventh in the conference statistics, respectively.  The two-time Big South Player of the Week selection ranks fifth in the conference in field goal percentage, shooting 47.3 percent, and 10th in blocked shots with an average of 0.66 per game.  Roundtree sits in third-place overall in the Big South in offensive rebounds with 2.76 per game and is fourth in minutes played, averaging a team-high 31.9 minutes per game.  The senior forward has posted three double-doubles on the season and has scored in double figures in 22 games thus far this season for GWU. .  She collected six first-place votes to finish with 142 points, ahead of teammate Dominique Hudson who notched seven No. 1 bids and 137 points.

 

Hudson, who like Roundtree was a preseason all-conference selection this year, backed it up this season, as the junior guard became GWU's Division I career assists leader, surpassing Collins who previously held the record with 316 dimes.  Hudson dished out a League and team-high 138 assists on the season and was second in the conference in steals with 69 total thefts, also a team-high.  The Rocky Mount, N.C. native posted a 1.18 assist/turnover ratio, which was third best in the Big South, and finished the regular season third on the team and 11th in the conference in points with 11.0 points per contest.  Hudson, who was named the Big South Player of the Week on January 12, has scored in double figures 16 times and has dished out a season-high nine assists on three different occasions this season.

 

Epps, who earned a spot on the Second-Team All-Conference team, finished the season strong for the Lady Bulldogs, leads the team and is fifth in the League in scoring with 12.8 points per game.  The junior guard is second in the Big South in three-point field goal percentage, shooting 40.4 percent, third in the conference in field goal percentage at 49 percent and third in three-point field goals made with 55 total treys.  The leading outside threat for Coach Reeves' squad this season, Epps was the leading scorer for GWU in 12 games on the year, including scoring a career-high 25 points in the win at home versus Winthrop.  Epps, who has scored in double figures in 20 games this year for the Lady Bulldogs, is second on the team with a 79.7 free throw percentage and third on the team with 47 steals on the year.

 

Burnett, which has been a staple in the backcourt for the Lady Bulldogs over the last four years, earned a spot on the Academic All-Conference Team with her cumulative grade point average of 3.57 in her sports management major.  The senior guard has never missed a game during her time at GWU, playing in 123 contests over her career, picking up 73 starts along the way.  Burnett ranks third in the GWU Division I record book with 269 career assists and leads the team in free throw shooting this year, shooting 88.5 percent from the charity stripe.  The senior co-captain is averaging 18.7 minutes per game and has shown great leadership skills in helping lead the GWU to a handful of school records this season.

 

The five awards are the most ever received in one season by the Lady Bulldogs since moving to NCAA Division I in 2000-01.

 

Gardner-Webb (26-3) will look to continue its record setting season this weekend, as the Lady Bulldogs will enter the 2010 Advance Auto Parts Big South Women's Basketball Championship tournament as the No. 1 seed.  GWU will take on the No. 8 UNCA Bulldogs in the first game of the tournament on Friday, March 12 at 12 noon in the Millis Center on the campus of High Point University.

 

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2009-10 Big South Conference Women's Basketball Award Winners

First-Team All-Conference

Margaret Roundtree, Gardner-Webb

Dominique Hudson, Gardner-Webb

Devon Brown, Liberty

Avery Warley, Liberty

Shanice Cole, Winthrop

 

Second-Team All-Conference

Katie Tull, Charleston Southern

Kelsey Wasmer, Charleston Southern

Sydnei Moss, Coastal Carolina

Courtney Epps, Gardner-Webb

Kymesha Alston, Radford (tie)

Amanda Stull, Coastal Carolina (tie)

 

All-Freshman Team

Mariah Pietrowski, Presbyterian College

Da'Naria Erwin Spencer, Radford

Helen Terry, Charleston Southern

Dria David, Presbyterian College

Jelena Antic, Liberty

 

Academic All-Conference

Amanda Stull, Coastal Carolina

Mackenzie Maier, High Point

Kelsey Wasmer, Charleston Southern

Kylee Beecher, Liberty

Meranda Burnett, Gardner-Webb

Lacey Lyons, Winthrop

Amanda Mills, Presbyterian College

Lindsey Montgomery, UNC Asheville

Kaylyn Crosier, Radford

 

Player of the Year

Margaret Roundtree, Gardner-Webb

 

Defensive Player of the Year

Amanda Stull, Coastal Carolina

 

Freshman of the Year

Mariah Pietrowski, Presbyterian College

 

Coach of the Year

Rick Reeves, Gardner-Webb

 

Scholar-Athlete of the Year

Amanda Stull, Coastal Carolina