Cal Poly junior forward Molly Schlemer earned the Mustangs fourth consecutive Big West Player of the Year award, highlighting the seasonal accolades that are voted on by the league’s head coaches. UC Riverside’s Brittany Crain was recognized as the Freshman of the Year, while Lynne Roberts earned Coach of the Year honors for the regular season champion Pacific Tigers.
Schlemer continued Cal Poly’s monopoly on the league’s Player of the Year award after an efficient junior campaign. Schlemer, a native of Santa Maria, 12.7 points and 6.8 rebounds, while shooting 55.6% from the field in only 21.0 minutes per game over 29 contests (27 starts). Schlemer also picked up 20 blocks and recorded six double-doubles. She was a force during conference play, upping her scoring to 15.2 points, 7.7 rebounds and 59.0% shooting in 18 games. Big West play also saw Schelmer record five of her double doubles and come up with some dazzling stat lines in big moments. She led the Mustangs with a career-best 28 points in 28 minutes on 13-17 shooting in a triple overtime win over regular season champion Pacific, posted 20 points and 12 rebounds in 36 minutes in a key late season home win over Hawai’i and scored 18 points on 7-for-13 shooting with 13 rebounds in 32 minutes in a road win over rival UC Santa Barbara. In all, Schlemer led Cal Poly in scoring 11 times, 10 of which came against Big West foes, and won the league’s Player of the Week award on two occasions.
Crain, a highly touted newcomer from Moreno Valley, Calif., is just the second player in program history to win the Freshman of the Year (Kemie Nkele - 2005). Crain played in all 29 games for UCR, starting 27 times and playing 33.1 minutes a night, the fourth most in the league. She also ranks fourth in the league in scoring (14.3), 14th in rebounding (5.6), eighth in steals (1.8) and fourth in overall minutes (960). During conference play, Crain averaged 14.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and colleted 31 steals in 17 outings. Crain showed her promise throughout the season, collecting 25 points and 12 rebounds in a tight loss to Pacific and 23 points, eight rebounds and four assists in an overtime home win over Utah State. Crain was at her best during the stretch run, averaging 19.1 points, 7.4 rebounds over her final seven games of the season.
Roberts, the first Coach of the Year recipient in Tiger history, led Pacific to its best season in program history in its final go-round in the Big West. Roberts’ team has set program records for overall wins (24), conference wins (14) and earned the top seed at the Big West Tournament for the first time in school history. Roberts also coached two first team All-Big West players, the first time since 2002 that the Tigers have earned two first teamers. Among the highlights for Pacific this season were a 13-2 home record, a win over regional rival Saint Mary’s and leading the Big West in scoring (70.1), scoring margin (+10.2) and ranking fourth in points allowed (59.9).
The Big West first team consists of six players from five teams. Pacific’s senior duo of Erica McKenzie and Kendall Rodriguez are the lone pair of teammates on the club, the first time the Tigers have placed two on the first team since Gillian d’Hondt and Seleno Ho were on the 2002 first team. Rodriguez also earned a first team selection for the second consecutive season. Cal Poly’s Schlemer, UC Davis’ Sydnee Fipps, UC Santa Barbara’s Sweets Underwood and Hawai’i Kamilah Martin rounded out the team.
The complete All-Conference teams can be found on the document above.