Top Players in Women's Basketball Recognized for 2023-24 Season
The Division II Women's Basketball All-Region teams were released on Monday, representing the best players from the 2023-24 season.
Ten total players made up the First Team selections -- with DMACC, Iowa Western, Kirkwood, and NIACC each contributing more than one player.
McKenna Minter headlined the First Team members as she was named the ICCAC Division II Women's Basketball Player of the Year.
Minter averaged 21.1 points a game in her 20 conference games, second to Allison Richards or Northeast who scored at 23.8 on average. Minter shot 45.3% from the field on an average of 17 shot attempts per game. She ranked first in the ICCAC in assists (5.9), free throw attempts (133), field goal attempts (349), and fourth in steals (2.3).
Minter scored 30 or more points in five games this season and had two triple doubles. In 33 games overall she averaged 20.6 points, 7.7 rebounds and 5.8 assists per contest.
Alongside her was Iowa Western's Shannon Niles, who was 11th in the conference in scoring at 13.7 a game. Niles averaged six rebounds a game, was ranked seventh in defensive rebounding at 5.4, and was inside the top 15 in assists, averaging 2.6. In the entire season, Niles only scored single digits in five of 30 games.
Another pair of teammates joined the group in Jenna Twedt and Demetria Prewitt of Kirkwood. Both Twedt and Prewitt were inside the top ten with Prewitt averaging 16.4 (6th) and Twedt averaging 14.2 points (9th). Twedt started all 20 conference games she appeared in and was first in free throw percentage at 87.5%. She also had the fourth-best assist to turnover ratio, averaging 2.5 assists per turnover. Prewitt did most of her damage in the paint. She averaged 7.3 rebounds a game while shooting the ball at a 55.4% clip.
Twedt was named the ICCAC Division II Women's Basketball Newcomer of the Year. She was one of the top long distance shooters in the league, making 57 threes in conference play, just under three per game. She was also one of the league's top defensive players.
DMACC's Reanna Hutchinson and Jaden Ainley also joined the First Teamers this season. Both Hutchinson and Ainley were top five scores in the conference -- Ainley averaged 19.8 (4th) and Hutchinson averaged 17.1 (5th). Each shot nearly the same on the court, as the DMACC products shot over 43% from the field, at least 39% from behind the arc, and over 72% from the free throw line.
The last pair of teammates on the 10 player list were from NIACC, Tori Miller and Madison Hillman.
Since January 16, Miller shot 50% or better from the field 14 different times. While doing so, she averaged 11.8 points and 5.4 rebounds a game. Hillman ranked seventh in the ICCAC in scoring with 15.2 points on 52.1% shooting, which happened to rank fourth. Hillman was fourth in the conference in rebounds per game at 8.9 and also led the blocks category with a total of 50.
Hillman was also tagged with Defensive Player of the Year honors. The freshman center was first in blocks in conference with 50 and was 12th in steals with 34. As mentioned, she was one of the ICCAC's top rebounders as well.
Laney Pilcher was the lone representative from Iowa Central. The Triton freshman was fifth in the league in scoring at 16.9 points in conference games. She was third in free throws made and sixth in field goals made as well.
Allison Richards rounded out the First Team All-Region members. The Hawks' sophomore led the entire ICCAC in scoring at 23.8 points. She shot 40.8% from the field, 38.8% from three, and 79.1% from the charity stripe. She ranked second in the conference in minutes per game, playing on average of 26.1 per contest. Richards scored 30 or more five different times, with her season high, 35 points coming against Southeast on Nov. 7. She also made four or more threes 11 different times this season.
Kim Muhl of Kirkwood was presented the 2023-24 ICCAC Division II Coach of the Year award. This year being his 35th at Kirkwood, he led the Eagles to a 31-2 overall record and a Region 11-A Tournament Championship. They also went 19-1 in conference, sharing the regular season title with Iowa Western. It was their fourth regular season crown in a row.
| First Team All-Region | ||||
| # | Player | College | Pos. | Class |
| 22 | Reanna Hutchinson | DMACC | G | So. |
| 24 | Jaden Ainley | DMACC | G | So. |
| 14 | Laney Pilcher | Iowa Central | G/F | Fr. |
| 2 | Shannon Niles | Iowa Western | G | So. |
| 12 | McKenna Minter | Iowa Western | G | So. |
| 20 | Jenna Twedt | Kirkwood | G | Fr. |
| 23 | Demetria Prewitt | Kirkwood | F | So. |
| 14 | Tori Miller | NIACC | F | Fr. |
| 34 | Madison Hillman | NIACC | C | Fr. |
| 10 | Allison Richards | Northeast | G | So. |
| Second Team All-Region | ||||
| # | Player | College | Pos. | Class |
| 14 | Rebekah Fuller | DMACC | F | So. |
| 12 | Marin Agustsdottir | Ellsworth | G | Fr. |
| 12 | Kaitlyn Tendal | Iowa Central | G | So. |
| 42 | Emma Kanz | Iowa Lakes | C | So. |
| 3 | Blessing Teamer | Iowa Western | G | Fr. |
| 3 | Emily Dreckman | Kirkwood | G | So. |
| 22 | Zhakyla Evans | Kirkwood | G | So. |
| 24 | Kaylee Corbin | Kirkwood | F | So. |
| 5 | Keiara Anderson | NIACC | G | So. |
| 3 | Cassidy Nelson | Southwestern | G | So. |
| Third Team All-Region | ||||
| # | Player | College | Pos. | Class |
| 35 | Hallie Mohr | DMACC | F | So. |
| 14 | Favour Nmecha Anyaele | Ellsworth | F | Fr. |
| 22 | Taylor Ross | Ellsworth | F | Fr. |
| 30 | Emily Theiss | Iowa Central | G/F | So. |
| 14 | Jordyn Stokes | Iowa Lakes | G | Fr. |
| 5 | Caleigh-Rose West | Iowa Western | F | So. |
| 10 | Lizzy Puot | Kirkwood | F | Fr. |
| 2 | Alexis Schroeder | NIACC | PG | Fr. |
| 23 | Danajah Peterson | Southeastern | G/F | So. |
| 24 | Brooklyn Hadl | Southwestern | G | Fr. |
Player of the Year: McKenna Minter, Iowa Western
Coach of the Year: Kim Muhl, Kirkwood
Newcomer of the Year: Jenna Twedt, Kirkwood
Defensive Player of the Year: Madison Hillman, NIACC