Women's Basketball | 04/01/24 | 10:12 AM
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced the 2023-24 NAIA Women's Basketball All-America Teams. Carroll College's Jamie Pickens has been named the 2024 NAIA National Player of the Year.
Jamie Pickens, a six-foot, two-inch forward from Helena, Mont. was named the 2024 NAIA Women's Basketball Player of the Year, after helping her team to its first NAIA Semifinal appearance in program history.
Simply put, Pickens is the best player to ever don a Carroll Women's Basketball uniform. The National honor cements her legacy as the bar to which all future Saints will be measured, and that bar has been set very high.
The 2023-2024 season was a dominant one for Pickens. She ranked first in the nation in field goals (250-487), free throws (159-197), defensive rebounds (297), total rebounds (396), rebounds per game (11.3), blocks (54), points (661), points per 40 minutes (23.3) and was second in the nation in offensive rebounds (99) and points per game (18.9). The forward recorded 25 double-doubles on the season and posted 32 of 34 games in double-digit points, with 11 games in 20+ points and four games in 30+ points. The senior posted her highest career totals this season in minutes (1,115), field goals (246), free throws (155), free throw percentage (75.4%), total rebounds (391), offensive rebounds (99), defensive rebounds (292), average rebounds (11.5), assists (82), blocks (51), points (649) and points average (19.1).
The highly impressive senior campaign also saw Pickens etch her name all over the top of the Carroll record book. She became only the second Fighting Saint to score 2,000 career points (Jolene Fuzesy - 2,067), and grabbed the all-time rebound mark during Carroll's NAIA WBB Championship run last month (1,035). She finished her career tied for the program lead in career points per game (15.9 ppg), and second in career blocked shots (141), while also leading all players in both field goals attempted and made.
Pickens is also the first player in Carroll history to be named back-to-back first team All-American
"Jamie was the best player in the country all season long." said Head Coach Rachelle Sayers. "This is a tremendous accomplishment for her and a testament to her commitment to this program, this school, and to the Helena community. She was a once-in-a-lifetime player. There will never be another Jamie Pickens, and I'm extremely honored to have coached her for the last four years. Her impact on this team and in this community will be felt for years to come."
All of the selections are made by the NAIA Women's Basketball All-America Committee and are comprised of first, second and third teams.
For more Women's Basketball information, CLICK HERE
Below is the full list of 2024 NAIA Women's Basketball All-America Teams (Alphabetical order by institution)
| FIRST TEAM |
|
|
|
|
| NAME |
INSTITUTION |
POSITION |
CLASS |
HOMETOWN |
| Kaitlynn Wilks* |
Campbellsville (Ky.) |
F |
Gr |
Stanford, Ky. |
| Lauren Lee |
Campbellsville (Ky.) |
G |
Jr |
Dunnville, Ky. |
| Jamie Pickens* |
Carroll (Mont.) |
C |
Sr |
Helena, Mont. |
| Kassie Monday# |
Cumberlands (Ky.) |
G |
Jr |
Clarkrange, Tenn. |
| Savannah Walsdorf |
Dakota State (S.D.) |
F |
Sr |
Kiel, Wis. |
| Macy Sievers |
Dordt (Iowa) |
G |
So |
Storm Lake, Iowa |
| Lilli Frasure^ |
Indiana Wesleyan |
G |
Jr |
Winamac, Ind. |
| Ella Collier*@& |
Marian (Ind.) |
G |
Sr |
Danville, Ind. |
| Jordan Zrust* |
Mayville State (N.D.) |
G |
Sr |
Buffalo, Minn. |
| Ashlee Maldonado |
Providence (Mont.) |
G |
Sr |
Sunnyside, Wash. |
| Grace Beyer*% |
UHSP (Mo.) |
PG |
Sr |
Eagle, Wis. |
| Melissa Akullu*~ |
Vanguard (Calif.) |
C/F |
Sr |
Kampala, Uganda |
| SECOND TEAM |
|
|
|
|
| NAME |
INSTITUTION |
POSITION |
CLASS |
HOMETOWN |
| Konnor Sudmann^ |
Briar Cliff (Iowa) |
G |
Gr |
Treynor, Iowa |
| Nicole McDermott |
Clarke (Iowa) |
G |
Sr |
Cascade, Iowa |
| Taysha Rushton |
Concordia (Neb.) |
G |
Sr |
Midland, Texas |
| Mak Hatcliff |
Doane (Neb.) |
G |
Jr |
Beatrice, Neb. |
| Erika Foy |
Indiana Tech |
F |
Gr |
Gas City, Ind. |
| Jessica Carrothers |
IU Northwest (Ind.) |
G |
So |
Highland, Ind. |
| Tarrah Stephens^ |
John Brown (Ark.) |
F |
Gr |
Wyandotte, Okla. |
| Callie Stevens^~ |
Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) |
G |
Sr |
Puyallup, Wash. |
| Abbey McNally |
Marian (Ind.) |
F |
So |
Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Kiara Brown# |
Menlo (Calif.) |
G |
Sr |
Puyallup, Wash. |
| Jordan Sweeney |
Montana Western |
G |
Sr |
Oakley, Calif. |
| Alana Nelson |
Spring Arbor (Mich.) |
F/C |
Sr |
Springport, Mich. |
| THIRD TEAM |
|
|
|
|
| NAME |
INSTITUTION |
POSITION |
CLASS |
HOMETOWN |
| Alyssa Alvarez |
Arizona Christian |
G |
Sr |
Scottsdale, Ariz. |
| Samantha Russell |
Bryan (Tenn.) |
F |
Sr |
Tellico Plains, Tenn. |
| Kayley Frank |
College of the Ozarks (Mo.) |
G |
Sr |
Strafford, Mo. |
| DeLaney Horstman |
Columbia (Mo.) |
F |
Jr |
Mokane, Mo. |
| Karly Gustafson^ |
Dordt (Iowa) |
F |
Gr |
Ethan, S.D. |
| Maya Buckhanon^ |
Fisk (Tenn.) |
PF |
Sr |
Talladega, Ala. |
| Erin Toller |
Georgetown (Ky.) |
G |
So |
Louisville, Ky. |
| Ella Larsen |
Grand View (Iowa) |
G |
Jr |
Fonda, Iowa |
| Jordan Reid |
Indiana Wesleyan |
F |
Sr |
New Palestine, Ind. |
| Tenleigh Phelps |
IU South Bend (Ind.) |
G |
Jr |
Shelbyville, Ind. |
| Sandra Cannady# |
Loyola (La.) |
F |
Fr |
The Woodlands, Texas |
| Molly Schany |
Northwestern (Iowa) |
F |
Sr |
Emmetsburg, Iowa |
| Haley Cox |
Ohio Christian |
G |
Sr |
Columbus, Ohio |
| Olivia Sprague |
Oregon Tech |
G |
Jr |
Clatskanie, Ore. |
| Kayla Schroeder |
Park Gilbert (Ariz.) |
G |
So |
Neenah, Wis. |
| Tanea Sims |
Saint Mary (Kan.) |
F |
Sr |
Houston, Texas |
| Bekki Kalaydjiev |
Southeastern (Fla.) |
G |
Gr |
Vienna, Austria |
| Kami Walk |
Southern Oregon |
F |
Sr |
Eugene, Ore. |
| Kayla Williams |
Texas A&M Texarkana |
F |
Jr |
San Diego, Calif. |
| Megan Nestor |
Wayland Baptist (Texas) |
P |
So |
Canaries, St. Lucia |
Previous All-America Key
- * 2023 1st team
- ^ 2023 2nd team
- # 2023 3rd team
- % 2022 1st team
- @ 2022 2nd team
- ~ 2022 3rd team
- ` 2021 1st team
- & 2020 2nd team
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