Portland State's Eryn Jones Named Big Sky Conference Most Valuable Player
Women's All-Conference Team Announced
Complete Release
OGDEN, Utah (March 7, 2011) - The Big Sky Conference has announced the Women’s Basketball All-Conference team and individual award winners for the 2010-11 season. The awards were decided following a vote by the league’s nine head coaches.
Eryn Jones became the first Portland State player in Big Sky history to earn the league’s Most Valuable Player Award. The junior was a unanimous selection to the first team and MVP. This is the first time Jones has been named to the all-conference team.
Montana State’s Sarah Balian and Northern Colorado’s Courtney Stoermer have been selected as the league’s Co-Defensive Players of the Year. Northern Colorado’s D’shara Strange was a unanimous selection for Freshman of the Year, while Courtney VanBrocklin of Portland State was unanimously named Newcomer of the Year.
Jones, a 5-8 junior from Lynnwood, Wash., averaged 14.0 points per game overall and 15.3 in league play to help the Vikings to a share of their first-ever regular season title. Jones is tied for first in the Big Sky with 5.0 assists per game in conference play. She is also ranked second in 3-point percentage with .456 in conference play.
Balian and Stoermer were recognized for their outstanding defensive play throughout the season. This is the second-straight year Balian was named Co-Defensive Player of the Year. Balian recorded 8.8 rebounds a game and 1.8 blocked shots a game in conference play. She started the season with 115 career blocks and now has 162, which ranks her eight all-time in the Big Sky. Stoermer led the Bears defense and consistantly guarded the opponent’s top scoring threat. She was tied seventh in conference play as she averaged 1.9 steals a game. Stoermer has 212 steals so far in her career, which ranks her 14th all-time in the Big Sky.
Northern Colorado’s D’shara Strange finished the conference season fourth in field goal percentage with .497, she was sixth in defensive rebounds with 5.0 a game, tied for seventh in steals with 1.9 a game and 10th in rebounds with 6.4. The freshman had five double-doubles this season.
Portland State’s Courtney VanBrocklin was a unanimous selection for Top Newcomer voted by the coaches. The transfer from Boise State finished the conference season ninth in the league in scoring with 13.9 points a game and 11th in rebounds with 6.2 a game.
2010-11 Big Sky Women’s All-Conference Team
First Team
Player, School
Eryn Jones, Portland State#MVP
Brianne Ryan, Eastern Washington
Chelsea Pickering, Idaho State
Katie Baker, Montana
Rachel Semansky, Montana State
Lauren Oosdyke, Northern Colorado
Second Team
Player, School
Sarah Balian, Montana State
Katie Bussey, Montana State
Amy Patton, Northern Arizona
Courtney Stoermer, Northern Colorado
Courtney Vanbrocklin, Portland State
#Unanimous selection
Honorable Mention: Chene Cooper, Eastern Washington; Julie Piper, Eastern Washington; Kaela Oakes, Idaho State; Ashleigh Vella, Idaho State; Lyndi Seidensticker, Montana State; D’shara Strange, Northern Colorado; Kelli Vallentine, Portland State; Kylie Kuhns, Sacramento State and Caitlin Anderson, Weber State.
Most Valuable Player: Eryn Jones, Jr., Portland State
Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Sarah Balian, Sr., Montana State and Courtney Stoermer, Sr., Northern Colorado
Top Newcomer: Courtney VanBrocklin, So., Portland State
Outstanding Freshman: D’shara Strange, Northern Colorado