CHICAGO — Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference regular-season co-champions University of St. Francis and Cardinal Stritch University, along with conference tournament champion Olivet Nazarene University, garnered the most recognition when the league office announced its 2018-19 women’s basketball honor roll Monday night.
Topping the headlines was Cardinal Stritch senior center Kelli Schrauth (Campbellsport, Wis.), who was named the CCAC Player of the Year after ranking second in league games in both scoring (20.8 ppg) and rebounding (11.9). The conference Freshman of the Year four years ago, Schrauth also led the league in field goal percentage (.653) and ranked fourth in blocks per game (1.8).
Other top individual honors went to Robert Morris University Illinois’ Deesha Bradford (Douglasville, Ga.), who claimed CCAC Newcomer of the Year accolades, and Roosevelt University’s Nadia Thorman-McKey (Evanston, Ill.), who was recognized as the CCAC Freshman of the Year.
Bradford, a junior guard, finished her first season in an Eagle uniform as the tenth-leading scorer in league affairs. She averaged 15.3 points per game, keyed by her 2.6 three-pointers made per contest, which ranked fourth best in the CCAC. Her other numbers included 4.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists per outing.
Thorman-McKey, meanwhile, boasted the league’s third-best steal average (2.6 per game) and 11th-best field goal percentage (.467) in conference games leading to a 10.6 scoring average. She also provided an average of 6.2 rebounds per night.
Earning CCAC Coach of the Year honors was St. Francis head coach Steve Brooks, who led his team to a 22-7 regular-season record and a share of the CCAC crown. The second-year USF coach was one of four Saint individuals to garner postseason recognition.
St. Francis and Olivet Nazarene were one of four teams to gain three spots on the 25-member all-league squad and the only two teams to land one player in each of the three sub-groups (first team, second team, honorable mention).
St. Francis’ Kaitlin Aylward (Elmwood Park, Ill.) and Olivet Nazarene’s Jess Learned (Washington, Ill.) were the representatives on the five-member first team, which, for the latter, marked her third straight year in that elite club. Schrauth, meanwhile, earned the first-team distinction for the second year in a row, while Saint Xavier University’s Chanel Fanter (Crystal Lake, Ill.) and Judson University’s Emylyn Wright (Oregon, Ill.) joined Aylward as first-time recipients.
Besides the five players on the first team, the league also recognized 20 other individuals, split evenly between the second team and honorable mention status.
Saint Xavier and St. Ambrose University joined St. Francis and Olivet Nazarene with three all-conference picks each. Cardinal Stritch, Judson, Roosevelt, Governors State University, Holy Cross College and Indiana University South Bend all gained two spots between the three subgroups. Robert Morris University Illinois was also represented by one individual.
Rounding out the list of award winners was Trinity Christian College, which was recognized as the CCAC Champions of Character Team.
ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM
Position Name Class School Hometown
F Kelli Schrauth SR Cardinal Stritch Campbellsport, Wis.
G Emylyn Wright JR Judson Oregon, IL
F Jess Learned SR Olivet Nazarene Washington, Ill.
G/F Chanel Fanter JR Saint Xavier Crystal Lake, Ill.
F/C Kaitlin Aylward JR St. Francis Elmwood Park, Ill.
ALL-CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM
Position Name Class School Hometown
G Timeah Stotts JR Cardinal Stritch Milwaukee, Wis.
PF Amber Brooks JR Governors State Lyons, IL
G Jessica Norris SR Holy Cross Indianapolis, Ind.
F Keysha Streater SR Holy Cross Sapulpa, Oklahoma
G Kayla Ross JR Olivet Nazarene Elgin, Ill.
G/F Lindzy Cox JR Roosevelt Homewood, Ill.
G Aubrie Carlisle SR St. Ambrose Carthage, Ill.
G Gabby Kreykes SO Saint Xavier St. John, Ind.
G Maddie Welter JR Saint Xavier Arlington Heights, Ill.
G Ivana Markovic SR St. Francis Wheaton, Ill.
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION
Position Name Class School Hometown
SF Tyisha Worthy SR Governors State Clarksville, TN
G Kylie Fehrman SO Indiana – South Bend Griffith, Indiana
G Kyleigh Kubik JR Indiana – South Bend LaPorte, Indiana
F Daija Pruitt SO Judson Waukegan, IL
G Sammy Stejskal JR Olivet Nazarene Arlington Heights, Ill.
G Jennifer Mackowiak JR Robert Morris Illinois Chicago, Ill.
F Jasmine Albert SR Roosevelt Miami, Fla.
F Hailey Cook SR St. Ambrose Moline, Ill.
F Candace Finnin SR St. Ambrose Mokena, Ill.
F Andriana Acosta SO St. Francis Crest Hill, Ill.
