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Women's Basketball Lands Five Members On All-Summit League Awards

Head Coach JD Gravina, Emily Clemens, Morgan Blumer, Taylor Higginbotham and Olivia Braun all earn awards

ELMHURST, Ill. – Five members of the Western Illinois women's basketball program earned All-Summit League awards, the league office announced on Thursday (March 2).

Head Coach JD Gravina, Emily Clemens, Morgan Blumer, Olivia Braun and Taylor Higginbotham all garnered Summit League honors. For the first time in program history, Western Illinois has five different honorees. The women's basketball program has also won a program-record eight combined Summit League awards.

Gravina earns his first career Summit League 'Coach of the Year' honor after leading the Leathernecks to their best season since 2005-06, helping the club tie a program record with 23 total wins. He is the first Western Illinois 'Coach of the Year' since Leslie Crane (2004-05), and his award also marks the fifth time Western Illinois has had a Summit League 'Coach of the Year'. His team also set new program records for regular season wins (23) and home wins (13). The Leathernecks, who were picked sixth in the preseason poll, won their sixth regular season conference championship. Western recorded eight straight wins to close out the regular season as the outright regular season champion, earning the No. 1 seed in the league tournament.

Through the regular season, Gravina's high-powered scoring offense tallied a league-best 80.4 points per game. His team also led The Summit League in rebounds (38.3), assists (18.1), steals (11.4), blocks (4.7) and fewest turnovers (13.0).

Clemens earns her first career Summit League 'Player of the Year' award and All-League First Team honor. The junior from Muscatine, Iowa, is the fifth Leatherneck player to win the prestigious Summit League 'Player of the Year' award, joining: Oberon Pitterson (1994-95), Tiffany Cornelius (2003-04), Zane Teilane (2004-05, 2005-06) and Ashley Luke (2014-15). 

Over the 2016-17 regular season campaign, Clemens won the league's 'Player of the Week' award five times (Nov. 21, Nov. 28, Dec. 12, Feb. 6 and Feb. 27), which ties Luke (2014-15) for the most in program history. Clemens also earned the NCAA Women's Basketball Starting Five weekly award twice. Statistically, the junior led The Summit League in points per game (19.2), assists per game (7.1), steals per game (2.5), minutes per game (37.0), assist/turnover ratio (2.5) and free throw percentage (87.9). She is also third all-time in program history with 411 career assists, and has tied the single-season record with 205 assists thus far. For the 2016-17 season, she has posted 15 20-plus point performances, including a career-high 34-point effort against Northern Illinois, while also eclipsing the 1,000-point mark for her career and registering six double-doubles.

In her debut season at Western Illinois, Blumer earned All-League First Team honors, was named 'Transfer of the Year', and earned a spot on the All-League Newcomer Team. The Milton, Wisconsin, native has broken the single-season program record for 3-pointers made with 75 thus far. She ranks third in The Summit League with 16.8 points per game and has grabbed a team-best 6.3 rebounds per contest. She also posted a pair of 30-plus point performances and six 20-plus point games. The junior guard was also featured No. 1 on ESPN SportsCenter's "Top Plays" for hitting a three-quarter court shot against IUPUI before halftime on Jan. 25. Blumer has also recorded four double-doubles this season and garnered The Summit League's Female 'Athlete of the Month' honor for January. She has also won The Summit League 'Player of the Week' award twice (Jan. 17 and Feb. 13).

Higginbotham earned All-League Second Team honors for her 2016-17 sophomore campaign. She already has more than 800 points in her career and posted a career-high 28 points twice this season. The Germantown, Wisconsin, native has recorded five 20-plus point performances this season, including a double-double against Kansas City (Nov. 22). Higginbotham tallied a game-high 25 points and four 3-pointers in Western Illinois' win over South Dakota at home to clinch the outright regular season league title. She also ranks third in The Summit League with 2.0 steals per game and eighth with 14.6 points per contest. Higginbotham is also a former Summit League 'Player of the Week' selection (Jan. 9) and was named to the NCAA Women's Basketball Starting Five (Jan. 11).

Braun joins Blumer as a member of The Summit League All-Newcomer Team. She emerged as a post presence for the Leathernecks and across The Summit League, averaging a league-leading 2.9 blocks per contest. The junior forward recorded a career-high nine blocks in Western Illinois' overtime win over Oral Roberts (Jan. 7), which ranked second all-time in program history for blocks in a single game behind Teilane's 10 (twice). Braun totaled four games of five or more blocks. The junior transfer from Racine, Wis. also posted a career-high 22 points and nine rebounds in WIU's second win over Oral Roberts on the road.

The quintet lead No. 1 seeded Western Illinois in the quarterfinals of The Summit League Championship with Saturday's (March 4) noon tip against eighth-seeded Denver in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

2016-17 SUMMIT LEAGUE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL AWARDS
First Team
Allison Arens, South Dakota
Morgan Blumer, Western Illinois
Emily Clemens, Western Illinois
Madison Guebert, South Dakota State
Danielle Lawrence, IUPUI
Kerri Young, South Dakota State

Second Team
Taylor Higginbotham, Western Illinois
Faith Ihim, Oral Roberts
Mikale Rogers, IUPUI
Mikaela Shaw, Omaha
Ellie Thompson, South Dakota State

Honorable Mention
Michaela Dapprich, Omaha
Abigail Fogg, South Dakota
Sydney Hall, IUPUI
Maria Martianez, Oral Roberts
Clarissa Ober, South Dakota State

All-Newcomer
Morgan Blumer, Western Illinois
Olivia Braun, Western Illinois
Michaela Dapprich, Omaha
Ciara Duffy, South Dakota
Sarah Jacobson, North Dakota State

Player of the Year
Emily Clemens, Western Illinois

Defensive Player of the Year
Clarissa Ober, South Dakota State

Sixth Woman of the Year
Madison McKeever, South Dakota

Transfer of the Year
Morgan Blumer, Western Illinois

Freshman of the Year
Ciara Duffy, South Dakota

Coach of the Year
JD Gravina, Western Illinois
 
 
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Players Mentioned

Morgan Blumer

#12 Morgan Blumer

G
5' 11"
Junior
Milton / Florida Gulf Coast
Olivia Braun

#3 Olivia Braun

F
6' 1"
Junior
St. Catherine's / Toledo
Emily Clemens

#2 Emily Clemens

G
5' 4"
Junior
Muscatine
Taylor Higginbotham

#24 Taylor Higginbotham

G
5' 10"
Sophomore
Germantown

Players Mentioned

Morgan Blumer

#12 Morgan Blumer

5' 11"
Junior
Milton / Florida Gulf Coast
G
Olivia Braun

#3 Olivia Braun

6' 1"
Junior
St. Catherine's / Toledo
F
Emily Clemens

#2 Emily Clemens

5' 4"
Junior
Muscatine
G
Taylor Higginbotham

#24 Taylor Higginbotham

5' 10"
Sophomore
Germantown
G