Nichols Voted Freshman of the Year; Two Named All-Summit

Thursday, March 07, 2019

Danni Nichols became the first WIU women's basketball player to be named Freshman of the Year.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Only three others have received the prestigious award, and Danni Nichols became the first from the Western Illinois women's basketball program as The Summit League tabbed her its Freshman of the Year. The postseason accolades were announced Thursday (March 7), as Nichols also garnered a spot on the All-Newcomer Team while Taylor Higginbotham and Olivia Kaufmann were voted second team.

For Higginbotham, the nod marked her second in as many seasons while Nichols and Kaufmann received their firsts.

"As I looked at the all-conference nominees, there is no doubt that the talent in this league is as good as it's ever been. That makes it even more impressive that Taylor, Olivia, and Danni were recognized," said head coach JD Gravina. "Taylor has done a tremendous job leading this young team and playing within herself as a senior. The improvement we've seen this year has been unbelievable. Olivia and Danni really came around in the conference season, and I'm excited about their future."

All-Summit League Second Team

#13 Olivia Kaufmann, G, 5-8, Jr., Jacksonville, Ill., Jacksonville HS

Guided Leathernecks with a team-best 16.7 points per game in league play (ranks fourth in The Summit League) … scored 15+ in eight league games this season including a career-high 28 against North Dakota (both games) … paces the league in steals (80) while ranking second in assists (111) … grabbed 90 rebounds in SL games as a point guard (ranks 9th in the league) … started all 16 SL games this season and has seen the most minutes on the team; she ranks fourth in the league with 529 mins in SL action … on the verge of capturing her first career double-double three times this season; all in league play (14 points, 9 rebounds at Oral Roberts; 13 points, 9 rebounds at North Dakota State; 17 points, 9 assists vs. Omaha) … earned her first career Summit League Player of the Week nod (Jan. 21) after averaging 15 points, 8.5 assists, six steals and 5.5 rebounds in wins over Omaha and Purdue Fort Wayne … career scoring average increased from 2.3 PPG (2016-17) to 6.4 PPG (2017-18) to 16.0 PPG (2018-19).

#25 Taylor Higginbotham, G, 5-10, Sr., Germantown, Wis., Germantown HS

Currently ranked second the team with 15.0 points per game in league play (ranks seventh in The Summit League) … scored 15+ in nine league games this season including a season-high 27 against North Dakota State … became Western's all-time leading scorer this season with 1,791 career points … sits 11th in Summit League history in career points and ninth in three-pointers made (245) … has six double-doubles this season, three in SL play … led or co-lead Western in rebounding in 13 of the 14 Summit League this season … ranks third in league games with 123 total rebounds and second in defensive rebounds (99) … named The Summit League Player of the Week twice this season.

Freshman of the Year, All-Newcomer Team

#4 Danni Nichols, G, 5-10, R-Fr., Columbia, Mo., David H. Hickman HS

Moved into starting lineup two games into the Summit League schedule (16 GP, 13 GS) … averages 11.1 PPG in Summit League play … scored 15+ in eight league games this season (six in a row) including a career-high 22 at Omaha … recorded 61 rebounds in SL action to rank third on the team … shot 51.7 percent from the field (58.8 percent in league games) which is fourth best in the SL.

Western finished the regular season with a 12-17 overall mark and 8-8 Summit League record for the No. 5 seed in the 2019 Summit League Tournament; the Leathernecks will take on Oral Roberts Sunday, March 10, at 12 p.m. in the championship quarterfinals.

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Danni Nichols became the first WIU women's basketball player to be named Freshman of the Year.

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