Abbey Cornelius vs. UAB
photo by Michael Wade
Chattanooga center Abbey Cornelius was selected all-conference by the Southern Conference coaches and media the league office announced today.
Cornelius earned a spot on the SoCon Coaches All-Conference Second Team despite missing six contests against the league. She was also named to the coaches All-Defensive Team and the SoCon Sports Media Association (SCSMA) All-Conference Second Team for the second straight year.
Prior to her injury, she was ranked in the Top 10 of the NCAA for defensive rebounds and Top 15 for overall rebounds.
She moved to third on Chattanooga’s all-time list for blocked shots and is currently ranked fifth in the league.
Cornelius leads the Mocs in scoring (12.6), rebounding (8.9) and blocked shots (30) while also one of UTC’s leaders for assists with 50. She ranks fourth in the SoCon for scoring, second for rebounds, blocked shots and defensive rebounds, third for free throw percentage, and fifth for minutes played.
She was twice named the Southern Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week and SoCon Student-Athlete of the Week. She posted six double-doubles this season and had a career-high six blocked shots at ETSU.
This is the second consecutive year she has earned all-conference honors from both the coaches and media as well as being named to the all-defensive team.
Chattanooga will take on third-seeded Furman Thursday, March 3 in the quarterfinal round of the SoCon Tournament. The game is set to tip off at 5:45 p.m. Follow all the action online at GoMocs.com or SoConSports.com.
Mercer’s Susie Gardner was named the SoCon Coach of the Year by both the coaches and media while Furman’s Tierra Hodges was selected the league’s Player of the Year by both. Mercer’s Erin Houpt was the coaches choice for Freshman of the Year while she shared the honor with Samford’s Sussy Ngulefac on the media team. Shannon Titus of Mercer was named the SoCon Defensive Player of the Year and UNCG’s Aja Boyd was the pick for the Ann Lashley Inspiration Award.
The SoCon coaches placed three from Mercer on the all-conference team, Furman and Wofford had two each while Samford, UNCG and Chattanooga had one each. Mercer, Samford, UTC, Western Carolina and Wofford had one each on the all-defensive team while Furman, Mercer, UNCG Samford and Wofford had one each on the all-freshman squad.
The Mocs will take on Furman Thursday at 5:45 p.m. in the first round of the Southern Conference Tournament. Follow all the action online at GoMocs.com.
Coaches All-Southern Conference Women's Basketball Teams
Player of the Year
Tierra Hodges, Sr., F, Furman
Freshman of the Year
Erin Houpt, G, Mercer
Defensive Player of the Year
Shannon Titus, Gr., G/F, Mercer
Coach of the Year
Susie Gardner, Mercer
Ann Lashley Inspiration Award Winner
Aja Boyd, Gr., G/F, UNCG
First team
Tierra Hodges, Sr., Furman
Amoria Neal-Tysor, Sr., Mercer
Shannon Titus, Gr., Mercer
Andrea Cournoyer, Jr., Samford
Jackie Carman, Sr., Wofford
Second team
Tate Walters, So., Furman
Jaron Dougherty, Sr., Mercer
Aja Boyd, Gr., UNCG
Abbey Cornelius, Jr., Chattanooga
Lilly Hatton, Jr., Wofford
All-defensive team
Shannon Titus, Gr., Mercer
Andrea Cournoyer, Jr., Samford
Abbey Cornelius, Jr., Chattanooga
Joi Reed, So., Western Carolina
Reagan Rapert, Fr., Wofford
All-freshman team
Niveya Henley, Furman
Erin Houpt, Mercer
Isys Grady, UNCG
Sussy Ngulefac, Samford
Reagan Rapert, Wofford
SoCon Sports Media Association (SCSMA) All-Southern Conference Women's Basketball Teams
Player of the Year
Tierra Hodges, Sr., F, Furman
Co-Freshman of the Year
Erin Houpt, G, Mercer
Sussy Ngulefac, C, Samford
Coach of the Year
Susie Gardner, Mercer
First team
Tierra Hodges, Sr., Furman
Amoria Neal-Tysor, Sr., Mercer
Shannon Titus, Gr., Mercer
Andrea Cournoyer, Jr., Samford
Jackie Carman, Sr., Wofford
Second team
Grace Van Rij, Sr., Furman
Tate Walters, So. Furman
Jaron Doughtery, Sr., Mercer
Aja Boyd, Gr., UNCG
Abbey Cornelius, Jr., Chattanooga
Lilly Hatton, Jr., Wofford
Third team
Courtney Moore, Fr., ETSU
Natalie Armstrong, Sr., Samford
Sussy Ngulefac, Fr., Samford
Niyah Lutz, Sr., Wofford
Alexis Tomlin, Sr., Wofford
All-freshman team
Nigeria Harkless, Mercer
Erin Houpt, Mercer
Isys Grady, UNCG
Sussy Ngulefac, Samford
Reagan Rapert, Wofford