A pair of junior-college teammates have signed National Letters of Intent to play basketball for the UAA women next season, UAA coach Ryan McCarthy announced Friday.
Christina Davis, a 5-foot-6 guard, and 6-foot forward Keke Wright each played the last two seasons at Gillette College in Wyoming, helping the Pronghorns to a program-record 28-6 record last season. Davis and Wright both played high school basketball in Las Vegas.
Wright averaged 17.4 points per game to lead Region IX and was fourth in rebounding with 8.9 per game last season. She was the first Gillette women's player to earn NJCAA All-America honors.
Davis averaged 9.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.0 steals last season, helping Gillette reach the NJCAA Region IX Tournament championship game, after which Wright and Davis both were named to the all-tournament team.
The Seawolves recruiting class for next season has now reached five players, with Davis and Wright joining Adriana Dent from Southern Idaho, Alysha Devine from Wasilla High and Kiki Robertson from Hawaii/Mid-Pacific Institute.
Ebner earns academic honor
An All-American with the UAA men's nordic ski team, junior Lukas Ebner earned Capital One Academic All-District Men's At-Large honors Friday for College Sports Information Directors of America's District VIII.
Ebner, of Furtwangen, Germany, will advance to a national ballot for a shot at making a Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-America team.
Ebner, who notched seven top-five finishes last season, holds a 3.72 GPA in marketing and finance. Ebner also posted UAA's only individual win of the season in a freestyle race in Denver and secured his first career All-America status with a ninth-place finish in a classical race at the NCAAs.
Tanui leads pack of 10 honored Seawolves
UAA junior Susan Tanui collected three All-Region accolades Friday, leading a group of 10 Seawolves to be so honored by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association for the outdoor track and field season.
Tanui received her honors for the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase, 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters. Dylan Anthony (men's steeplechase, 10-K), Ruth Keino (women's 5-K, 10-K) and Ivy O'Guinn (women's 800 meters, 1,500 meters) each received two All-Region honors.
Those receiving honors in one event on the men's team were Franz Burghagen and Cody Parker in javelin, Isaac Kangogo in the 1,500 meters and Cody Thomas in the decathlon. On the women's team, Karolin Anders was honored for heptathlon, as was Haleight Lloyd in the 400-meter hurdles.
All-Region distinctions are awarded to the top five from each region in individual events and members of relay teams ranked in the region's top three. This is the third season All-Region awards have been distributed.
Anchorage Daily News