On Monday, Penn State women’s basketball players Gracie Merkle and Alli Campbell earned Big Ten postseason honors, as announced by the conference Tuesday.
Merkle — a 6-foot-6 redshirt sophomore from Mount Washington, Kentucky — was an All Big Ten Honorable Mention after averaging team highs in points (15.1) and rebounds (8.6). She ranked first in the conference in field-goal percentage (67%), sixth in rebounds per game and seventh in blocks per game (1.5). Merkle finished the season with 13 double-doubles (fifth in the Big Ten) and had a season-high 31 points in an overtime win against Drexel on Nov. 27.
Campbell — a 6-foot graduate student from Altoona, Pennsylvania — earned Big Ten Sportsmanship Honors after averaging career highs in points (8.1), assists (4.4, most on team), rebounds (4.1) and minutes (30.5). Campbell had battled injuries through her first three years as a collegiate athlete before seeing consistent court time in her final two seasons. In her final season with Penn State, she finished tied for fourth in assists per game and was 10th for total assists (141) in the Big Ten. Campbell had career-high 19 points in a loss to Nebraska on Jan. 5.
Penn State women’s basketball started the season 8-0 before dropping nine of its next 11. One of those two wins came against then No. 9 Ohio State, which was the Lady Lions’ only conference win of the season. They finished the year 10-19 (1-17).
All the award winners are listed below:
Player of the Year: JuJu Watkins (USC)
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Defensive Player of the Year: Lauren Betts (UCLA)
Co-Freshman of the Year: Jaloni Cambridge (Ohio State), Olivia Olson (Michigan)
Sixth Player of the Year: Janiah Barker (UCLA)
Coach of The Year: Lindsay Gottlieb (USC)
