2016-17 Women's Basketball All-Conference Team
For just the second time in conference history there is a St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) Women's Basketball Co-Player of the Year. This year's award goes to two seniors that etched their names in their school's record books. The SLIAC Co-Players of the Year are Emmie Haring, from Fontbonne University and Andrea Zalis, from Westminster College.
Haring, a guard, averaged 9.1 points and 8.2 assists per game during conference play while also leading all players with 47 steals. She led the conference in assists for a third consecutive year this season and currently leads all of NCAA Division III with 190 assists overall. This year she set program and conference records for single season and career assists. She becomes the sixth player in Griffin history to take home the award and the first since Kaitlin Bramel in 2010.
Zalis, a forward, averaged 18.6 points per game this conference season, tops in the SLIAC, while also leading the league with 8.3 rebounds per game and hitting a conference best 44 three-pointers. Zalis put her name in the Blue Jays record book this season by setting an new program single game record with 35 points and finishing her career as the program's career leader with 1,375 points. Zalis is just the second player in program history to be named SLIAC Player of the Year, joining Rachel Backes in the 2011 season.
The 2017 SLIAC Newcomer of the Year is from Fontbonne University, forward Raven Venegas. Venegas is the fifth player in program history to earn conference newcomer of the year. This season the freshman averaged 10.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game during conference play, while shooting 53-percent from the field and helping the Griffins make the post-season for the first time since 2012.
The 2017 SLIAC Coach of the Year is Eureak College Head Coach Steve Thompson. Thompson guided his team to the program's first ever SLIAC regular season title with a 14-2 conference record. The Red Devils went 18-7 overall during the regular season with an impressive offense that led the league in three pointers and set numerous program records including most points in a conference game. This year's SLIAC regular season title marks the first of any conference title by a Eureka women's program since 1997. Thompson is just the second coach of the Red Devils to win the Coach of the Year award, joining Taren Martin from 2012.
The SLIAC All-Defensive Team consists of Michael Balducci (Eureka), Megan Brandt (Webster), Emmie Haring (Fontbonne), Jaimie Hurd (Iowa Wesleyan), and Dee Dee Sliter (Spalding).
In addition Greenville College received the 2016-17 SLIAC Team Sportsmanship award for the sixth time in program history. The SLIAC would also like to recognize the individuals from each conference school that received the All-Conference Sportsmanship award. Those individuals are: Aleisha Stiltner (Blackburn), Ashley Harfst (Eureka), Lauren Willis (Fontbonne), Lauren Stephenson (Greenville), Darby Massner (Iowa Wesleyan), Destyne Powell (MacMurray), Julie Skaggs (Spalding), Ebony Bailey (Webster), and Kelsey Ray (Westminster).
| First Team All-Conference | |
| Emmie Haring |
Fontbonne University |
| Alex Martin |
Spalding University |
| Taylor Paulin |
Greenville College |
| Hayley Reneau |
Eureka College |
| Andrea Zalis |
Westminster College |
| Second Team All-Conference | |
| Cairece Allen |
Iowa Wesleyan University |
| Michaela Balducci |
Eureka College |
| Laura Goodnight |
Greenville College |
| Kelsey Miller |
Webster University |
| Raven Venegas |
Fontbonne University |
| Third Team All-Conference | |
| Kerrigan Dura |
Eureka College |
| Mirrakohl Johnson |
Westminster College |
| Darby Massner |
Iowa Wesleyan University |
| Taylor Lucas |
Webster University |
| Jade Sawyer |
Webster University |
| All-Defensive Team | |
| Michaela Balducci |
Eureka College |
| Megan Brandt |
Webster University |
| Emmie Haring |
Fontbonne University |
| Jaimie Hurd |
Iowa Wesleyan University |
| Dee Dee Sliter |
Spalding University |
| All-Sportsmanship Team | |
| Aleisha Stiltner |
Blackburn |
| Ashley Harfst |
Eureka |
| Lauren Willis |
Fontbonne |
| Lauren Stephenson |
Greenville |
| Darby Massner |
Iowa Wesleyan |
| Destyne Powell |
MacMurray |
| Julie Skaggs |
Spalding |
| Ebony Bailey |
Webster |
| Kelsey Ray |
Westminster |
