CHICAGO, Ill. – Hours after being named Great West Conference Player of the Week, Shanice Steenholdt added another award to her resume: First Team All-Conference. Steenholdt and three other Huskies were recognized at the conference's tournament banquet Wednesday night.

Steenholdt joined Utah Valley's Sammie Jensen and Kaycee Mansfield, NJIT's Rayven Johnson, and UT-Pan American's Cassandra Moody as First Team honorees. Jensen, who was named Preseason Player of the Year, lived up to the hype, as she earned the Player of the Year award.

Wiebke Bruns, Tayler Jefferson, and Erin McGarrachan were named Honorable Mention All-Conference, while McGarrachan was also named to the All-Newcomer Team.

Steenholdt appeared in all 29 games with 27 starts. She leads the Great West Conference in points per game (18.6) and is third in rebounds (10.1). She also leads the Huskies with 49 blocks and 70 steals. A  two-time GWC Player of the Week recipient on Dec. 5 and March 12, Steenholdt has posted 16 double-doubles and has scored 20-plus points in 14 games…scored a season-high 33 points in the Huskies' 92-57 win over Chicago State (3/7) and grabbed a season-high 16 rebounds three times (at New Mexico, 11/18; Jackson State, 11/23; NJIT, 3/9). She set new career marks with 3 three-pointers made (at Lamar, 2/13), seven steals (twice this season, last against CSU Bakersfield, 1/15), and five blocks (twice this season, last at NJIT, 2/16). In conference play, Steenholdt has averaged 19.6 points per game and 11.0 rebounds per game, while recording 18 blocks and 16 steals. She averaged a team-best 32.3 minutes a game. Steenholdt is ranked 39th nationally in points per game (18.6), 38th in rebounds per game (10.1), and T-20th in double doubles (16). Steenholdt was named Honorable Mention All-Conference last season as a freshman.

“Shanice keeps getting better and better,” said head coach Mary Gleason. “She is one of the best players in the conference and I am proud of her. She is so important to our team and such a tough player for our conference opponents to defend.”

Bruns has appeared in the last 18 games with 16 starts, missing the first part of the season due to NCAA transfer rules. She leads the team with 79 assists and is third with 38 steals. She averages 4.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. Bruns dished out a career high 11 assists against Delaware State (1/5), which were the most in one game in program history since Fallon Thomas dished out 11 in Dec., 2007. She recorded career highs of 20 points and eight rebounds  in an overtime win over Texas State (2/20). She blocked a career best six shots in a win at New Orleans (1/12). In conference play, Bruns leads the team with 32 assists, while also recording 12 steals.

“The efforts and work that both Wiebke and Erin put in while sitting out a year due to transferring was recognized by the awards tonight,” said Gleason. “Wiebke had brought a defensive and athletic spark to our team. She is a competitor and I am proud of her and happy she was recognized by the conference.”

Jefferson has appeared in all 29 games with 13 starts. She has started the last seven games. She is tied for second on the team with 8.7 points per game. She leads the Huskies with 42 3-pointers made and an 86% free throw percentage. Her 55 made FTs are second on the team and her 86% free throw percentage is ranked 30th nationally. Jefferson scored a career-high 29 points – with 5 three-pointers – against Delaware State (1/5) and also made a career-high eight free throws in that game. She started the season a perfect 13-for-13 in the first four games from the charity stripe. Her 66 assists are second on the team and her 32 steals are fourth. She averages 7.3 points per game in conference play, with 17 assists and nine steals.

“TJ has been a steady contributor to our team all year,” said Gleason. “She is a great shooter and consistently brings a spark to her team.”

McGarrachan has played in 28 games with 26 starts. She is second on the team with 5.9 rebounds per game and is tied for second with 8.7 points per game. She scored a career-high 18 points at UT-Pan American (1/19) and grabbed a career-best 16 rebounds in a win over Schreiner (11/12). McGarrachan is second on the team with 14 blocks and fifth with 27 steals. She had career highs of three blocks (at NJIT, 2/16) and four steals (vs. Schreiner, 11/12). In conference play, McGarrachan is second with 9.4 points per game and 5.1 rebounds per game. She had a team-best 44% field goal percentage in conference play. It was McGarrachan's first season played for HBU as she had to sit out last season due to NCAA transfer rules.

“Erin is such a hard worker and does so many things that don't end up in the stat column,” said Gleason.

In the major awards, Joyea Marshall from UT-Pan American was named Newcomer of the Year, while Utah Valley's Kaycee Mansfield and NJIT's Uju Nwankwu were each named Defensive Player of the Year. Chicago State's Tierra Williams earned the Sixth Woman of the Year Award, while Utah Valley's Cathy Nixon was named Coach of the Year.