The Fort Lewis College women’s basketball team had its best season since 2010-11, and a handful of Skyhawks were rewarded for their efforts Tuesday when the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference announced its season awards.
Freshman guard Kayla Herrera took home the highest honor in her class, as the redshirt freshman was named the RMAC Freshman of the Year. Junior guard Briana Clah earned All-RMAC First Team honors, and sophomore Alyssa Yocky was named to the All-RMAC Second Team.
“Kayla flat out worked her way into being one of the best players in this league,” Fort Lewis head coach Jason Flores said. “At the start of the season, we just wanted her to do what she does best. She was a great defensive player because of her effort and intensity, but somewhere along the line she just blossomed. She led the team in offense down the stretch and continues to work at both ends of the floor.”
Herrera is the first Skyhawks players to win the Freshman of the Year honor since Laura Haugen in 2007. She started all 27 games for FLC this season and is truly a two-way player. She leads the RMAC with 53 steals and ranks second on FLC’s team in scoring at 12.9 points per game.
Herrera, who is from Santa Fe, New Mexico, turned heads in a regionally televised game Feb. 17 against Colorado Mines when she scored the team’s first 10 points of the game and finished with a career high 27 points.
“Honestly, I didn’t even know this was an award they gave out until early this season,” Herrera said. “Coach (Maylinn Smith) told me to write down some goals, and I wrote down all team goals. She asked me again and we agreed that it might be something to work toward. I was surprised, but I put in the work and it paid off.”
Clah leads FLC and is ninth in the RMAC with an average of 14 points per game. She is fifth in the league with 3.4 assists per game and has the ability to put up points in a hurry from the perimeter. She is averaging 1.9 3-pointers per game and shoots 85-percent from the foul line.
Yocky developed into an all-around threat for the Skyhawks. She leads FLC with 9 rebounds per game and pitches in 12.6 points per game. She has racked up seven double-doubles this season and, as a sophomore, she’s only going to get better down the road.
“Briana has been consistent for us all season long,” Flores said. “She’s got great point-guard skills and she can shoot with the best players in our league. Alyssa has such a bright future. She’s a key for us down low, usually against bigger players, and she has developed into a really versatile player.”
RMAC league champion CSU-Pueblo cleaned house as coach Jim Turgeon is the Coach of the Year, Molly Rohrer in the RMACPlayer of the Year and Katie Cunningham won the Defensive Player of the Year award.
jfries@durangoherald.com
