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| Ferrum’s Harvey is named league Coach of the Year |
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Friday, February 22, 2013
FERRUM -- For the second year in a row, Ferrum College women's basketball coach Bryan Harvey has been voted Coach of the Year in the USA South Athletic Conference.
Harvey, now in his eighth year as the Panthers' head coach, has led Ferrum to a share of the USA South Athletic Conference regular-season championship, a No. 1 ranking in the NCAA Division III South Region, rankings in two national polls and 22 victories to date this season.
It marks the third time that Harvey has been named Coach of the Year.
Ferrum entered the 2012-13 season as the league's reigning champion and the preseason title favorite.
Harvey, 154-64 career coaching record, secured his 150th win and his 100th USA South triumph during the season.
A year ago, Ferrum earned its first berth in the NCAA Division III women's basketball tournament in 17 years and second in program history.
Ferrum's 22-3 regular-season record includes wins over three teams that are nationally-ranked -- conference rivals Christopher Newport University and Maryville (Tenn.) College and Louisiana College -- and is the best regular-season mark posted by the Panthers in program history.
Harvey has led Ferrum to four campaigns of 20 or more wins, and the Panthers seek their fifth appearance (2006, 2007, 2010, 2012) in the tournament's championship game under Harvey's guidance and seventh overall (1992, 1995) this weekend.
Senior Tesla Akers, a four-year starter for the Panthers, has earned first team all-conference honors.
This marks Akers' fourth all-league citation -- she was a third-team choice in 2010 and 2011 and a first-team honoree last year.
Akers, the Most Valuable Player of last year's conference tournament, ranks sixth in career scoring with 1,349 points.
Akers averages 13.1 points per game, and is shooting better than 35 percent from the 3-point arc.
Sophomore Jacole Hairston, who ranks seventh nationally in field goal percentage at 57.4 percent, and junior Katy Kipps are second-team choices and junior Shea Smith (Franklin County) is a third-team honoree.
This is Smith's second league post season award, having earned honorable mention recognition in 2011.
Freshman Rachel Dalton is Ferrum's representative on the league's All-Sportsmanship team.
TIP-INS: Ferrum enters conference tournament play today against No. 8 seed Averett University as the top-ranked team in the South Region for the third week in a row. Also, the Panthers are ranked 19th and 23rd nationally. |
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