SPARTANBURG, S.C. --- University of Tennessee at Chattanooga senior Alicia Payne (Memphis, Tenn.) was named the Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Year by the league coaches, the SoCon announced Tuesday. She is joined on the all-conference list by three teammates.
 
Payne was named to the SoCon All-Conference Second Team along with junior Queen Alford (Decatur, Ga.) and sophomore Keiana Gilbert (Pulaski, Tenn.). Junior Jasmine Joyner (Southaven, Miss.) was selected to the First Team.
 
This is Payne's second straight Defensive Player of the Year honor. She won the award last season after entering the starting lineup at point guard. She led a stalwart Chattanooga defense this season that ranks 11^th in the nation for fewest points allowed (52.8), second for fewest personal fouls (11.5), third in blocked shots per game (6.5) and fourth in 3-point field goal percentage defense, allowing opponents to make less than 25 percent per game.
 
Joyner earned a spot on the all-conference first team. She leads the team in scoring and is ranked first in the league in rebounding while sitting atop the national stats in blocked shots with 114 so far this season. She earned SoCon Player of the Week honors three times and was named the January Player of the Month.
 
Joining Payne on the Second Team is Alford who leads the team in scoring against the league with 14.4 points per game. She topped double figures 11 times against SoCon opponents and leads the Mocs in 3-point shooting this season where she ranks second in the SoCon for field goal percentage beyond the arc. She was selected the SoCon Player of the Week once.
 
Gilbert ranks second for the Mocs in scoring and rebounding and among the best in the NCAA making 46.9 percent of her shots. She has scored in double figures 22 times in 28 games this season, including a season-high 21 points against East Carolina.
 
Also on the first team was ETSU's Tianna Tarter, Furman's Whitney Bunn, Kahlia Lawrence of Mercer and UNCG's Lucy Mason who leads the SoCon in scoring. Along with Chattanooga's three selections on second team were ETSU's Shamauria Bridges, Holli Wilkins of Furman and Samford's Taylor Reece.
 
Mercer's Kahlia Lawrence was selected the SoCon Player of the Year and teammate Linnea Rosendal was named Freshman of the Year. The Bears' Susie Gardner picked up Coach of the Year honors and UNCG's India Timpton received the Ann Lashley Inspiration Award.
 
Lawrence led the Bears to their first SoCon title in just their second year in the league. She averaged 18.5 points per game this season and a conference-best 21 ppg in SoCon play. Rosendal averaged 9.3 points per game to lead all freshmen and shot 37.3 percent from 3-point range, third best in the league.
 
Gardner claimed coach of the year distinction after leading Mercer to its first share of a SoCon regular-season title. The Bears went 22-7 overall and 12-2 in conference play in just their second season in the league, and their 22 wins set a program record for most victories in a season during the NCAA Division I era.
 
Timpton is in her third year as the women's basketball team representative for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for UNCG and is in her second year on the executive board serving as the secretary. She is a member of Sigma Alpha Lambda (SAL), a National Leadership and Honors Organization, where she serves on the executive board as both the vice president of leadership development and as the treasurer. She recently organized a food drive with SAAC and SAL that collected more than 200 canned goods for those in need.
 
This year, Timpton became a member of Sigma Alpha Phi (SAP), the National Society of Leadership and Success.
 
 
MEDIA ALL-CONFERENCE SELECTIONS
Joyner was named to the SoCon Media All-Conference First Team along with Tarter, Bunn, Lawrence and Mason. The Second Team included Chattanooga's Alford and Gilbert along with Bridges, Wilkins and Samford's Destiny Elliott.
 
Mercer swept the individual awards with Gardner as Coach of the Year, Lawrence was named Player of the Year and Rosendal grabbed Freshman of the Year honors.
 
 
 
2016 SoCon Women's Basketball Awards
 
First-Team All-Conference
Tianna Tarter, ETSU, So.           
Whitney Bunn, Furman, Jr.
Kahlia Lawrence, Mercer, So.    
Lucy Mason, UNCG, Sr.
Jasmine Joyner, Chattanooga, Jr.
 
Second-Team All-Conference (six players due to tie)
Shamauria Bridges, ETSU, Jr.   
Holli Wilkins, Furman, Sr.
Taylor Reece, Samford, R-Sr.
Queen Alford, Chattanooga, R-Jr.         
Keiana Gilbert, Chattanooga, So.
Alicia Payne, Chattanooga, Sr.
 
All-Freshman Team
Raven Dean, ETSU
Kaitlyn Duncan, Furman
KeKe Calloway, Mercer
Linnea Rosendal, Mercer
Raziyah Farrington, Western Carolina
 
Player of the Year
Kahlia Lawrence, Mercer, So.
 
Defensive Player of the Year
Alicia Payne, Chattanooga, Sr.
 
Freshman of the Year
Linnea Rosendal, Mercer
 
Coach of the Year
Susie Gardner, Mercer
 
Ann Lashley Inspiration Award
India Timpton, UNCG, Jr.
 
 
 
2016 SoCon Women's Basketball Media Awards
 
First-Team Media All-Conference
Tianna Tarter, ETSU, So.
Whitney Bunn, Furman, Jr.
Kahlia Lawrence, Mercer, So.
Lucy Mason, UNCG, Sr.
Jasmine Joyner, Chattanooga, Jr.
 
Second-Team Media All-Conference
Shamauria Bridges, ETSU, Jr.
Holli Wilkins, Furman, Sr.
Destiney Elliott, Samford, So.
Queen Alford, Chattanooga, R-Jr.
Keiana Gilbert, Chattanooga, So.
 
Media All-Freshman Team
Raven Dean, ETSU
Kaitlyn Duncan, Furman
KeKe Calloway, Mercer
Linnea Rosendal, Mercer
Raziyah Farrington, Western Carolina
Chloe Wanink, Wofford
 
Media Player of the Year
Kahlia Lawrence, Mercer, So.
 
Media Freshman of the Year
Linnea Rosendal, Mercer
 
Media Coach of the Year
Susie Gardner, Mercer