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DeGraffenreid, Simmons take top honors in league
Smoky Mountain’s Cetera DeGraffenreid and Cindi Simmons took home top honors in post season women’s basketball awards from the Western Athletic Conference.
DeGraffenreid, a junior superstar, was named player of the year after averaging 31.7 points. She also contributed 8.1 rebounds, 6.4 steals and 5.2 assists.
Her point total set a school record for the third straight year and she now has 2,358 career points. She broke her single game mark with 47 against Tuscola.
Smoky Mountain representatives on winter sports All-Western Athletic Conference teams include, from left: George Neslen, wrestling; Megan Owens, women’s swimmer of the year; Ashley Robinson, women’s basketball, Cetera DeGraffenreid, women’s basketball player of the year; Kelli Woodard and Ashley Coggins, women’s basketball; Tyson Crawford, men’s basketball; and Amy Haggard, women’s basketball. Not pictured is Cindi Simmons, women’s basketball coach of the year
DeGraffenreid was named most valuable player in the WAC Tournament and was a member of the Western 2-A Regional all-tournament team.
Simmons was selected WAC coach of the year after leading the Lady Mustangs to a 28-1 record, the best in school history. SM won WAC regular season and tournament championships as well as the sectional title to advance to the Regionals. She picked up her 400th career victory in the finals of the conference tournament.
The Lady Mustangs were so dominant that all five starters were named all-conference. Teammates joining DeGraffenreid on the squad are senior Ashley Coggins, juniors Amy Haggard and Kelli Woodard and freshman Ashley Robinson.
The Mustang men were represented on the All-WAC team by senior Tyson Crawford, who averaged 16.2 points and 6.2 rebounds. He was chosen for the All-WAC Tournament team and scored 10 points in Friday’s Blue-White All-Star Games.
As announced earlier, senior Megan Owens was chosen female swimmer of the year in the WAC.
All-conference swimmers are those who win individual and relay events.
Senior George Neslen was all-conference in wrestling. Those honors go to winners of each weight class.
Other members of the women’s all-conference basketball team included:
Leanne Trull, Brittany Heatherly and Crystal Cogburn, Pisgah; Morgan McMinn and Tori Burgess, North Henderson; Portia Jackson and Heather Owen, Brevard; Carmen Peek and Amanda Todd, East Henderson; and Lindsay Pate and Brooke Stanley, West Henderson.
Jake Robinson, who led Pisgah to its second straight league title, was selected men’s player of the year. His coach, 1985 Sylva-Webster graduate Jimmy Cleaveland, received coach of the year honors.
Other all-conference selections included:
Jake Hollifield, Jonathan Whitson, Joey Blake and Zach Jaynes, Pisgah; Ford Tanner, Sam Smithson and Tony Smith, West Henderson; Jamie Justus and Chris Vanlandingham, North Henderson; Aaron Baptist and Pete Camenzind, Brevard; and Chris Harris, East Henderson.
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