WHITEFISH, Mont. – The University of Providence women's basketball team came away with a handful of postseason awards on Tuesday, with four student-athletes being recognized by the Frontier Conference.
Senior point guard Emilee Maldonado was named the Frontier Conference Player of the Year while her teammate Parker Esary was named 1st Team All-Conference. Freshman Maddy Dixon was named one of the two Co-Freshman of the Year along with L'Tia Lawrence (MSUN), while Sam Holman was named the Champion of Character.
"I'm just excited for our kids," head coach Bill Himmelberg said. "What I like about our girls is that they'll be happy for each other. Our team really shares the ball and does everything right, so it's nice to have your program recognized that way."
Maldonado has had quite the season for the Argos. She has scored double-digits in every game this season, and averaged 17.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.21 steals per game while shooting 46% from the field. She's 4th in the nation in three-point shooting percentage at a whopping 50%, and 3rd in the nation in free throw percentage at 92.1%. She also led the Frontier Conference in both scoring and assists.
"I'm glad for Emilee," Himmelberg said. "Parker got double-teamed quite a bit and so Emilee had to take a little bit more of a load and step up her scoring a little bit more. She's definitely capable of doing that. Her court vision, her whole demeanor, leading our team out on the court. Knowing who she is as a person on top of that makes it that special. She's so deserving."
Esary also had a big year for the Argos, averaging 14.1 points and 9 rebounds a game while shooting 60.4% from the field, a figure that ranks fourth in the nation. The 6-1 post from Kalama, Wash. had three 20-point games for the Argos this season, including a 28-point night in a win over #6 Carroll.
"Parker had a special season," Himmelberg said. "She gets double-teamed all the time. It's tough. She rebounds. She has one of the highest shooting percentages in the country. There's no question she's one of the greats in the country right now."
The coaching staff was also pleased by the production of Maddy Dixon, a freshman from Pomeroy, Wash. Dixon averaged 9.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game this season. She also was a factor defensively, recording three blocks in three different games this season.
"It's good to see Maddy get Co-Freshman of the Year," Himmelberg said. "I'm happy for her. We knew when we recruited her that she could be a special player for us. She continues to get better and better every game. It's exciting to see where she's going to go and where her career is going to take her. I'm sure it has unlimited potential."
Sam Holman was also named the Champion of Character by the Frontier Conference. The Champion of Character award is given to a student-athlete that embodies integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship and servant leadership.
"Sam is well-deserving of the champion of character," Himmelberg said. "We're so lucky that we get to have her. She's just a great kid that does everything the right way. She's a great teammate. She goes into the games and is a good defensive player for us. She's just a special player on and off the court. We love having her. We couldn't get anybody better than Sam."
The Argos are still waiting to see if they'll be on the 48 teams selected to go to the NAIA National Championship. The selection show is Thursday, March. 4 at 5 p.m.
