WHITEFISH, Mont. – Five players from the University of Providence women's basketball team were recognized on the Frontier Conference 2021-22 All-Conference Women's Basketball Team, which was released by the conference on Wednesday.

Parker Esary and Emilee Maldonado were both named 1^st Team All-Conference by the league. Brooklyn Harn was named the 6^th Player of the Year while Reed Hazard was named to the All-Defensive Team. Elly Teske was one of six Champions of Character.

"It's a special moment," head coach Bill Himmelberg said. "It just shows that we're building our program and doing the right things. You bring in good people and do things the right way, good things are going to happen."

Esary was named 1^st Team All-Conference for a conference-record fifth time in her career. She's having a dominant season, averaging 17.5 point and 7.9 rebounds a game – she ranks fourth in the conference in both categories. Esary has also had several significant milestones this year. She joined the 2,000 point club on Jan. 29 and became the all-time rebounder leader in the program in the regular season finale. She also recorded a career-high 39 points in that game, including sinking two game-winning free throws, which propelled her to be named the NAIA National Player of the Week.

"She's outstanding," Himmelberg said. "She did nothing less than what was expected of her this year. She's one of the best posts in the country. I'm just pleased with the job she's done this year, as a leader and as a person. She's not going to be somebody that we can replace."

Maldonado also had a career-year for the Argos, joining the 1^st Team All-Conference team for the fourth time in her career. Maldonado averaged a team-high 17.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists for the squad. She shot a tremendous percentage from the floor, shooting 42.2% from the field, 42.9% from beyond the arc and shooting 85.7% from the charity stripe. She led the conference in assists and finished third in both points and three-point percentage. She also joined the 2,000 point club this season, hitting the mark against MSU-Northern on Feb. 5.

"She does it all," Himmelberg said. "She does everything that's expected of her. It's well-deserving. She's the point guard so she's the foundation of everything that we do."

Harn was recognized by the conference as the 6^th Person of the Year. Coming off the bench for all but two games this season, Harn was third on the team in scoring at 11.2 points per game while shooting 44.1% from the field, 39.6% from beyond the arc and a team-high 87.5% from the free throw line. She recorded a career-high 20 points against Montana Tech on Feb. 12. 

"She could start for any team in the league," Himmelberg said. "She could start for us even, but we like having those points coming off the bench. She is a dynamic player for us."

Hazard was also recognized by the conference coaches as a member of the defensive team. Hazard was the focal point of the team's defensive game plan, often guarding the opposing team's best player. She averages 1.6 steals per game. 

"She's come such a long ways since she was a freshman, both offensively and defensively," Himmelberg said. "We routinely put her on the other team's best player and she makes it extremely difficult for them. Offensively, she's had some big games for us as well. She's just so special."

Teske was also named a Champion of Character by the conference. The Champion of Character award is given to a student-athlete that embodies integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship and servant leadership.

"Elly is such a great person," Himmelberg said. "She's so important to our team. She makes sure that we're doing everything right. She goes in the game with limited reps and helps us in those minutes. She helps her teammates with their classwork and anything else they need."

The team will compete in the NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship, which begins with the Opening Round Games on March 11. The team will learn their opponent on Thursday, March 3 at 5:00 p.m. The team will be hosting a selection show watch party at the Halftime Sports Bar which will be open to the public.