Jill Townsend named WCC Player of the Year

Five members of the Gonzaga Bulldogs women’s basketball team earned West Coast Conference honors. Jill Townsend, the leading scorer for the Zags, was named Player of the Year, the second time in three seasons a Gonzaga player has taken home the award.

Townsend also earned WCC First Team honors alongside junior forward Jenn Wirth, who averaged 10.5 points per game and leads the team with 6.9 rebounds per game.

Senior guard Katie Campbell, whose season unfortunately ended early due to a knee injury, was named to the Second Team. Senior point guard Jessie Loera earned her first conference recognition as she was named All-WCC honorable mention. Loera ranks second in the conference in assists per game, and is three assists away from moving into fourth all-time in Gonzaga history.

Freshman guard Kayleigh Truong was named to the All Freshman Team, rounding out the fifth award.

Head coach Lisa Fortier missed out on Coach of the Year, but it is hard to argue with choosing San Diego coach Cindy Fisher. Last season, the Toreros finished with tied in the conference cellar at 2-16. This season, she turned San Diego around to a second-place conference finish at 13-5.

Here are the WCC awards for women’s basketball:

Player of the Year: Jill Townsend, Gonzaga

Coach of the Year: Cindy Fisher, San Diego

Defensive Player of the Year: Sara Hamson, BYU

Newcomer of the Year: Alex Fowler, Portland

WCC First Team

• Brenna Chase Drollinger, BYU
• Alex Fowler, Portland
• Valerie Higgins, Pacific
• Paisley Johnson, BYU
• Brooklyn McDavid, Pacific
• Myah Pace, San Diego
• Sam Simons, Saint Mary’s
• Barbara Sitanggan, Pepperdine
• Jill Townsend, Gonzaga
• Jenn Wirth, Gonzaga

WCC Second Team

• Haylee Andrews, Portland
• Katie Campbell, Gonzaga
• Jordyn Edwards, San Diego
• Sara Hamson, BYU
• Mikayla Williams, San Francisco

Honorable Mention

• Kate Anderson, Portland
• Chelsey Gipson, LMU
• Ashlyn Herlihy, Santa Clara
• Jessie Loera, Gonzaga
• Madison Pollock, San Diego
• Leticia Soares, San Diego
• Leilah Vigil, San Francisco
• Taycee Wedin, Saint Mary’s

All Freshman Team

• Ciera Ellington, LMU
• Alex Fowler, Portland
• Keeley Frawley, Portland
• Jayla Rufus-Milner, Pepperdine
• Kayleigh Truong, Gonzaga