March 5, 2007

FRISCO - Junior Brooke DeGrate was named the 2006-07 Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year, as the conference offices announced its annual postseason awards on Monday.

Joyce Ekworomadu also earned a place on the All-SLC Second Team for the second straight season, finishing a single point shy of being named to the All-SLC First Team.

Stephen F. Austin's Charity Egenti was named the 2006-07 SLC Player of the Year after leading SFA to an 11-5 conference mark and the number two seed in this week's conference tournament.

Texas-Arlington's Donna Capps earned Coach of the Year honors for posting a perfect 16-0 SLC record, while Lamar's Brittney Williams and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi's Kirbria Lewis were named Freshman of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, respectively.

DeGrate, who transferred to Texas State from South Plains College, became the second Bobcat in three years to earn Newcomer of the Year, joining 2005 winner Tamara Thompson. DeGrate averaged 7.0 points per game on the season while leading the Bobcats in assists, steals and blocks. Her 2.28 steals per game also ranked fourth-best in the conference.

Ekworomadu, a preseason All-SLC First Team pick, saw her numbers dip slightly from the 2005-06 season but still led the Bobcats in scoring at 13.3 points per game. She also ranked second in rebounds for Texas State at 5.2 per game, third in assists and second in steals.

Conference coaches and women's basketball SIDs voted on individual honors as well as all-conference teams. Coaches and SIDs were not allowed to vote for their own school's players or coach for any award.

Texas State begins its run at an NCAA Tournament berth Wednesday against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the first round of the 2007 Southland Conference Tournament.