NORFOLK, Va. – Howard redshirt senior Te'Shya Heslip was named 2017 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Player of the Year by the league's head coaches and sports information directors today. Heslip also nabbed All-MEAC First Team honors, while senior Sydni Johnson picked up an All-MEAC Third Team nod. Sarah Edmond and Jayla Myles were placed on the All-MEAC Rookie Team.
Heslip is the seventh Bison to be recognized as the MEAC Player of the Year and first since Saadia Doyle in 2011. She led Howard on both sides of the ball this season and ranked third in the conference in scoring (15.1) and fourth in free throw percentage (76.6). She started all 28 games and topped the MEAC in assists (144) and steals (102), while ranking fifth nationally in steals per game (3.6). Heslip recorded one 30-point performance and had six 20-point games this season. She also notched a triple-double of 12 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists in a victory over Florida A&M and scored her 1,000th point against Fairleigh Dickinson on Dec. 22. A four-time MEAC Player of the Week, Heslip totaled 423 points, 144 rebounds, 144 assists and 102 steals during the regular season.
Johnson had her best season in blue and white, putting up 12.2 points and 4.9 rebounds. The 6-0 forward started all 28 games and averaged a team-high 35.1 minutes per game for fifth in the MEAC. Her 41.4 field goal percentage was the top mark on the team and checked in fifth in the conference. She posted double figures in scoring 17 times this season, including three 21-point outings, and had 16 games with at least five rebounds. Johnson grabbed her 500th rebound versus NJIT on Dec. 16 and joined the 1,000-point club on Jan. 28 in a win over Savannah State.
Edmond has appeared in 27 games, making three starts for the Bison. A two-time MEAC Rookie of the Week, she stood third on the team with a 33.9 percent clip from beyond the arc. She cashed a career-high four three-pointers against Maryland Eastern Shore and added career marks with eight rebounds and eight assists versus Morgan State. In Howard's regular season finale, she poured in a career-best 21 points, her fourth game in double figures.
Myles became a fixture in the starting lineup during the second half of the season. She had 16 total starts in her 22 appearances. The 6-2 center recorded a team-high 38 blocks in her rookie campaign for 1.7 rejections per game, which ranked seventh in the league. She came in third on the team with 5.5 rebounds and had a career night against Cincinnati with her first double-double (13 points, 15 rebounds). Myles also had a career-high seven blocks against North Carolina Central.
The Bison hold the No. 2 seed in the MEAC Tournament in Norfolk, Va. Their first game at Norfolk Scope Arena will be on Wednesday, March 8 at 2 p.m. against the winner of Tuesday's game between No. 7 North Carolina A&T and No. 10 North Carolina Central.
