It was announced earlier today by the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) that senior guard Jade Cheldelin (Portland, OR) and junior forward Reyna Ta'amu (Lakewood, CA) were tabbed First-Team All-Conference selections, as voted upon by the head coaches. The University of Redlands is one of two schools to garner two First-Team selections in women's basketball this year.
After being named to the Second Team last year, both Cheldelin and Ta'amu become two-time All-SCIAC recipients with this season's nod. During the 2016-17 campaign, these women helped lift the team to their fourth-place finish in SCIAC en route to the program's 10th-straight appearance in the SCIAC Postseason Tournament.
In 16 SCIAC games, Cheldelin put together the best shooting season of her career with 240 points for 15 points per game to lead the team and tie for first in conference. She also ranks first in the SCIAC in free-throw percentage with an amazing 92.9% effort from the line. She also provided 26 assists, 10 steals, and three blocks against conference foes. In addition, Cheldelin sits fifth in rebounds per game with 7.6, just behind teammate, Ta'amu, who also landed on the First Team.
Ta'amu made her presence known in the paint by amassing 126 total rebounds for an average of 7.9, which ties her for third among the SCIAC in both categories. She leads the SCIAC in offensive rebounds with 71, with the next opponent sitting 20 behind. Her skills translated into key buckets as well, as she offered a scoring average of 13.6 points per game, which came off of a 51% performance from the floor. Ta'amu also accounted for 30 assists, 11 steals, and five blocks against conference opponents.
Redlands finished the 2016-17 campaign with an overall record of 14-12 to go along with an 11-5 mark in SCIAC.
For the complete list of All-Conference honorees, please visit the SCIAC website.