ATLANTA (March 21, 2016) – Kiana Johnson of Virginia Union University in Richmond, Virginia, is the 2016 WBCA National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II Player of the Year and headlines the 2016 WBCA NCAA Division II All-America Team, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association announced today.

In her first and only season at VUU, Johnson, a 5-foot-6 senior guard, leads the NCAA Division II in scoring averaging 29.3 points per game and is second nationally in assists averaging 8.7 per game.

Johnson broke the school record for points (671) and assists (219). She posted a school record 45 points on Feb. 13 and 17 assists on Jan. 11.

Johnson was recently named State Player of the Year by the Richmond Times-Dispatch, while also being named to its all-state team. She also earned CIAA Player of the Year and NCAA Division II Atlantic Region most outstanding player honors. Johnson was selected to the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region all-tournament team.

Johnson will be leading the Panthers as they play Bentley University in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division II Tournament on Tuesday, March 22nd.
The WBCA presents the player of the year award annually to the top player in five WBCA membership divisions (NCAA Divisions II, III, NAIA, junior/community college and high school).

"The WBCA is delighted to name Kiana as the 2016 WBCA NCAA Division II Player of the Year,"" said WBCA Executive Director Danielle Donehew. "Kiana has played an integral role in guiding her team to an extraordinary season, and is very deserving of this distinguished honor. The WBCA applauds Kiana for her hard work, dedication and contributions to the game during the 2015-16 season."

The 10-member team was selected by a vote of the selection committee. The committee is composed of one representative from each of the nine geographical regions and a chairperson. The members of the 2016 WBCA NCAA Division II Coaches' All-America Team are as follows:

 

Name	Institution	Year	Pos.	Height
Mariyah Brawner-Henley	Lewis	Senior	Forward	6'0"
Jennifer Gemma	Bentley	Junior	Center	6'0"
Miki Glenn	California University of Pennsylvania	Junior	Guard	5'7"
Nicole Hampton	Lubbock Christian	Senior	Guard	5'10"
LaQuinta Jefferson	Missouri Western State	Senior	Guard	6'0"
Kiana Johnson	Virginia Union	Senior	Guard	5'6"
Jasmine Kearse	Limestone College	Junior	Guard	5'6"
Michelle Mitchell	Columbus State	Senior	Guard	5'9"
Chelsey Rhodes	Delta State	Senior	Guard	5'7"
Farrah Shokoor	University of California – San Diego	Senior	Forward	5'11"

The 10 members of the 2016 WBCA NCAA Division II Coaches' All-America Team are well deserving of this recognition, and the WBCA congratulates them for their accomplishments this season," said Donehew. "These young women have worked to elevate themselves and their teams to an elite level and through their exceptional talents on the basketball court, they have lifted the women's game."
The following have been recognized as Coaches' All-America Honorable Mentions in the NCAA Division II:

 

Name	Institution	Year	Pos.	Height
Fatima Adams	Arkansas Tech	Senior	Forward	5'10"
Taylor Adams	Shorter	Junior	Center	6'1"
Vandell Andrade	Le Moyne College	Senior	Guard	5'10"
Annie Armstrong	Drury University	Senior	Guard	5'8"
Brianna Bishop	American International College	Senior	Guard	5'8"
Mikaela Burgess	Pittsburg State	Sophomore	Guard	5'7"
Tiara Caldwell	Union University	Junior	Center	6'2"
Andrea Daugherty	Ashland University	Sophomore	Forward	6'1"
Brittney Dietz	University of Mary	Senior	Guard	5'10"
Dallas Ely	West Chester University of Pennsylvania	Senior	Guard	5'9"
Alexis Foley	Winona State	Senior	Guard	5'9"
Morgan Griffith	Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania	Junior	Forward	6'0"
Kelly Hardeman	Azusa Pacific	Senior	Forward	6'0"
Kailee Howe	West Liberty	Senior	Guard	5'10"
Kelsey Hutchins	North Georgia	Junior	Center	6'1"
Kariel Hutt	Augusta University	Senior	Forward/Center	6'0"
Cierra Jackson	North Georgia	Senior	Guard	5'7"
Monay Lee	California State Univ - Dominguez Hills	Senior	Forward	5'7"
Katrina Littlepage	West Georgia	Senior	Guard	5'6"
Keiona Mathews	Texas A&M International	Senior	Guard	5'8"
Cassidy Mihalko	California Baptist	Junior	Guard	5'10"
Megan Mullings	Alaska-Anchorage	Senior	Forward	6'1"
Michaela Neuhaus	West Texas A&M	Senior	Guard	5'7"
Jessica Prieto	Texas A&M International	Senior	Guard	5'10"
Dina Ragab	New York Institute of Technology	Senior	Guard	6'0"
Laina Snyder	Ashland University	Sophomore	Forward	6'1"
McKenzie Stanford	Oklahoma Christian	Junior	Forward	6'0"
Erin Walsh	Lee University	Sophomore	Guard	5'11"
Emily Wendling	Saginaw Valley State	Junior	Center	6'3"
Bria Young	Philadelphia University	Senior	Guard	5'7"