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For the second time in less than 48 hours, Ashland University sophomore guard Jodi Johnson has received the nation's highest women's basketball player honor.
On Tuesday (March 20), Johnson was named the NCAA Division II Conference Commissioner's Association (D2CCA) Ron Lenz National Player of the Year, on the heels of her garnering the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) honor on Sunday (March 18) night.
Going into the NCAA Division II national semifinal on Wednesday (March 21) at 9:30 p.m. Eastern/8:30 p.m. Central vs. Indiana, Pa., Johnson leads the nation in 3-point field-goal percentage (60.2), which would be a D-II women's hoops single-season record, and steals per game (3.9). She also is shooting 61.6 percent from the field and 83.9 percent from the free-throw line, and is averaging 5.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists per contest.
Johnson is the second Eagle to earn the D2CCA Player of the Year award. When it was the Daktronics award, current associate head coach Kari (Daugherty) Pickens was named for the honor in 2012-13.
Johnson also was named a D2CCA first-team All-American for the first time, and senior forward Laina Snyder is a D2CCA first-teamer for the second year in a row (honorable mention as a sophomore). She is averaging 19.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.7 steals per game this season, while shooting 52.4 percent from the field, 34.7 percent from 3-point range and 77.9 percent from the foul line.
Senior forward Andi Daugherty is a third-team D2CCA All-American after landing second-team honors as a junior. Daugherty is averaging 14.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.6 steals per game, and shooting 55.1 percent from the field, 43.9 percent from beyond the arc and 89.6 percent from the charity stripe.
As was the case with the WBCA All-American teams, Ashland is the only D-II women's hoops team with two first-team All-Americans, and three All-Americans overall, in 2017-18.
NCAA Division II sports information directors from institutions and conference offices voted for the teams.
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