BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – Senior guard
K'Lynn Lewis and junior forward
Rachel Kelly of the St. Olaf College women's basketball team were both named all-conference selections as part of the 2021-22 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Women's Basketball Awards, as announced on Tuesday afternoon.
Lewis and Kelly were both recognized in the conference's postseason awards for the second time in their respective careers, as both landed spots on the 18-member MIAC All-Conference Team. Lewis was previously an Honorable Mention All-MIAC honoree and the MIAC Co-Rookie of the Year in 2018-19. In 2019-20, Kelly was named the MIAC Sixth Player of the Year, an All-MIAC selection, and was picked to the MIAC All-First Year Team.
Kelly started 21 of the 22 games she played in for St. Olaf, leading the team in scoring (14.9), rebounding (8.4), field-goal percentage (.487), and blocked shots (23) while playing 30.5 minutes per contest. Entering the NCAA Tournament, Kelly ranked third in the conference in rebounding, fourth in scoring, and sixth in both field-goal percentage and blocks per game (1.0).
In her junior campaign, Kelly logged six double-doubles – the second-most of any MIAC student-athlete – and was held under 10 points on just three occasions in the 22 games she played in. Kelly scored a career-high 26 points and had eight rebounds in a 63-55 win over St. Kate's on Jan. 22 and recorded a 19-point, 20-rebound double-double in a 67-59 victory over St. Scholastica in the regular-season finale on Feb. 16.
Lewis started 23 of the 24 games she played in during her senior season, ranking second on the team in scoring (13.3) while leading the team in minutes per game (31.2), three-pointers made (45), assists (62), and steals (32). As of March 1, the St. Agnes product ranked 10th in the conference in scoring – making St. Olaf one of two programs with two top-10 scorers in the MIAC – and was eighth in assists per game (2.6), and tied for ninth in three-pointers made (45).
Lewis scored in double figures 13 times this season for St. Olaf and recorded four games with at least 20 points, including back-to-back 24-point efforts in the regular-season finale and the team's 62-57 first-round win in the MIAC Playoffs at Saint Mary's on Feb. 19. That win was the program's first-ever victory in the postseason tournament and was highlighted by Lewis' go-ahead three-pointer with 1:35 remaining.
Sophomore
Cayden Botten was St. Olaf's representative on the MIAC All-Sportsmanship Team. Botten appeared in all 27 of her team's games this season and averaged 3.3 points and 2.5 rebounds per contest.