ORLANDO, Fla. - A trio of Embry-Riddle women's basketball players were included on an All-Sunshine State Conference team, the league office announced on Wednesday afternoon. Eliana Sheplee was named the SSC Freshman of the Year, along with being named to the All-SSC First Team and earning All-SSC Defensive Team recognition. In addition to Sheplee, Kailey Turpening and Laurie Satchell were each honored on the All-SSC Third Team.
Sheplee becomes the third Eagle to be named SSC Freshman of the Year after Nikki Tucker and Sarah Jones won the award in back-to-back seasons during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 campaigns. The Rice Lake, Wisconsin native led the SSC in scoring, pouring in 21.5 points per game. She shot over 50 percent from the field while grabbing 7.1 rebounds per game. The redshirt freshman has put together one of the best single seasons in ERAU program history, breaking the single-game records for points (41), free throws made (17), and free throws attempted (17), while simultaneously breaking the single-season records for points (581), free throws made (121), free throws attempted (141), points per game (21.5), field goals made (219), and field goals attempted (437).
Along with her offensive production, Sheplee earned a spot on the All-SSC Defensive Team recognizing her as one of the conference's top five defenders. The guard currently ranks top 10 in the SSC in steals with 56 while also averaging 7.1 rebounds per contest, which ranks among the top five in the conference.
Turpening, who has been the point guard for the Blue and Gold all season long, was recognized as an all-conference player for the first time in her career, averaging a league-leading 5.4 assists per game. The senior is only 31 assists away from breaking the program's career record and will need just 10 more assists this campaign to set the new single-season mark. In addition, the native of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania is currently the best free throw shooter in NCAA Division II, shooting .932 from the charity stripe this season (68-for-73).
For Satchell, this is the second consecutive season that she has been recognized on the Third Team All-SSC roster. The center out of Elkridge, Maryland is averaging a career-high 10.3 points and ranks third in the SSC in field goal percentage at .578. On the glass, the senior is averaging 6.0 rebounds per game, leading to a season where she has recorded multiple double-doubles, including a 22-point and 13-rebound outing versus Barry in December.
The Eagles will continue their season on Thursday, March 5, when they host Nova Southeastern at 7 p.m. in the ICI Center for the SSC Tournament semifinals. ERAU and NSU split the regular season series with the home team winning on each occasion.
