OKLAHOMA CITY – The Sooner Athletic Conference awarded its 2020-21 women’s student-athletes of the year for each league-sponsored sport.
The honorees were voted upon by SAC sports information directors. The SAC student-athletes of the year were nominated from among the academic all-SAC teams.
These student-athletes enter consideration for the overall 2020-21 female student-athlete of the year sponsored by Barnes & Noble College. League sports information directors will consider academic and athletic accomplishments while voting.
BASKETBALL
KAYLEE EDGEMON | WAYLAND BAPTIST
Sr. | F | Littlefield, Texas
A three-time NAIA all-American, Kaylee Edgemon – the SAC Player of the Year – was the conference’s lone NAIA first-team all-American last season. The 5-foot-11 senior averaged 18.6 points and 8.1 rebounds to lead the Flying Queens to a No. 2 national ranking and the SAC regular-season co-championship and tournament championship. Wayland won its first 13 games and was seeded fourth in the NAIA National Championships. The SAC Newcomer of the Year in 2018-19, Kaylee has 1,171 career points in three seasons at WBU. The elementary education major posted a 3.61 cumulative grade-point average after maintaining a 3.93 GPA during the 2020-21 academic year. She is a two-time NAIA scholar-athlete.
CROSS COUNTRY/TRACK & FIELD
ALLIKA PEARSON | JOHN BROWN
Jr. | Siloam Springs, Ark.
Allika Pearson owns a 3.97 cumulative grade-point average majoring in kinesiology. Pearson led the Golden Eagles at the top spot, winning all three regular-season cross country meets. She took her third straight all-conference finish, becoming the first John Brown runner to capture the Sooner Athletic Conference individual title. She made her third consecutive appearance in the NAIA National Cross Country Championships, finishing fifth among 326 runners in 17 minutes, 46 for a new program record. In the Golden Eagles’ first outdoor track meet of the season, Pearson posted an A standard time of 17:14 in the 5,000 meter for a program record. At the NAIA National Track & Field Championships, she easily made it out of the 5,000 meter preliminaries and finished 11th overall (17:46) in the finals. Her honors include two-time NAIA scholar-athlete, two-time SAC scholar-athlete, two-time academic all-conference in both cross country and track & field and 2019-20 SAC women’s cross country student-athlete of the year. Pearson became the first individual honored as SAC student-athlete of the year in two sports.
GOLF
EMILY HUNT | TEXAS WESLEYAN
Jr. | Denton, Texas
Emily Hunt earned her first NAIA all-America award after leading the Lady Rams with a 77.37 scoring average through 28 rounds this season. She notched her second career win at the Claud Jacobs Invitational on March 29. At the NAIA Championships, she shot 78-79-80-73–310 through four rounds and finished tied for 49th. At the SAC Championships, she finished fifth with an 81-77-82–240, her fifth top-five finish of the season. She was also named to the all-SAC team. Hunt, a pre-law major, became the program's fifth all-American since its start in 2012-13. Hunt, the 2018 SAC Freshman of the Year, maintained a 3.85 cumulative GPA and a 3.80 GPA during the 2020-21 school year.
SOCCER
EMMA RICE | SCIENCE & ARTS
Jr. | F | Norman, Okla.
Emma Rice is one of the best soccer players in the nation, but she also takes care of business in the classroom, earning a 3.60 cumulative GPA and a 3.67 GPA over the last academic year. Rice’s performances on the field earned herself a third consecutive NAIA all-American selection after compiling 22 goals, 10 assists and 54 points in 17 games played. Among the NAIA, Rice ranked fourth in goals and points per game, sixth in points and 16th in assists. The striker had another historic season in 2020-21, earning the SAC offensive player of the year award as well as setting new program records for goals (82) and points in a career (192). In 2019, Rice earned SAC player of the year honors, while in 2018 she was named the SAC freshman of the year. She has been 2019-20 SAC women’s soccer student-athlete of the year, SAC scholar-athlete and two-time academic all-SAC.
SOFTBALL
EMILY CERNY | SCIENCE & ARTS
Sr. | P | Newcastle, Okla.
Emily Cerny once again proved to be the best pitcher in the NAIA, earning her second NAIA Pitcher of the Year award (2018, 2021), as well as her fourth consecutive SAC Pitcher of the Year award (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021). In the classroom, Cerny earned a 3.81 cumulative GPA and 3.83 GPA over the previous year majoring in physical education. In her career, she has also earned four first-team All-SAC selections, 2018 NAIA World Series MVP award, 2020-21 SAC athlete of the year, 2018-19 SAC student-athlete of the year and 15 SAC pitcher of the week awards. She currently ranks at the top of nearly every pitching category in the program record book. In 2021, the notorious pitcher led the NAIA in wins, strikeouts, and innings pitched with a 34-7 record and a 1.14 earned run average along with 341 strikeouts in 257.1 innings pitched. In her stellar career, Cerny is 110-17 with a 1.15 ERA and 1,026 strikeouts in 791.2 innings.
VOLLEYBALL
SOPHIA SALAK | OKLAHOMA CITY
Jr. | S | McKinney, Texas
Sophia Salak has produced a 3.86 cumulative grade-point average as a biomedical sciences major. Salak's other academic accolades include CoSIDA academic all-American, academic all-district, NAIA scholar-athlete, Sooner Athletic Conference scholar-athlete, academic all-SAC and three SAC commissioner's honor roll nods. In 2020-21, Salak supplied the Stars with 11.93 assists, 2.04 digs, 0.54 aces and 0.43 blocks a set, ranking No. 2 in the NAIA in average assists. She turned in 50 assists four times and 40 assists 12 times during the last season. Her career statistics include 2,441 assists, 495 digs, 118 kills, 109 service aces and 78 blocks. Each of the last two seasons, Salak has been an NAIA all-American, American Volleyball Coaches Association all-American, NAIA South Central Region player of the year, all-region, conference most valuable player, league setter of the year, first-team all-SAC, SAC Tournament MVP and all-tournament in the SAC Tournament. She has notched one NAIA setter of the week nod and 11 SAC setter of the week awards in her career.
WRESTLING
NINA PHAM | WAYLAND BAPTIST
Sr. | 101 lbs. | San Jose, Calif.
Nina Pham, a fitness management major, has been dominant at 101 pounds the past two seasons, going undefeated en route to winning back-to-back NAIA National Invitational titles. She was named the 2020-21 NAIA Outstanding Wrestler of Year and has gone unbeaten on the mat since falling to a teammate in the NAIA National Invitational finals in 2019. That a 3.86 cumulative GPA landed Pham a spot on the CoSIDA Academic All-District team.