Apke Leads All-Conference Basketball Selections
WASHINGTON, Pa. -- Washington & Jefferson College junior forward Chelsea Apke (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mount Lebanon) was named to the All-Presidents’ Athletic Conference First Team, while sophomore center Valerie Dunlap (Hostetter, Pa./Latrobe) was selected to the second team. In addition, during Friday’s all-conference announcement, senior guard Emily Abraham (Canfield, Ohio/Boardman) earned honorable mention accolades.
Apke is the first President to garner a first team selection since Maggie Gibson ‘10 and Kennan Killeen ‘10 both earned first team status following the 2009-10 season. She is the second-leading rebounder (9.6 rpg) and sixth-leading scorer (15.1 ppg) in the conference. Apke’s .533 shooting percentage ranks third in the league and is the highest by a President (minimum 200 attempts) since Gibson shot 61 percent from the field during the 2007-08 season. She also leads the team in steals (61) and has dished out 56 assists.
Dunlap set the single-season school record for blocked shots with 79 (second in PAC), upping her career total to 99, which ranks third in program history. She is the conference’s third-leading rebounder (9.4 rpg), while ranking eighth in scoring (13.1 ppg).
Abraham is W&J’s third-leading scorer at 9.0 points per game and has added 75 rebounds, while dishing out 38 assists. She drilled a team-best 51 three-pointers and ranks fourth in the PAC in three-point shooting (.381). During her career, Abraham has connected on 120 triples which ranks fourth all-time at W&J.
Thomas More senior guard Allison Long was named PAC Player of the Year, while Saints’ Head Coach Jeff Hans earned the conference’s Coach of the Year award.
W&J completed the regular season with a 20-8 record, the ninth 20-victory season in program history. The Presidents will await a possible postseason bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament or to the ECAC Tournament on Monday.
