April 27, 2004

Hampton, VA - The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association announced the honorees for both the men's and women's All-Conference teams and 2004 Players of the Year on Tuesday evening, and Winston-Salem State freshman forward Shalonda Cater (Fr./F/6'1"/Fayetteville, NC) was among the 12 players named to the 2004 Women's Basketball All-CIAA team.

As well, to no one's surprise, Winston-Salem State University forward Shalonda Carter (Fr./Fayetteville, NC) was also awarded the 2004 CIAA Rookie of the Year Award on Wednesday. Carter, who led the Rams in scoring in 2004-04 garnered CIAA Rookie of the Week honors a record five times this past season as she exploded onto the scene and made the entire CIAA aware of her athletic excellence.

Despite being a freshman, she led WSSU in scoring with 12.8 points per game and hit a Ram best 45.4% of her shots from the field.

A 6'1" forward from Fayetteville, NC, Carter helped the Lady Rams to a 12-14 record this past season as she appeared in all 26 games for the Lady Rams, starting 22. She scored a team-high 334 points for an average of 12.8 points per game (team-high) on 118 of 260 shooting (.454) She led the Lady Rams in scoring 13 times and led the Lady Rams in rebounding 13 times as she recorded nine double-doubles and four 20-point games. She was a relative shoe-in for the CIAA Rookie of the Year Award as she was named CIAA Rookie of the Week five times (November 22nd, 2003; December 6th, 2003; January 11th, 2004; January 18th, 2004; February 1st, 2004) and was named to the CIAA All-Rookie team.

Featured on the women's team is 2003-2004 CIAA Player of the Year Jessica Hawkins of Shaw University as she takes the crown as the 2003-2004 Women's Basketball Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. Hawkins, a versatile 5'7" senior guard from Raleigh, North Carolina, leads the CIAA in assists at 5.8 a game and steals at 4.6 per contest. She also averages 11.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and shoots 58.1 percent from the field for the 23-2 Lady Bears.

The All-Conference Teams and Players of the Year were formally honored at the Women's and Men's Tip-Off Banquets. Both banquets were held at the Embassy Suites-RDU in Cary on Sunday, February 22 and February 24 at 6:30pm, respectively. The All-CIAA award winners for women's basketball are as follows:

2004 Women's Basketball All-CIAA Team
Name-School-Cl.-Ht.-Pos.-Hometown
Allyson Hardy-BSU-Jr-5' 6"-G-Germantown, MD
Rachill Robinson-BSU-Jr-6' 1"-F-Fort Washington, MD
Joi Surratt-JCSU-Sr-5' 5"-G-Charlotte, NC
Lauren Goss-JCSU-Jr-5' 10"-F-Morrow, GA
Tiona Beatty-NCCU-Sr-5' 5"-G-Queens, NY
Kiarsha Curtis-SU-Jr-5' 8"-G-Capital Heights, MD
LaTasha Shipman-SU-Sr-6' 1"-F-Rigelwood, NC
Jessica Hawkins-SU-Sr-5' 4"-F-Raleigh, NC
Margiella Mobley-SU-Sr-6' 1"-F-Jacksonville, FL
Alonna Marble-VSU-Sr-5' 8"-F-Capital Heights, MD
Pria Stellmacher-VUU-Jr-5' 5"-G-Suitland, MD
Danielle Hoggard-VUU-Sr-6' 5"-C-Richmond, VA

Player of the Year- Jessica Hawkins, Shaw University
Defensive Player of the Year- Jessica Hawkins, Shaw University