PORTLAND, Ore. – Night in and night out,
Ashley Alter gets the job done at both ends of the basketball court for the Seattle Pacific Falcons.
And every coach in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference knows it.
Ashley Alter
The SPU senior, who not only led the team in scoring last year but typically drew the toughest defensive assignment as well, was a unanimous pick to the GNAC Preseason All-Conference women's basketball team that was announced on Tuesday.
"I'm excited for Ashley that the rest of the conference sees how talented a player she is and can be," Falcons head coach
Mike Simonson said. "I see it every day in practice, so I'm pretty lucky to see that."
Alter, who stands 5-foot-11 and can play either guard or forward, averaged a team-high 13.3 points in 12 games during last winter's abbreviated season. She also led Seattle Pacific in steals with 25 and averaged 4.0 rebounds in 32.7 minutes per game.
Mike Simonson
"Ashley is one of our better offensive players. Typically on most teams, one of the better offensive players doesn't guard the best player on the other team," Simonson said. "But every night, that was Ashley's job, to be one our best scorers and also one of our best defenders.
"That's not an easy task," he added. "She was able to do that and play 30-plus minutes (per game). It took a toll on her, but that just shows her grit and tenacity as a player."
Of the 15 players on the squad, Alter was one of 10 unanimous selections.
Simon Fraser guard Jessica Jones, a 5-9 senior, was named the Preseason Player of the Year.
The Falcons begin the season on Saturday, Nov. 6 with an exhibition game against Multnomah College of Portland at 7:00 p.m. in Brougham Pavilion. The official start of the schedule will be the following weekend. Corban College of Salem visits on Friday, Nov. 12, followed by West Region rival Humboldt State on Saturday, Nov. 13. Both games tip off at 3:00 p.m.
2021-22 GNAC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
Preseason Player of the Year: Jessica Jones, Simon Fraser |
|
| Name |
School |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Yr. |
Hometown (Previous School) |
|
| * Jessica Jones |
Simon Fraser |
G |
5-9 |
Sr. |
Richmond, B.C. (McMath) |
|
| * Kassidy Malcolm |
Central Washington |
F |
5-11 |
Sr. |
Ellensburg, Wash. (Ellensburg) |
|
| * Tennae Voliva |
Alaska Anchorage |
F |
6-0 |
Sr. |
Anchorage, Alaska (E. Anchorage) |
|
| * Claire Dingus |
Saint Martin's |
F |
6-0 |
Jr. |
Spokane Valley, Wash. (University) |
|
| * Emma Duff |
Western Washington |
G |
6-0 |
Sr. |
Tumwater, Wash. (Black Hills) |
|
| * Taryn Shelley |
Montana St. Billings |
F |
6-3 |
Jr. |
Shoreline, Wash. (Wash.State) |
|
| * Erin Jenkins |
Northwest Nazarene |
G/F |
6-0 |
Jr. |
Lompoc, Calif. (Cabrillo) |
|
| * Sala Langi |
Alaska Anchorage |
G/F |
5-9 |
Sr. |
Pacifica, Calif. (Oceana) |
|
| * Ashley Alter |
Seattle Pacific |
G/F |
5-11 |
Sr. |
Stanwood, Wash. (Stanwood) |
|
| + Brooke Walling |
Western Washington |
F |
6-3 |
So. |
Vancouver, Wash. (Fresno State) |
|
| * Samantha Bowman |
Central Washington |
C |
6-3 |
Jr. |
Zillah, Wash. (Zillah) |
|
| Dani Iwami |
Western Washington |
G |
5-8 |
Sr. |
Seal Beach, Calif. (Hawaii Pacific) |
|
| Nyalam Thabach |
Northwest Nazarene |
F |
6-3 |
So. |
Boise, Idaho (UC Santa Barbara) |
|
| Sam Tolliver |
Alaska |
G |
5-8 |
So. |
Seattle, Wash. (Garfield) |
|
| Kendal Sands |
Simon Fraser |
G |
5-9 |
Sr. |
Coquitlam, B.C. (Charles Best) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
* - Unanimous Selection
+ - Conference Newcomer |
|
|
