Buckingham earns First Team All-WHAC, Smith earns All-Freshman as Four earn All-Academic

Lawrence Technological University

2017 WHAC AWARDS

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. - Nicole Buckingham (SO/Saginaw, Mich.) of the Lawrence Technological (Mich.) University women's basketball team earned Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference First Team honors, the conference office announced on Wednesday.

Lawrence Tech's Kaitlyn Smith (FR/Holly, Mich.) earned WHAC All-Freshman Team honors while Maegan Branham (SR/Michigan Center, MI), Allison Kitchen (SR/Clio, MI), Anne Tucker (SR/Rochester Hills, Mich.), and Hayley Walkowski (JR/Marshall, MI) earned WHAC All-Academic Honors.

Buckingham led the Blue Devils this season in points per game with 16.28 and blocks per game with 0.48. Buckingham ranks 34th in NAIA DII total scoring with 472 points and ranks 39th in free throw percentage at 0.800. Buckingham ranks 44th in points per game in NAIA DII.

In the WHAC, Buckingham finished the regular season ranked eighth in points per game, seventh in total scoring, 11th in field goal percentage, and fourth in free-throw percentage.

This is the second straight season that Buckingham received a conference honor as she was named to the WHAC All-Freshman Team in 2015-16.

Smith started 27 of 29 games as a freshman and led the team in three-point percentage at 0.384, shooting 53-for-138. She ranks 41st in NAIA DII three-point field goal percentage and ranks seventh in the WHAC.

Branham and Kitchen earn All-Academic honors for the second straight season while Tucker and Walkowski earn their first WHAC All-Academic honor. Branham was also named the team's Champion of Character player.

Other individual awards given out at the conference meeting were swept by Indiana Tech. Keanna Gary earned Newcomer of the Year and Player of the Year while her head coach Jesse Biggs was named Coach of the Year following her 24-6 record and second place finish in the WHAC.

You can watch these Blue Devil players and their teammates in tonight's WHAC quarterfinal game at Don Ridler Field House. Opening tip is set for 7:30 p.m.

Follow @LTUAthletics on Twitter and Facebook | #FillTheRidler #MakeTheRidlerRock #WeAreLTU