WKU junior Chastity Gooch and freshman Kendall Noble have been named the CollegeSportsMadness.com Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year and Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year, the website announced on Monday afternoon.
Gooch dominated the 13th District for four years while playing for Coach Lex Lindsey at Franklin-Simpson.
Gooch was also a First Team All-Conference selection by the website while sophomore guard Micah Jones was named a Third Team All-Conference selection and senior Bianca McGee was named a Fourth Team All-Conference selection.
Gooch has enjoyed one of the best junior seasons in program history, averaging 17.9 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. She also compiled 41 assists, 42 blocks and 41 steals during the regular season. During WKU’s current seven-game winning streak, Gooch has raised her average to 19.3 points per contest while shooting 52.0 percent from the field and nearly 83 percent from the free throw line.
She also reached the 500-point mark for the season in WKU's regular season finale win over Georgia State on March 8. Gooch became just the fourth player to record 500 points as both a sophomore and junior in program history, joining Crystal Kelly, Tiffany Porter-Talbert and Lillie Mason on the elite list of players. She also becomes just the ninth player in the combined Lady Topper and Hilltopper Basketball program history to reach the mark. WKU Hilltopper Basketball players to reach the mark include Jim McDaniels, current NBA star Courtney Lee, Ralph Crosthwaite, Brett McNeal and Clem Haskins.
Noble has enjoyed one of the most versatile years in the nation by any player. Noble is the only freshman in the nation averaging at least 10.0 points per game, 5.0 rebounds per game, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals per contest in conference play this season. In program history, Noble is one of just 11 players to reach 275 points or more during their freshman season at WKU. All-time leading scorer Crystal Kelly owns the WKU record for points by a freshmen with 579.
Noble is currently averaging 10.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game on the season but in conference play is where she shined the most. Noble has averaged 14.1 points and 5.5 rebounds in league play while piling up 68 assists and 58 steals in 18 league games.
Lillie Mason of Olmstead, Western Kentucky’s first Miss Kentucky signee, was a freshman All-American on the way to leading the Lady Toppers to two Final Fours as an All-American during her junior and senior years. She averaged 18.1 points and 7.6 rebounds per game as a freshman.
Postseason awards from the Sun Belt Conference will be announced on Tuesday.
WKU opens conference tournament play against Louisiana-Lafayette on Wednesday, March 12 at 6:00 p.m. CT in the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Conference Championships at Lakefront Arena in New Orleans, La.
WKU (21-8, 13-5) ended the regular season on Saturday with a 79-63 win over Georgia State in Atlanta as junior All-America candidate Chastity Gooch and freshman Bria Gaines combined for 44 points and 19 rebounds to lead the Lady Toppers.
Tickets for the 2014 Men's and Women's Sun Belt Basketball Tournament are also on sale through the WKU Ticket Office. Each ticket book contains eight tickets. There are a total of eight sessions, with sessions 1-6 including two games and session seven being the Women's Championship and session eight being the Men's Championship. The ticket price is $99 and seats are general admission.