Three Express Players Named to NJCAA Division III All-American Team

Three Express Players Named to NJCAA Division III All-American Team

By Chris Schmidbauer, Sports Information Director

Toledo, OH -- On Monday April 8, the NJCAA announced its Division III All-American team for the 2018-2019 basketball season. Owens placed three players on the list of All-Americans. Sophomore Taylor Works and freshmen Moreina Moore and Shyah Wheeler were all named to the squad for their efforts during this past season.

Taylor Works was named to the First Team for her outstanding year. Works led the Express in scoring with 17.4 points per game and she led the team in assists at 4.6 a contest. She tied the record for second most points in a game against Hocking this season with 36 points back on February 16. Her efforts during the Division III National Tournament earned her a place on the First Team All-Tournament team as well. Works averaged 16.7 point per game while shooting 42% from the field for the tournament. She also averaged six rebounds and nearly five assists during the Express's three tournament games. 

Moreina Moore was named a Second Team All-American. Moore averaged 17 points per game, which placed her third on the team. She also averaged 6.1 rebounds per game as well during the season. The Worthington, OH native averaged 19.6 points per game during the national tournament, including a 29 point outing against UConn Avery Point in the first round of the tournament. She also had a double-double in the national semifinal game against North Country, scoring 19 points and grabbing 11 caroms during the game. For the season, Moore shot 44.4% from the field, which ranked her second on the team.

Shyah Wheeler was named an Honorable Mention All-American. Wheeler, who is a two sport athlete at Owens, started the season late due to the Owens Volleyball team's run to a National Championship. Once she joined the basketball team, she made an immediate impact. Wheeler averaged 17.2 points a game this season and was third on the team in rebounds at 7.2 a game. Her 35 point outing against Columbus State in the Regional Tournament earned her the Region XII MVP. She averaged 15.6 points per game during the national tournament, and she grabbed 6.6 rebounds per game. She also had a double-double in the national tournament, scoring 18 and grabbing 13 boards in the first round game against UConn Avery Point. 

The three nominees was the most any school received to be named to the NJCAA's Division III All-American team. It is also the most amount of nominees that an Owens Women's Basketball team has had in a season as well. The program now has 11 total players that have been named to an All-American squad.