Holt voted First Team, Defensive Player of the Year

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Middle Tennessee senior Amber Holt was voted First Team All-Sun Belt and SBC Defensive Player of the Year, as announced by the conference office. Holt is the nation's leading scorer for the eighth straight week and ranks nationally in five categories, including rebounding, field goal percentage, steals and assist-to-turnover ratio. She scored a then career-high 41 points in Middle Tennessee's upset of eighth-ranked LSU in December and then broke a 21-year-old school record in January, netting 44 points at Louisiana-Monroe. The Duluth, Ga., native is the only player in the nation with a pair of 40-point games this season and also the only player to lead her team in points, rebounds, assists and steals in 2007-08. She has 10 games with 30-plus points and seven double-doubles as well as ranking in the Top 5 in the Sun Belt in rebounds, steals, offensive rebounds, FG percentage, FT percentage and assist-to-turnover ratio. Six of her 30-point efforts have come versus SBC competition. Holt has won an unprecedented five Sun Belt Player of the Week awards and is a member of all three National Player of the Year award watch lists - the Wade Trophy, the Naismith Award and the Wooden Award. The Meadowcreek High School product was also a First Team All-SBC selection in 2006-07 and is one of five players to garner First Team accolades since the Blue Raiders joined the league eight seasons ago. Middle Tennessee has earned 11 First Team All-SBC selections during the eight seasons. Holt was voted Defensive Player of the Year, as well, the sixth straight season a Blue Raider has won the award. She averages 2.66 steals per game and has also drawn 52 charges in 29 contests this season, more than twice the number the rest of the team has combined. "We've been able to accomplish so much as a team this season and that's really the most important thing," Holt said. "It's nice to have these individual honors, but now it's time to get down to the business of winning another conference championship." Middle Tennessee opens the Sun Belt Championships Saturday at 9 p.m. in Mobile, Ala., and will face the winner of Wednesday's Troy at Louisiana-Monroe contest. Sun Belt Conference All-Conference Women's Basketball Team
First Team
Nikya Hughes (UALR, Sr., F/C)
LaQuetta Ferguson (Florida International, Sr., G)
Amber Holt (Middle Tennessee, Sr., F)
Amy Lewis (Troy, Sr., G)
Crystal Kelly (Western Kentucky, Sr., F)

Second Team
Anshel Cooper (UALR, So., G)
Kim Sitzmann (UALR, So., G)
Le'Della English (New Orleans, Sr., G)
Amber Jackson (North Texas, Jr., F)
Dominique Duck (Western Kentucky, Jr., F)

Third Team
Veronica Smith (Arkansas State, So., G)
Carla Stubbs (Florida Atlantic, So., G)
Iva Ciglar (Florida International, Jr., G)
Alicia McDaniel (Louisiana-Lafayette, Sr., G)
Shannon Lloyd (Louisiana-Monroe, Sr., C)
Player of the Year
Crystal Kelly (Western Kentucky, Sr., F)

Defensive Player of the Year
Amber Holt (Middle Tennessee, Sr., F)

Newcomer of the Year
Brittany Helm (New Orleans, So., G)

Freshman of the Year
Arnika Brown (Western Kentucky, Fr., F)

Coach of the Year
Mary Taylor Cowles, Western Kentucky

Middle Tennessee State University Athletics

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