Staff reports

Winthrop junior women’s basketball player Dequesha McClanahan has been tabbed the Big South Conference’s Player of the Year for the second-straight year, while Eagle freshman Schaquilla Nunn was named Freshman of the Year, according to a press release Monday. A third Winthrop player, senior Diana Choibekova, earned postseason recognition with a spot on the All-Conference second team. Presbyterian College head coach Ronny Fisher was voted Coach of the Year by the league’s media and coaches.

McClanahan, a guard from Oak Ridge, Tenn., tops the Big South Conference with 19.8 points per game and also leads the league with 5.9 assists per contest. She posted a league-best 16 games with 20-or-more points and poured in a season-high 31 points in Winthrop’s win over UNC Asheville last Saturday.

She becomes just the sixth player in the league’s history to earn back-to-back Player of the Year honors and is the first player since Megan Frazee of Liberty earned the honor in consecutive seasons in 2007-08 and 2008-09. McClanahan notched 10 first-place votes and 191 points from the panel, finishing ahead of Cheyenne Parker of High Point, who posted nine top-bids and 183 points.

McClanahan ranks No. 1 in the conference with four 10-assist games and has notched three games with 20 points and 10 helpers. Against William & Mary on Jan. 2, McClanahan finished with a 14-point, 15-rebound and 12-assist triple double. She has notched four double-doubles on the season and is currently riding a four-game streak of games with 20-or-more points. McClanahan has scored in double digits in 27 of 29 games, including a current 20-game streak of 10-or-more points.